baby products

DIY Diaper Rash Butt Spray (aka My Version of CJ’s BUTTer Spritz)

/ Tracy Gromek / 9 Comments
DIYButterSpritz

My homemade organic version of CJ’s BUTTer Spritz – I dare say it’s better since it contains aloe vera oil.

Am I weird because I love diaper changing time? I’ve used the RIE approach to diaper changing since Faye was born and it has paid off big time. It is all about slowing down and giving the child gentle, undivided, unplugged attention. Ask for their help. Ask for their permission. Sure, it may take 15 minutes, but sometimes, those 15 minutes are the highlight of my day.

I also have fallen in love with my DIY version of CJ’s BUTTer Spritz. Its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties keeps diaper rash away and softens skin. The dispensing via a spray method versus dipping your fingers into a tub keeps it sanitary and my hands goop free. Plus, it smells great. I always spray one or two pumps into my hands, rub my hands together and then put them to my nose and inhale deeply. I then give my hands to Faye to smell and she raises her eyebrows as if in agreement it smells lovely. I never actually hear her inhale though, so I whole heartedly believe she is screwing with my head.

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DIY Crinkle Tag Toy

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DIYCrinkleTagToy

DIY Crinkle Tag Toy

Over the past several weeks Faye has become increasingly fond of tags. Apparently this is some sort of baby OCD milestone.

In order to fully support her craziness, during her afternoon nap I made her a crinkle tag square to chew/pull/manipulate. The moment her eyes fluttered opened they were met with my creation. I’m happy to report my endeavor was a success. She’s been playing with it non-stop.

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Should You Buy It?: Turtlemeter, the Baby Bath Floating Turtle Toy and Bath Tub Thermometer

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TurtlemeterLong

Try to buy a baby bath thermometer that isn’t shaped like an animal or transportation device. I dare you.

Marcus and I like our space. We like it not covered in baby crap. I truly believe this is why we did not purchase a bath thermometer until Faye was 4 months old.

Up until that point we had been using an old digital candy thermometer of mine. It took a temperature, but it couldn’t be submerged in water which meant I had to continually take readings throughout bathtime. It was also off by 31 degrees so there was that added bonus of simple math equations after no sleep for the past quarter of a year all while trying to keep an infant afloat.

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DIY Natural Diaper Rash Cream

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Faye’s skin is extremely sensitive. Unusually sensitive. We’re talking so sensitive that being in a wet cloth diaper for less than two minutes gave her a diaper rash (or dare I say, “diaper burn”) even though she was lathered in cream. Poor thing. From that moment on, my infant cloth stash that took weeks to research was sadly packed away, we switched to the most natural disposable we could find, and made sure to use a high grade/wet barrier diaper rash cream at every change.

I’m a big proponent of using natural products on myself and an even bigger advocate of doing so on infants. I also get a kick out of DIY projects and being able to whip an item up in a few minutes should we run out of something. (Which is also why I LOVE cloth wipes and homemade solution.)

With Faye strapped to my front facing out so she could clearly see what was going on, I made a diaper cream and a diaper spray. (I’ll post the spray later this week.) They only took minutes to put together and I love them both. Because of her sensitive skin I use the cream over the spray when she’ll be in a diaper for more than 2 hours.

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DIY Montessori Grasping Rattle

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This grasping rattle was the first rattle of the bunch that excited Faye, (and it still does over a month later). It was cut from the same ⅜” dowel as the Bell Rattle and takes even less time and effort to make!

All parts of this rattle are exceptional for building grasping skills and are great for munching. The two larger beads on the end make it easy for her to pass objects back and forth between her left and right hand and allow the rattle to roll across a surface encouraging Faye to move by stretching, rolling, and crawling after it. The past two weeks I’ve noticed that she’s using the rings around the dowel to develop the beginnings of her pincer grasp.

When shaken, the sound is very light and earthy – great for those mornings when you’d like a little more calm or when you’re out and trying to have a conversation over the sounds of a baby.

Assuming you are using the wood glue you purchased and the natural sealant you made for the Bell Rattle, this Grasping Rattle takes under 10 minutes to construct and costs less than $2.00 to make.

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DIY Montessori Bell Rattle

/ Tracy Gromek / 5 Comments

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Faye has been in love with the Bell Rattle for about a month now. The size is perfect for her tiny hand, it’s easy to hold, and the sound it makes is quite lovely. At four months, she was working on purposeful grasping and this was a great toy with which to practice.

At a week shy of 5 months, she still chooses this rattle over all the others. It’s quite safe to chew on which is great since she gums up that metal like no other toy. I think the cool temperature of the metal helps calm her teething pain.

This is a toy that could easily be introduced at 2 months, teaching the child how its movements can influence sound.

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