Baby #2 | Hospital Bag Essentials

For the last week, I have been focused on packing our bags for the hospital. I started with mine, because I thought that would be the easiest. Thinking back to our first hospital stay, I remember most of the things that we packed... That which we actually used, and that which we did not. This time, we have limited hands and limited help - especially with both of us trying to wrangle an independent, 3 year-old Big Sister (who gets her very own bag, but more on that later)... So, I'm trying not to over-pack, while also thinking about our needs as a soon-to-be family of four. Here is a list of some of the essentials that I'm packing this time around.

1. CLIF BARS || Of course, you can't partake until after the baby is born, but these are quick and easy snacks that are also high in protein and fiber-- which is great for all of the lovely post-partum side effects. I love to pack snacks for everyone, which limits trying to run out and get what we need. This way, it's already in the room with us, and it's quick and easy. You can't beat that!

2. BOTTLED WATER || Water is definitely essential to your postpartum recovery, especially if you are nursing! I know most hospitals give out a water bottle to new moms, but I have had my share of hospital water in the past, so I prefer to bring bottled water.

3. COMING HOME OUTFIT + gowns, beanie hats, and mittens || We didn't go overboard with clothes last time, but I was glad to have a few newborn-sized gowns for Brynn, and also her mittens! She was born with the longest fingernails, which I was completely terrified to trim, so the mittens definitely came in handy after she scratched up her sweet, little face pretty badly.

4. ADEN & ANAIS SWADDLE BLANKETS || These just started to become popular right around the time that Brynn was born, so I was excited to buy some this time around! My bestie, Roslyn, also shared with me that not only can they be used as adorable swaddles/receiving blankets, but they also double as a nursing cover (if you don't want to worry about taking one to the hospital), and even as burp cloths, if necessary.

5. COCONUT OIL || I haven't really talked about it very much, but I have used coconut oil for just about everything in the past 2 years... We cook with it (and I love to smear it on toast in place of butter), it is an excellent bath-time moisturizer for Brynn and myself, I also haven't purchased an expensive facial moisturizer in a very long time, or even a hair conditioning treatment... It's even in the body and face bars we use from New Harmony Soap Company. I am obsessed with this stuff! It's also a better acne treatment than anything I've ever tried! So, I was especially excited to learn that it's also an excellent (and baby safe) nipple cream! I will be taking a small container with me to the hospital for my face, and of course to use for nursing Baby L...

6. EOS LIP BALM || I have a lip balm obsession... I get it from my momma. And this stuff is a-w-e-s-o-m-e!

7. DSLR + TRIPOD || Of course, we will need a tripod this time for video, since we don't have Grammy there to record it for us... Hopefully, we can get away with Daddy filming a little too, but at least we have a backup if necessary! Also, it will be great to try and snap our first, hands-free family photo! :)

8. BLACK LEGGINGS + YOGA OR LOUNGE PANTS || I prefer the selections at GAP. And let me just stress the color BLACK. If this is your first baby, you will understand why fairly quickly...

9. GLAMOURMOM NURSING TANKS + NURSING BRA || I was lucky to find these on zulily.com a while back for a steal... I bought two for $22 each. I've heard great things about the nursing tanks at Target as well, but I'm definitely excited to use the Glamourmom tanks to layer through our first Florida winter!

10. CARDIGANS || I am always freezing... Like, always. So, sweaters are usually essential for me in a drafty hospital. I am obsessed with this particular shawl-collar VS cardigan, and also this striped JoJo Maman Bebe nursing cardigan (also scored off zulily.com).

11. NURSING PILLOW || Of course, this is only necessary if you are planning to nurse. But it also can make a great back support. You can always use pillows too, but I have a "thing" about hospital linens, since I worked in a hospital for over 5 years of my life... It's not that they aren't extraordinarily clean, it's just I know what has been on them in the past. I'm just a weirdo like that...

12. UGG SLIPPERS || Once upon a time, Allen's Aunt Paula introduced me to these after she traveled to Australia... And I have owned a pair ever since. I have even gifted them to my sister-in-laws! They are fabulous for the hospital too!

13. MAKEUP BAG + BEAUTY ESSENTIALS || I am extremely picky about my shower stash, so I always bring my own stuff with me... That goes for shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and makeup essentials. I love Dr. Jart+ Beauty Balm, so it goes with me too!

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As for Brynn, this was where my challenge began. Trying to foresee what she may need in the hours after I go into labor, at all hours of the day and night, I did my best to put together some essentials for Big Sister.

1. LeapFrog Creativity Camera  || This was a fabulous 3rd birthday gift from Aunt Roz and Uncle Nck, which I thought would be great for Big Sis to snap photos of her time at the hospital and, of course, of her new baby brother. We use our old iPhone4 and the app that goes with the camera, and she has loved to capture and manipulate all kinds of shots...

2. Comfy pajamas and lounge wear || I have a great Big Sis shirt that I purchased from Aidille's Etsy shop for some photos after everyone is cleaned up, etc, but I thought until then, we would stick to comfy pajamas and lounge pants.

3. Sticker Activity Pads || In her favorite characters of Sofia the First. Hopefully, this will distract her for a significant amount of time... Cross your fingers for us!

4. Coloring Activity || Crayons and coloring books. Sometimes she's into them, sometimes she's not... I thought it was worth a little effort.

5. Melissa & Doug Water WOW paint booklets || Painting with water. Mess-free, stress-free. Need I say more?

6. iPad || When all else fails, we can break out the apps and movies on the iPad.

We will see what becomes of these tactics soon. 

Our appointment today shows that I'm already progressing much faster than I did with Brynn at 36 weeks. Baby L will definitely be here in the next 3 weeks, so it's all just a matter of time!

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Baby #2 | Hospital Bag Essentials

The Clean Challenge

Have you seen those Pins floating around Pinterest about making your own laundry and dishwasher detergents with simple, nontoxic ingredients? Me too! I've never really bothered to explore them because I always thought, "Wow, that seems like a big waste of time," being that I have always been partial to my "clean" smelling scents of laundry, and the ease of adding a tablet to your dishwasher.

If it's not broke, why fix it?

Of course, Allen and I have been leaning to the "green" side for some time... And when I say "leaning," I  mean just that. We always attempt to weigh the benefits when we come across a decision to be more eco-friendly or organic, but neither one of us want to seem too granola-esque.

We just want to do what we feel is best for our family.

Honestly, it all began for me when we decided to start a family.

I could swear that Allen was born with this frame-of-mind...

At the time, I worked in a PICU- full of children born with life-altering congenital defects- and Allen was {and still is} "Captain Planet"-- which is what I always called him when he called me out for throwing a soda can/plastic bottle/{insert recyclable item here} into the trash can.

When these two people decide to procreate... You get panic.

I started paying attention to everything that my body came into contact with! Literally everything.

I remember attempting to hold my breath around the nitric oxide tanks that I used at work, not to mention the aerosolized antibiotics I used to treat patients...

And what I didn't think of... Allen did.

So, we switched to organic produce, Method soaps, etc, etc, etc.

 Yes, this was all before we even started TTC.

About a month later, we were expecting!

... and little B started her journey into a house of anti-granola Granolas. Ha!

We started using Seventh Generation diapers {and still do}, I continued to eat mostly organic while I was nursing her, and when we switched to formula, we went with Earth's Best. 

As time went by, it was just assumed that she would eat organic solids...
{for moms starting solids-- I always used Momtastic's Wholesome Baby Food website for recipe ideas}

And now, here we are.

Maybe a little crazy... But at least that gives us a little peace of mind?

That's just a little bit of the background that has finally thrown us in the mix of making our own detergents...  I will attribute this decision to the documentary Chemerical- which my very own Captain Planet convinced me to watch the other night. I guess it was the final push we needed.

Hmmmmmm. Of course, I'm always the skeptical one...

So, you can switch to toxin-free cleaners and save money... Really?!

Well, whether or not you believe half of what the documentary claims, I thought it was worth a try...

After an hour or so of online research, I came up with the following recipes to potentially replace the household cleaners that we currently use... Not to mention, I discovered there are a ton of people that already do this!

Much to my surprise, not only are these detergents composed of the most simple ingredients, they are also so inexpensive, it is fairly ridiculous to compare it to what we already paid for the Method laundry supplies and dishwasher tabs-- which we pay $$$ for because it's toxic-free!

 That was enough motivation for this momma...

So, I had to share with all of you! 

Here are the "recipes" that I decided to go with after a little research:

{Disclaimer: None of the below is reflective on Method soap being unreliable in any way... Nor is it comparing these two very different detergents. It is simply to show what we were using and what we are using now. The only reason for our decision to switch is solely financially related. IF we were to buy a product, it would be a Method product. I have never been anything but happy with ALL of their products.} 

 Recipe as follows, via Yellow Brick Home:

1-cup Borax

1-cup Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap, finely grated

 Use 1 tablespoon per load.

 

All of these ingredients you can find in the aisles of your local Supermarket or Superstore!

The kicker? A bar of Fels-Naptha is like $1.

The other kicker?! 

This batch will last you 40+ loads, and both boxes contain enough to make almost 5 batches!

This comes out to be about 4-cents per load!  'Nuff said.

Oh, and we just upgraded to a high-efficiency washing machine, and multiple resources claimed this detergent is just as good, if not better, than other high-efficiency detergents...

A. It's much cheaper.

B. It's toxin-free!

C. It doesn't create "suds"

Recipes as follows, via Simply Designing

 {I love how she cut vinyl to put the recipe on the back of her container too!}

2-cups Borax

2-cups Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda

1-cup Lemi Shine {due to lack of ingredient}

1-cup Citric Acid

1-cup Kosher Salt  

{I've seen other variations with sea salt and Epsom salt as well}

 Mix all ingredients into a container 

{we found these great glass air-tight containers at Wal-Mart for very cheap}

Use 1 tablespoon per load

You may also wish to use distilled white vinegar as a rinse aid if you have extra-hard water like we do!
Add 3 drops of dish soap per load for greasy dishes.

Multi-Surface Cleaner recipe, via New Nostalgia

1-cup distilled white vinegar

2-cups water

1/2 teaspoon dish soap {I absolutely love Seventh Gen's Lavender Floral Mint}

15 drops essential oils of your choice

Mix and store in spray bottle.
This can be used for glass and counter tops, etc.

**********************************************

Shower Cleaner recipe, via Life, Crafts & Whatever

1-cup distilled white vinegar, heated on stove {do not boil}

[about] 1-cup of dish soap

{she uses Dawn, but I used Seventh Gen's Lavender Floral Mint and it seemed to do the trick-- our shower has NEVER looked so good!}

Spray warm mixture onto shower/bath and let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour {but you can wait a little longer if you like}, and then just spray it off with our portable shower head, or wipe it clean with a sponge or rag.

Our results were nothing short of amazing!

 Being that I was on a roll with my Pinterest "recipe" finds, I decided to make my own bath and shower scrub too that I had Pinned some time ago...

 I usually use Nature's Gate products in the shower, but they don't make a scrub...

My latest and greatest find is New Harmony Soap company's Rosemary Mint face bar!! I have tried everything for my problematic skin, and this does the trick in one step... :)  

BONUS: The company is located a block from our house!

Here is the recipe for the scrub, via deliciously organized

{which I tweaked a little}

3/4-cup Sea Salt

1/2-cup Organic Raw Sugar

1-cup room temperature Coconut Oil {liquify to add to scrub container}

40+ drops of lavender essential oils

 Most of the time, I don't even have to use lotion after my shower... Not that I usually have the time or energy to apply lotion, but it does wonders for dry skin!

If lavender isn't your thing, you can try these scrubs...

DIY Coconut+Rose Scrub via The Beauty Department

DIY Lemon Sea Salt Scrub via The Beauty Department

If you would like to explore a few other options to switch to toxic-free cleaners, check out this post by Keeper of the Home.

happy mixing!

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The Clean Challenge