Time Saving Tips for Uber Busy Moms!

Being a mom is synonymous with busy! Many of us not only work full time in the home but also work outside the home - which means time is at a premium for us. I read a statistic in one of the Canadian papers that 80% of mom's who work outside of the home have missed witnessing first hand at least one major milestone in their child's life. Finding an extra few moments where ever we can is a bonus! Here are a few tips I have complied that I have found useful, hopefully you will too!

1 - Invest in a Crock-pot. Yes one of those old fashioned slow cookers your Gran might have used. The beauty of this is two fold: it doesn't heat up the house while it cooks AND you can just throw everything in frozen before you leave the house in the morning, when you get home at supper time VIOLA! dinner is ready! Be sure to get a crock-pot with a removable 'pot' part it washes up a lot faster. A quick search on the internet will reward you with loads of recipes if you feel you need them!


2 - Throw a load of laundry in anytime you leave the house. With a 16 month old and cloth diapers I find the piles of laundry never end. But instead of wasting a whole day to laundry I simply throw in a load anytime I plan to leave the house. I then fold the laundry in the bathroom while my monkey is taking a bath. That way I can still supervise him and get something done as well! Also investing in a sectioned laundry basket helps cut down on the time to sort laundry - simply drop it in the correct compartment when you bring it to the laundry room and its ready to go!

3 - Borax. See my post here on the joys of Borax! http://mommyslilmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-i-love-borax.html

4 - Cloth Diapers don't have to be a lot of work. See my post here for some great tips! http://mommyslilmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/02/diaper-care-tips-and-tricks.html

5 - Toy Boxes. Keep a toy box on every level of the house to help keep clutter to a minimum. The added bonus of this is that your little one will eventually learn themselves to put the toys back too! We even keep a mini laundry basket in the bathroom for the monkey to place his bath toys in when bath time is all done!


And of course you can save time gift hunting by going to Mommy's Lil Monkey for all your baby, toddler and parenting needs!

Why I Love Borax!

My little monkey is addicted to blackberries - and being at that stage where he cannot stay still you can imagine the mess he makes!

We had been using Borax on his cloth diapers for a few months and it never occurred to me to use it in the rest of the wash. Faced with a brand new white shirt stained purple with blackberries I didn't want to use bleach or any other harsh cleaning agent - so I decided to try a cup of Borax in his wash.

WOW - not only did it remove ALL of the blackberry stains, but it took out old stains from other items in the wash. Pasta sauce, jello, juice it was all gone! And I feel good knowing that it's gentle enough to use on his laundry and not extremely harmful to the environment.

And on his diapers we don't even need to pre-soak them any more. Just a cup of Borax and the diapers come out clean and fresh. They also feel softer then when we use just laundry detergent on them - which is an added bonus.

Guess that's why Borax has been around for so long!
http://www.purexcanada.com/index.cfm?page_id=430


Just a quick mention that our new Sping Line is slowly being posted on the site - be sure to check it out! http://www.MommysLilMonkey.com (and yes I now prewash all the fabrics in Borax instead of detergent!!!)

Diaper Care Tips and Tricks

Proper care for cloth diapers helps prolong their life, keep the smellies down and makes your job easier! In every case you should follow your manufacturers directions on washing and drying specifics, but here are a few tips I have discovered over the last year of cloth diapering!

Hang to Dry - whenever the weather permits, hang your diapers to dry. Of course with some this may take a full day - but the results are worth it! The sun will naturally bleach out the stains and the fresh air will of course freshen them up.

Vinegar - since fabric softener is a huge NO NO with cloth diapers (and liners) you may find that line drying and regular use leaves the diapers (and liners) slightly "crunchy". I have found that every few washes a cup of vinegar helps soften the fibers and remove any detergent build up. An added benefit is that vinegar naturally kills yeast bacteria.

Pre-soaking - I don't have the time or frankly stomach to pre-soak my diapers in a pail. Instead I take advantage of my washing machine! I let the machine fully fill with the diapers, some Borax and baby detergent and then just after it starts the agitation I turn the machine off. I let the diapers sit for about 20 minutes and then start it up again. I also make sure to use the extra rinse cycle to help get them really clean. This may seem like a waste of water but it takes no more then pre-soaking them in a pail.

Low Dry - it's important to dry your diapers on a low heat. Higher heat can break down the fibres or with All-In-Ones can break down the waterproofing. Again line dryer out doors is always best.

I have used Kushies (All-in-Ones) for three main reasons - they are inexpensive, they are 100% Canadian made, and they work for me! But the tips and tricks above can be applied to any cloth diapers. These are also the same tricks I use for Mommy's Lil Monkey wipes and liners.

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Lil Monkey Bum Care

Any parent knows how miserable diaper rash is - for baby and mommy. Knock on wood with some special attention and routine my little monkey has only had one bout of diaper rash. Here are some tips to help you keep your little monkey's bum happy!

Cotton - any product that touches your wee ones bum should be cotton. This includes wipes, liners etc. Even though you are using it to wipe the bum any polyester blend product such as minky, fleeces or poly-cottons just don't breath and clean like cotton. Same with liners, although I find fleece liners useful for super soakers, I recommend using a cotton/flannel over top or a flannel liner filled with fleece. Think about what the best undies are to wear for your health - yup you got it cotton!

Natural Wipe Solutions - we use a recipe that I made through trial and error that contains all natural products (and comes free with any wipe set purchased from www.MommysLilMonkey.com). The best part is this recipe has ingredients that help kill/fight yeast (the #1 cause of diaper rash), soothes the skin and moisturizes without petroleum (which doesn't allow the skin to breath).

Fresh Air - sure it can get messy, but the best thing for a bum is to get some fresh air whenever possible! Consider some diaper free time before your little monkeys bath or before changing them for bed time. Of course keeps some wipes handy to clean up any 'accidents'.

Diaper Rash Creams - stay away from any products that contain petroleum, glycerin and chemicals you have never heard of! We use a great product called Weleda (http://shop.weleda.com/SearchByCategory.aspx?CategoryCode=MotherAndBaby) - it also works well on cradle cap.

Frequent Diaper changes - especially if you use cloth diapers. Because cloth is just not as absorbent as disposables the liquids can sit at the surface leaving baby's skin damp. It's important before putting on a clean diaper to make sure your little one's bum is dry - of course baby powder is great for that!

I hope you find these tips useful in keeping bums everyway happy!

Cloth Diapering Must Haves

Those who are new to cloth diapering know that it's a confusing world filled with many expensive and elaborate products. When I first ventured into cloth diapering I was overwhelmed with the opinions and information available on the Internet.

What I can't tell you is what cloth diapering system is best for you - each baby and parent needs to determine this through their specific needs and desires. What I can tell you is that there are a few 'must haves' no matter what diapering system you go with!

Diaper Liners - Mommy's Lil Monkey offers a variety of liners, all to fill a specific purpose. in general liners are used to keep the diapers from becoming too stained, allow easier clean up of 'solid messes' and in most cases adds a soft layer directly against your little one's bum! Whether you opt for a simply 2-layer flannel liner to minimize staining or add a terry filled liner for those babes who are super soakers - Mommy's Lil Monkey has the liner you'll need! The best part is our liners come in fun prints and are all tested before we market them.

Diaper Wipes (a.k.a. bummy wipes, wipes, cloths) - what is the point of cloth diapering if you are going to use disposable wipes? Also have you read the ingredients in those wipes - yikes! The best thing on a babies bum is cotton, soft and natural. That's why any of Mommy's Lil Monkey wipes are perfect for your messy needs! We offer a variety of wipes, many made from 100% organic unbleached cotton - and in numerous sizes. From little messes to those sticky toddler stinkies Mommy's Lil Monkey wipes stand up to the job. The more you wash our wipes, the softer they become. Also our wipe solution recipe is made from all natural ingredients (available at pretty much any health food, drug store or big chain store) and help fight yeast which is the main cause of diaper rashes.

A sense of humour - yup that's what I said! Let's face it cloth diapers can sometimes be a bit of work. And no matter what style diaper you choose - a dirty one is never fun! There is nothing I find more icky then emptying that dirty diaper pail at the end of the day and getting it ready to wash - ewwww. But I remind myself that for every cloth diaper I use - I am saving the planet and making it greener for my little monkey!

One small step at a time, Mommy's Lil Monkey helps you make cloth diaper fun, inexpensize, easy and greener then ever before! Be sure to take a look at our wide range of cloth diapering accessories and many other great products at http://www.MommysLilMonkey.com . We take custom orders on our prodcuts too - keep that in mind if you're thinking of a certain theme for your nursery or have a specific diapering need!

Some New Items!

Here are some newly listed items. Right now we have a store on Etsy (http://www.mommysmonkey.etsy.com/) but we are moving items over to the main site slowly (http://www.mommyslilmonkey.com/).

Sock Monkey Snugly Blankie

Daisy Super Soaker Diaper Liners