My Secret for Night Time Leaks

Now of course I mean the kiddos leakage, not myself. 

One night whilst changing the entire bed so I could put my freshly redressed and now crying son back in at after finding him soaked through. I had a "light bulb moment"- there has to be a better way to do this. Upon waking wet he would cry and cry- it took two of us to change everything over; one to change and console him and one to change the sheets. So I set about a way to make changing the bed in the middle of the night easier- if I could double up the bottom, fitted sheets and mattress savers maybe I could streamline this unpleasant process. Well the fluffy mattress savers I had were too bulky and made the sheets fit funny. So eventually I found some thinner ones and here is the application I came up with and the items I used :


1. First I covered the mattress in an organic cotton dust mite allergy barrier
2. Then I placed an organic cotton waterproof mattress pad with straps
3. Then a fitted sheet on top of that
4. Next I put a crib-sized organic cotton waterproof mattress pad in the middle of the bed, the area most likely for an accident to occur.
5. Topped that with the fitted sheet that went with his top sheet and pillow case.
6. Finish making the bed as usual.
*Please note these links are the items that I used in case you are interested. You can absolutely pull this off with other brands of waterproof mattress pads.*

How this works? Well the next time we had a late-night leakage issue I was able to pull the top fitted sheet and crib-sized mattress saver off  while he was still sleeping by pulling one side up, shifting him to the dry side and then pulling the other side of top fitted sheet and crib-sized mattress pad off to reveal a completely dry set of bottom sheets below it. Then as long as his shirt was dry and I didn't have to change it, he would sleep through me changing his soaked pants and diaper/pull-ups/underwear. (Usually the top sheets would be dry, but those are easy enough to change without disturbing the kid.) Viola- I had solved the problem!!!!! :)  In the morning or later in the next day you simply "reload" the bed (so to speak) with a fresh crib-sized pad and fitted sheet.

I also found that once I changed brands of diapers to the Honest Company Diapers I have rarely had any night-time leakages so I feel the quality diaper has A LOT to do with dry nights! :)


You may also like my blog post on the Honest Company Diapers.

Nontoxic Mattress

Most Mattresses are Toxic
The boys were in need of new mattresses so I decided to do some research into the new nontoxic mattresses. Typical adult and crib mattresses contain dangerous chemicals and toxic gases that are not healthy for anyone, but particularly not safe for babies. The primary filling material used in nearly all mattresses today is polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foam is highly flammable because it is essentially a petroleum product. In fact, the National Association of State Fire Marshals refers to it as “solid gasoline.” While new mattresses off-gas toxic chemicals, older mattresses can be just as bad- as they age the materials they are made of break down and become part of your household dust and you are exposed to the toxins. Both children and adults can become ill by repeated and continuous exposure to the low level of chemicals continuously emitted while sleeping. Babies are particularly vulnerable to these chemicals, and there is research that suggests that the toxic gases emitted from mattresses can be a cause of crib death or SIDS (see article on toxic gases and SIDS).

What is a Healthier Option?
I chose a 100% organic cotton mattress which is the safest, most non-toxic mattress material available. Cotton is also firm and breathable and provides a comfortable sleeping surface. Other nontoxic mattresses can be made of wool or latex which can be allergens, so cotton is the most hypoallergenic choice. And does not have any toxic flame retardants applied. The Mattress I chose was The Naturepedic Organic Cotton Quilted Deluxe Mattress. It is GreenGuard Select certified – the most stringent certification for off-gassing. It is completely safe, non-toxic and firm.


How is it made Fire Safe?
Organic cotton is a far superior filling material and is significantly less flammable to begin with.  Naturepedic uses an exclusive fire protection system that is based on the unique fire retardant properties of  baking soda and hydrated silica permanently bonded to cellulose. This results in an inherently flame resistant barrier that does not break down. The cellulose fiber used is derived primarily from eucalyptus and poplar trees and has a low carbon footprint.


Now How do I make it Leak Safe?
 You will need something to protect the mattress from the baby’s or child’s fluids and night-time “accidents.” The typical vinyl (PVC) or polyester laminate waterproof mattress pads may be toxic and can contain phthalates, so you will want to avoid these. An organic waterproof mattress pad is recommended to protect the mattress from wetness and Naturepedic also sells these or you could by the 2-in-1 Ultra Mattress which has one side that is leak-proof.

What if I can't afford to replace my mattress right now?
Well without purchasing a nontoxic mattress you won't be able to completely illuminate the toxins, but there are steps that can help reduce the exposure. I would do these steps and start saving for a new organic mattress in the mean time:
-Purchase an organic cotton mattress cover
-Purchase organic cotton waterproof mattress pads
-Replace your pillows with organic options.
-Replace your bed linens with organic cotton options.
-It is hard to say no to your kids when they want those popular character sheets, but they come covered with toxic flame retardants. So wash them many times until you no longer smell anything coming off them and be sure to use some vinegar in each wash as it helps to break down the flame retardants.

Sleep Safe!!!

Shaklee Savings

 

Now through July 31st, when you purchase any Shaklee product, we will waive your membership fee and give you a 15%

off dicsount on your order and any future orders.

Hello healthy savings!

 

 

Shop Here!

 

Promo Rules

- A product offer of at least 1PV must be made at the time of sponsoring to recieve a free membership.

-Offer valid July 1-31, 2013.

-Offer subject to change without notice.

 

 



How I Clean- Naturally

If you have been following along here you know I try to do things as naturally as possible. So of course cleaning would be no different. About a year ago I found this wonderful company called Shaklee that had this line of nontoxic cleaning supplies called Get Clean.
I started off with their product, Organic Basic H2.

They said it cleans everything and is one of the only products you'll ever need to clean and they were right!!

 

 

 

Basic H comes concentrated and you dilute it for the job you need; windows, all-purpose, and degreaser.

 

 

Not only does Shaklee's Get Clean Products work,

they Cost pennies!!!

One 16 oz. bottle of Basic H2 diluted per label directions makes 214 bottles (28 oz.) of ready-to-use all-purpose cleaner.

 

Here's a comparison chart on Shaklee's H Get Clean Products and other Name Brand Products

 

It has been over a year, and I still have more than half my bottle of Basic H2 concentrate left. And I have washed everything inside and outside of my house several times over. I do my windows, counter tops, floors, tables, bedroom furniture, sinks, bathrooms, toilets, carpets, cars, siding, play sets, kiddie pools and other outdoor toys.

And all with the piece of mind that I am

using nothing harmful to my family!!! :)

 

 

 

Because it is concentrated, it is also much better for the environment. You dilute it and use it in the same spray bottles and reuse and reuse them until they don't work any more. Recycle them when they finally break and recycle the concentrate bottle when you finally use it all up. I haven't gotten there yet, it's been over a year and haven't run out of the Basic H2 concentrate or had their spray bottle stop working. :) 

 

I know once you try it, you'll love it like I do!!!

 

 

 So what are you waiting for? Order your Get Clean Starter Kit today!

 

Invasion of the Insects

Hi All! It's Summer and you know what that means... the insects are out in FULL FORCE!!!

We have had a bit of a wasp problem over here. The past two years it has been ants in the Spring time, but last week hubby found 2 small yellow jacket nests forming under the edge of our above ground pool, near the ladder and on the swing set and this week we had wasps hanging out by the front door.

I HATE chemicals and try to avoid them when and where ever possible so I started researching how to tackle these buggers (pun intended) naturally.

ANTS-
For ants try checking out my post on 10 NONTOXIC WAYS TO COMBAT ANTS

YELLOW JACKETS AND WASPS-
First we had little nests, just starting to form around the pool so we felt we could handle this ourselves and wanted to do it using as little toxins as possible. My researched yielded using basic dish washing soap would work. So we purchased a garden sprayer for the hose and added our Shaklee Dish Wash Concentrate into it (about 1/2 cup) filled with water and sprayed first somewhere away from nest until the soap starts to come out. Then sprayed the hell outta that nest!!! We did this about 2-3 times over 2 days. It dries up the nest and suffocates and dries up the wasps. Once we were convinced they were gone, we took down the nests and crushed them then bagged them and disposed of them. Then the following week the nests were back on the other side of the pool. So we sprayed again with the soapy water, this time after we knocked the nests down we went around the pool and sprayed DW-40 in the areas the seemed to like and so far two weeks later, still no nests. Then we noticed very tiny yellow jackets coming out of the kids play set. We hit this with water several times and have seen less of them, but they are not totally gone because the nest is not exposed. So we found the soapy water will kill them and the nest, however it doesn't do much to keep them from coming back. Using DW-40 on areas they seem to like has done the trick and killed one on the spot when the hubby had one come at him.
Am I happy about using DW-40, well... I feel it it safer than MOST of the sprays for yellow jackets and wasps... so I guess I am OK with it.

Then this past week we had wasps congregating and trying to get in the front door. OK! This is where I DRAW THE LINE!!!!! It was time to call in the professionals. I called a local company that was GREEN SHIELD CERTIFIED this means they have technicians that are trained in using options that are safer, and employs methods that use physical, mechanical and biological options using less toxins and reducing your exposure.

So in the end if you feel backed into a corner by pests (or in our case, backed into using the back door) look for a GREEN SHIELD CERTIFIED exterminator or try searching natural or ecobased companies and products like EcoSMART because there are less toxic ways to deal with these intruders.

You might also like:

Try going blue, Haint Blue that is. Down south they paint their porch ceilings blue to mimic the sky and help prevent insects from setting up shop.

Apply DW-40 to the area to help repel insects.

How to Kill Wasps Naturally

EcoSmart which is a company that uses plant-based products as safe pesticides.

Here's to enjoying the great outdoors this summer without pesky pests bothering you and without having to resort to toxic chemicals!!!

Thank You!!!

A big thanks to all those who have dropped by. I had 1,300 hits last month which totally blew my mind! Be sure to subscribe over on the right side bar so you don't miss a post or like my facebook page. Also be sure to check out my pinterest page.