Need More Acres
  • HOME
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Farm to School
  • CFM
  • HOTEL INC
  • Farming, Culinary Arts, & Community Organizing for High Schoolers

The {Frugal} Baby

2/4/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture


Having a baby doesn’t have to break the bank.  In fact, bringing a sweet baby into the world can be a time of great reflection that encourages you to evaluate what really matters in life.  How we spend our time and money is a direct reflection of what is in our heart.  The best way to teach your child about matters of the heart, including stewardship over the things we’ve been given, is to make informed decisions.  I’d like to share some ways we’ve saved money while growing our family.

The journey to a simpler approach in raising children came quite by accident.  Before the birth of our second child my husband and I had decided that we would take the leap from two incomes to one.  It became a priority to make some changes in order to make ends meet.  Through my daughters intolerance to bottles and disposables my world opened up to a simpler way of meeting my baby’s basic needs.  Exclusive breastfeeding, making our own baby food and cloth diapering became our new norm and was followed by many other changes in our home.

 

 Feeding Baby Naturally

Breastfeeding

The research proves it and professionals all agree that breastfeeding is best for both mom and baby.  Connecting to your child while providing the absolute best nutrition makes breastfeeding rise above all options for feeding your little one.  Whether you plan on being with your baby from first breath to first steps or if you will be returning to work in a couple of months you can make breastfeeding work for your family. Finding the right help at the right time is most important. 

 

Finding Support for Breastfeeding…

La Leche League Meetings-Second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-7:45 @ the ALIVE Center

The Medical Center (Breastfeeding Classes and Lactation Consultants)-Contact the Medical Center’s OB Patient Educator at (270) 796-2495 or the Baby Hotline at (270) 796-BABY

TJ Sampson (Breastfeeding Classes and Lactation Consultants)-Contact the OB Educator at 270-651-4295

Barren River District Health Department (Breastfeeding Support, Breast Pumps, Peer Counselors, Classes)-Call (270) 781-8039

 

Starting Solids

We are not the absolute healthiest family in town.   It’s true that we’ve been caught driving through a fast food place a time or two! But creating healthy habits early will encourage your child to eat healthy for the rest of their lives.  Making your own baby food is the best way to ensure that your little one has a nutritious, gentle start to eating.  It’s quick, easy and very frugal!  You will probably find that serving up healthy choices to baby encourages the rest of your family to eat more fruits and veggies!

1.     When starting solids you should keep in mind that breast milk (or formula) is nutritionally complete and continues to be babies main food source.

2.     Avocados make the perfect, portable first baby food.   Their creamy texture and excellent nutrition are ideal for baby’s first bites.

3.     Ground or blended beans and brown rice make excellent additions to baby’s first foods.  They are much more nutritional than boxed, flakes of rice.

4.     Once baby gets a feel for eating solids you can consider adding some color such as peas, squash, and sweet potato.  Simply cook the fruits and vegetables down, blend and freeze in ice cube trays.  Store food cubes in a zip loc bag for convenient portions as you need them.



Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are making a comeback.  And these aren’t the diapers of the past held together with giant pins and a plastic cover!  These are diapers with style, convenient to use and will save you money.  I’ll be first to admit that cloth diapers can be a little overwhelming.  If you are interested the best thing to do is just start trying them! 

There are a lot of options out there and you may want to research what is available and try one of each style of diaper.  We have chosen to go with pocket diapers because they are easy to use (go on like a disposable), dry quickly, and you can stuff them with extra absorbency for naps and bedtime.  They also have a great resale value, yes; you can make money on your cloth diapers!  My favorite place to buy and resell diapers is www.diaperswappers.com 

 

Our Cloth Diaper Collection

21 Pocket Cloth Diapers (allows us to go several days between washes)

30 Wipes (baby washcloths)

1 Large Wet bag (for storing dirty diapers)

2 Small Wet bags (for storing during outings)

Detergent (we use ALL Free & Clear or Charlie’s Soap)

 
Reflections from a Dad
By Ben Kickert

A year and a half in, we are very happy with our decision to go with cloth diapers over disposable. We occasionally use disposable diapers, like when we travel, but have never run into any problems. Early on I thought the extra work of cloth (stuffing diapers, washing them, etc.) would get cumbersome, but that is not the case.

Whether you are on a tight budget and need to save some money, or you are an environmentally conscious consumer, I think you will find cloth diapers are worth the investment and in the end provide the best option for diapering.
 

Everything Else

Have you seen the TV shows where homeowners flip their houses in order to make money and become debt free?  That is what we do with all of our baby and children’s things.  We sell one season’s clothes, toys and other items in order to buy the next (saving only the best items for the next child). I have learned to buy low and sell high, and to only buy what we need! Interested in making this work for you?  Become involved in a wonderful consignment sale and doing something good for the community at the same time.  The Lil’ Angels Attic sale is a great place to sell your like new items, get excellent deals and 30% of the proceeds benefit children’s charities right here in southern Kentucky.

1 Comment
baby diapers link
9/18/2013 04:50:15 pm

I am very happy to read your articles it’s very useful for me, 
and I am completely satisfied with your website. 
All comments and articles are very useful and very good.
Your blog is very attention-grabbing. I am loving all of the in.
turn you are sharing with each one!….
<a href="http://www.easyfit.in" title="Baby Diapers" 
target="_blank">Baby Diapers</a>

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Michelle Howell   

    Michelle is a wife,
    mother, farmer, writer and speaker passionately helping families overcome obstacles and find their best through healthier habits, better birth experiences and authentic connection within their present community.  She does this by speaking truth and shedding light on ways real people can work together to create change.

    Picture


    Food

    The Green Smoothie

    Five reasons to join a CSA

    Nourishing Farm Food

    Could a few dollars be keeping you from local food?

    The beautiful heirloom tomato

    Motherhood

    Faith in Childbirth

    Faith in Childbirth part2

    Inviting mama's to the table

    Attachment parenting for grown boys

    Farming

    Planting Seeds

    Does local have a future here in KY?

    Six things small-scale Kentucky farmers can do to create positive change

    Community

    Circle of Gifts

    Finding Common Ground {where real change happens}

    Finding Common Ground {revisited through a new perspective}

    When local is hard, but good

    Hope through Food & Community (BG)

    Holding space for community

    Womanhood

    A letter to my daughters

    Women's stuff & politics on a farm

    Find Your Passion

    Thoughts on being human

    Home

    100 Thing Challenge Part1
    100 Thing Challenge Part2

    Marriage

    Fighting the good fight on a family farm

    Making of a farmwife

    Justice

    My wholehearted response to concerns about that mom

    Going above my raising

    Breastfeeding is a social justice issue

    Archives

    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    August 2010
    January 2010

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.