What do you make?

[Nataszka]

I was wondering what sort of things the parents on this message board make. I read the recipe in How It All Vegan on how to make baby wipes and thought that was pretty cool. What other ways do you try to make a difference? Cloth diapers? How do you like them (pros, cons)? Make baby food? Shampoo? I think it would be really interested if all the mommies and daddies shared this so we can all try the tips and ideas.
:)

[go4green]

We LOVE the wipes( I don't use all the shampoo it calls for though) in "how it all vegan", as well as the mouth rinse!!!

We use about 1/2 cloth 1/2 disposable diapers. I think "tushies" makes the diaper liner I like to use, it makes cleaning "pooh" easier in the cloth diapers, it comes in a big roll.

I made most of my own baby food, using Earth's best occasionally.

I love to make my own glass cleaner.
2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
1/8 teaspoon earth friendly dishsoap (like planet or seventh generation, this helps cut through film to reduce streaks)
shake, spray and wipe.

We use cloth napkins and wash them with the dishtowels.

When running the water to get it warm, I collect it to water my plants or to soak dishes. We also use a dishwasher on air dry, as I was told this takes less water than rinsing every dish.

Vinegar really does kill weeds, sometimes you have to spray a few times.

We use a old fashioned people powered push mower on our lawn and natural vegan fertilizers.

and one of our vehicles is a hybrid.

I can't wait to read other peoples ideas~Jenna

[frenchie]

I'm a little more lazy, so I buy eco-friendly cleaners. I use 7th Generation and Ecover products. I'm terribly guilty of over using paper towels, but I've been trying to get in the habit of using cloth towels to clean.
We only water our lawn at night and in the a.m. before the sun comes up. We water for 10 minutes at a time. Our sprinklers are on a timer. We use the push mower to mow the lawn.
I use Glad Rags for my period, though I'm still nursing and haven't had a period since my son was born.:)
We use cloth diapers, and we use the Tushies wipes. I'm too lazy to make my own, and the Tushies have no toxic ingredients.
I try to take baths more often than showers to conserve water.
We use the dishwasher on the energy efficient setting.
Since we live by the ocean, we open windows when it gets hot. When it's cold, we just put a robe on, or use the fire place if it's too cold. I also bake alot when it's cold because the house warms up from the oven.

[sophie]

I like the sound of the baby-wipes, i'll have to look that up.
Thanks also for the glass cleaner recipe, I'm definitely going to be using that.
I use baking soda and tea-tree oil to clean the bath and sink, it's very effective! To clean the toilet I use baking soda and pine or tea-tree oil. To clean the fridge I use baking soda and vinegar.
I love making "special baths" for the children, using things like lavender flowers, rose petals, a couple of drops of lavender oil, or a camomile teabag.
I use cloth nappies (diapers) but must admit I am not as strict as when I had my first baby (this is my third) and tend to use disposables when I go out. I avoid the plastic ones though, but I still feel bad about it as i made such an effort with my first and second.
We have rainwater so we are very good at conserving water, it's amazing how much water you can actually save.
We grow all our own organic vegies and compost all our food scraps.

[5xblessed]

Hmm, we use cloth diapers and I use wash cloths for wipes. I just toss them in the diaper bucket. I bought all white ones to keep them separate from others. I use alot of vinegar or baking soda for cleaning. We garden organically. We don't have a dishwasher (unless you count the 11,9 and 7 year olds). We do have a window air conditioner we use on very sultry days. We try not to use it unless it's above 85 in the house. The area I have the most problem with is packaging. It seems everything comes with so much "stuff" around it. We recycle, but I still hate it.
Lisa

[Nataszka]

I tried making my own toothpaste with the recipe from How It All Vegan and really liked it. Ok, next time i'll use less sea salt, but it made my teeth feel really clean.
Has anyone ever heard of using vinegar sprayed on your garden to keep bugs off your veggies?

[sophie]

After reading this thread I started looking up natural baby wipe recipes on the net- there are heaps! I got really excited about this, I don't usually buy wipes because of the ingredients so I'm going to make my own when I return from holiday (I'm on holiday right now). I also forgot to say that for cleaning baby's bottom i use olive oil with a drop of lavender and a drop of manuka (New Zealand tea-tree) which I keep in a jar, and wipe with cotton balls. It's very effective, and very simple.
Renee- my sister also makes the waldorf dolls and they are gorgeous!

[purpleelephant]

Can any one give me some tips on making waldorf dolls? I'd love to give it a go.
I'm also going to try the window cleaner!!

We also use cloth diapers and I only use wipes when we go out. Other than that I use old face clothes and water for wipes!!

[Katharina]

We cloth diaper, make home-made organic vegan baby food (with the occasional organic vegan jar thrown in when travelling), use organic vegan baby products...