How Do I Crochet a Woolen Nappy Cover? (a free instructional video)

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Do you like the idea of making a pair of woolen soakers to put over your baby’s nappy – for waterproofing, leakproofing or just tactile beauty?

There is something very satisfying about hand making something for your baby.

I have two boys and a hubby. Lately I have been keenly aware that as time goes on, the testosterone levels in our home will only grow… I needed to reclaim some femininity, LOL. I thought taking up crocheting or knitting would aid this while giving me practice at a traditional skill that so many people really really enjoy (see Ravelry!). I learnt to knit and crochet as a child, I actually have a scarf that I have been knitting for some decades, as I do not know how to cast off. Once I find it again I can know work it out, LOL.

We went on a Motorhome holiday recently. Just before, our local Lincraft closed down (Horror!), but I had the chance to race in and buy too much, some of which was some balls of wool and crochet hooks and knitting needles. And two simple knitting project books. I really want to learn to crochet socks as a relaxing diversion!

Anyway, I took them away with us and taught myself to crochet from a one page demo. Now I am attempting to make a had for #1 child! I also want to attempt some woolen pants next, and so have my eye out for simple resources to follow…

Victoria of LadyBugz Farm has uploaded a series of free instructional videos to help you (and me!) discover how to crochet a pair of woolen soakers to go over baby’s nappy and keep any leaks contained, or pretty up a plain nappy, even waterproof and pretty up a disposable nappy – as yes they also have been known to leak – (especially at night when Daddy puts it on, LOL…)

Thanks to Cinderella’s Stash for introducing this site to me.

Here is My Nappy Style Window that links you to shops offering woolen nappy products, pre-made, custom made and materials to make your own woolen nappy gear:

Thank you to My Green Nappy’s Partners:

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If you are just visiting for the first time today, and have found something useful in this article, be sure to register & receive My Green Nappy Guide, you’ll be both relieved and excited at the things you will discover!

A question to you about hand made baby gear:

What have you made for your baby that you are proud of?

Pinky McKay’s Teleseminars

Find out more about Pinky's popular teleseminars - click here...

I LOVE Pinky McKay – She is running regular teleseminars.

Do take a look!

Thank you to My Green Nappy’s Sponsoring Partners:

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If you are just visiting for the first time today, and have found something new in this article, be sure to register & receive My Green Nappy Guide, you’ll be both relieved and excited at the things you will discover!

A question to you about Pinky McKay:

Have you read any of her books or met her?

I have. She is so wonderful! I have ‘Toddler Taming’, ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ and her Baby Massage DVD. I was at a couple of seminars she presented at the ABA HotMilk Conference in Melbourne too. I love Pinky!

Recycled Gift Wrapping: How to add some ‘ECO-LUXE’ to your next gift giving celebration!

Recycled Gift Wrapping: How to add some ‘ECO-LUXE’ to your next gift giving celebration!

Our Planet Matters: 5 Ways of Recycling Gift Wrapping

Have you ever been caught out without sticky tape or wrapping paper? Have you cringed at the wrapping paper ripped off and tossed in the bin after one use at Christmas? Last Christmas we shredded our chrissy paper and added it to the veggie garden as colourful and festive mulch. We also use kids paintings as wrapping – always unique, and always plenty of it!

This year, I’ve decided to make fabric christmas stockings, to have a fun ‘me time’ activity, a creative activity, and to revitalise this eco-friendly tradition for our boys. I’ll probably make ‘crazy quilt’ stockings, as that is my favourite form of quilting activity. In researching a variety of ideas (I had done some furoshiki in the past), I have put together this cool resource to share recycled gift wrapping ideas with you. For gifts inside the stocking, I’m going to have fun wrapping them in the many styles of cloth wrapping you’ll find below. For those of you who are baby wearers like me, I KNOW your fingers will be itching to try some knots in new ways – perhaps on your wrap!

We only have one planet to live on and we all have to do our part to help reduce waste and preserve the beauty of our planet for future generations. Disposable wrapping paper creates nearly 4 million additional tons of garbage in the U.S. during the holiday season alone! (ewraps)

Eco-Luxe: A multi-purpose reusable accessory that is also ultra-stylish and luxurious. (bobo)

Let’s have a look at 5 ways you can reduce costs, make a difference, even start a new family tradition by scrapping the idea of paper wrapping paper once and for all:

1. Furoshiki: Fabric Gift Wrapping

Furoshiki is a Japanese tradition for using cloth to wrap gifts and more:

Originating from Japanese culture where it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste; Furoshiki is the eco-friendly wrapping cloth. Using techniques similar to origami, it can be used for gift wrapping, grocery shopping or simply as decor. Choose from a wide variety of sizes and designs to complement your lifestyle. Why furoshiki? It is reusable and multipurpose. Each year billions of plastic bags end up as litter; reusable bags, such as furoshiki can help reduce the impact to our environment. Its versatility allows you to wrap almost anything regardless of its shape or size. Furoshiki: the eco-friendly wrapping cloth

Furoshiki Fabric Gift Wrapping

Furochic Fabric Gift Wrapping

Discover how to wrap a range of shaped objects attractively in fabrics…

2. Ewrapz

Ewrapz are one-piece wrapping cloths for gifts that have the ribbon attached, and they have a ‘legacy tag’ that you can use to record the travels of this reusable form of gift wrapping.

3. Bojagi: The Wrapping Scarf

Bojagi is a Korean tradition of using fabric for wrapping gifts. The wrapping scarf tradition comes mainly from Korea and Japan and originated centuries ago as a way to wrap and transport items before the widespread use of paper and plastic. (bobowrap)

‘How to’ videos for gift wrapping using a fabric scarf at Bobo.

4. Make your own: DIY Gift Bags Let’s call them ‘Boomerang Gift Wraps‘ that come back to the giver – or go to another recipient each celebration. That’s a term I like!

Here are some simple patterns…

Free and Easy Gift Bag Patterns

Free Drawstring Gift Bag Patterns

5. Use Kindy and Kiddie Art!

Perhaps you already do – it is a seemingly endless supply, and makes special wrappings, and gives it another use. It is also a fun activity to do with your kids, whatever age – walking on paper with painted feet, or using painted hands, painting on a table then doing finger designs and ‘printing’ it with paper laid on top… going crazy with stickers and stamps and collage….

Let’s have a look at some images of fabric gift wrapping:

 

Imagine…What if you raided the local thrift store and upcycled some cool retro or just interesting fabrics into some gift bags?

Your Nappy Doula’s talk about reducing, reusing and recycling…

Thank you to My Green Nappy’s Sponsoring Partners:

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If you are just visiting for the first time today, and have found this article useful, be sure to register & receive My Green Nappy Guide, you’ll be both relieved and excited at the things you will discover!

A question to you about recycling gift wrapping:

Does this concept inspire you as it does me? What do you want to have a go at before Christmas or another gift giving celebration?

How to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids

Earth Day is coming up on the 22nd of April.

How to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids

8 Ways to Get Outside, Reduce Your Waste and Have Fun!

Be sure to visit our recent ‘congo article’ by your nappy doula’s:

What’s your Green Hour?

- we’d love to find out what your family does outside!

The Zaky Hospital and NICU Donation Program

Have you heard of the Zaky Infant Hand Pillow?

You can help support families in need by participating in the Zaky Neonatal Intensive Care and Children’s Hospital Donation Program.

I was a premmie baby myself – I was born at 28 weeks and spent 3 months in a humidicrib and the NICU unit, and most horribly, my mum was unable to touch me for three months! This is EXACTLY why I am such a strong believer in natural parenting options – while I was not cuddled in those first three months, my own babies were barely out of our arms in that time. The Zaky is designed for those times when you do need to pop baby down – I think I would have loved one to go to the loo by myself, LOL…

Luckily times have changed a lot since the early 1970’s, and kangaroo care is more common, as is support for breastfeeding and breastmilk feeding and online support for parents, including the Little Aussie Prems network of information and forums.

Here is a bit more about the Zaky donation program:

Many families want to help other babies in hospitals on behalf of their babies who have spent time in a NICU, or on behalf of the memory of their babies, to help families as they travel this difficult and stressful journey.

One such way is to donate a Zaky to the family, so that they can wrap this special ‘hand pillow’ around their baby for comfort when they have to leave.

Zaky have developed a NICU Donation Program.

There are special quantity discounts to purchase The Zaky for premature babies in need of this special comforter that absorbs the scent of Mum for when she can’t be there with her fragile and new baby.

Here is how the Zaky Hospital & NICU Donation Program works:

You can purchase up to five (5) Zakys at regular price ($59.95 each) to donate to a hospital.

Your donation will be matched one-to-one for the NICU Program!

That is, if you purchase 5 Zakys, 10 Zakys will be sent to the hospital.

In addition there is No postage charge Australia Wide.

For more information about the Zaky Infant Hand Pillow, visit The Zaky.

For support for someone you know experiencing the stress of having a premature baby, refer them to:

A Question for You about the Zaky:

Do you think, as I do, that this is a WONDERFUL idea? Do you know anyone who has benefitted from this program?

What’s Your Green Hour? What Do Your Kids Like to Do Outside?

Green trees, green plants, green grass, fresh air, sticks, stone and soil: GO OUTSIDE!

Spending daily time outside is actually good for the environment – it means fewer resources are gobbled up with indoor lighting, appliances and entertainment.

Getting kids outside is great for their general activity level – we all want to keep that high! It wears them out, keeps the mess creation inside down a bit – so long as they leave their muddy boots outside…

Being outside gives us all a healthy dose of sun and that is good too for our disposition.

Inspired by the site Green Hour.org, my kids and I immediately adopted that title for our daily time outside. We planted vegies, made a potato tower, built a lizard hotel and all sorts of things, that will pop up in this section. It wasn’t long before “It’s Green Hour” was a regular call, and if we hadn’t been out, sadness would be the result! “I really want my green hour!”

About GreenHour:

“By giving our children a “Green Hour” a day — a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world — we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being.”

I’m pleased to have contributions from many friends of My Green Nappy included in this article. We have Emma from Brindabella Baby, Melinda from Avanappy, Mel from Little Para Pants, Louise from Scamps Boutique, Eva from Oz Baby Trends, Inge from Earth Kidz, Kyra of Bubbalooba, Cassandra from New Age Nappies, Annette from Iish Fly, Michelle from Issy Bear Nappies, Alisha from Baby Safari, Cindy from Ticklefish Tots, Ashley from Cheeky Creations, Carli from MiniLaLa, Tracey from Flattery, Bec from Baby Chilli, Kelleigh from Miracle Baby, Julie from Cloth For Comfort, Chris from Baby Bullfrogs, Peggy from Fluffy Bubs and Kate from Nappy Days, Michelle from Sustainable Hemp Products, Karen from Baby Blossom.

Let’s see what they have to say:

“What is an outside activity that’s fun for a baby or toddler?”

Emma of Brindabella Baby:

Drawing on the driveway with chalk. It will wash off next time it rains, but in the meantime it’s creative and fun (and hopefully relieves the urge to use crayons on the walls inside).

Melinda of Avanappy:

Sand play, swings, climbing…

Mel of Little Para Pants:

Helping Mum or Dad do just about anything!  My son likes to help me water & weed my veggie patch, pick up the clothes pegs I’ve dropped on the ground, and he’s even taken the bucket of scraps out to the compost bin.

Louise of Scamps Boutique, NZ:

Simply letting them loes outside to crawl, run, chase and climb trees

Eva of Oz Baby Trends:

Playing in the dirt with egg cartons, water and a spoon.

Inge of Earth Kidz:

Playground, walks…

Kyra of Bubbalooba:

Every morning and afternoon we go out to our vegetable garden, and although Amir is too young to really participate, I at least enjoy pointing out and telling him about all the veggies.

Cassandra of New Age Nappies:

We enjoy getting outside and doing the weeding or planting veggies.

Annette of Iish Fly:

Digging in the veggie garden, or in the worm farm. My toddler loves to put on the gum boots and pull out the toy wheelbarrow and help me in the garden.

Michelle of Issy Bear Nappies:

Running under the sprinklers – in the allocated time and day of course!

Cindy from Ticklefish Tots:

We walk to the park almost every weekend (with the baby in the pram) because our older kids like to throw the footy and run around. Our 3yo and 14mo love joining in as well.

During the week, the two little ones spend alot of time outside, helping me clean up the back yard, or hang out the washing (they are very good peg dispensers! lol!) or simply digging up the yard! (who needs a dog? lol!)

Ashley of Cheeky Creations:

My daughter Mikinley just loves being outside. She collects rocks and puts them in her pocket and goes over to the neighbour’s fence to see the puppy.

Carli of MiniLaLa:

Just about anything! My children love to be outside, full stop. We love to play with the ball, paint, make things from play dough, play hide and seek, eat our dinner outside – there are so many fun activities!

Tracey from Flattery:

My baby is still little so is more than happy to play with the pegs – she also likes climbing up on the bottom shelf of the BBQ – i’d say it’s her absolute favourite outside activity.

Bec from Baby Chilli:

At the moment going up and down the stairs and playing on the grass with our pet dog.

Julie from Cloth For Comfort:

Either “Follow the Ant” (where we literally follow the first ant we find so we can watch its’ travels and we talk about what where it might be headed and what he is doing along the way) or we can spend countless hours in our sandpit…

We try and get out a few times a week on our bicycles – the kiddies love it (they ride along in a bike trailer).  Our destination is either a park to play, picnic, or straight home again. The rain doesn’t stop us either – it’s more fun in the rain.

Gardening with mum and dad and eating what comes out of it.

Alisha of Baby Safari:

My kids find any outdoor activity fun.

Michelle from Sustainable Hemp Products:

Eating dirt in the garden while mum is gardening!

Karen from Baby Blossom:

We like to keep it simple, out the back in the water and sand. (Funnily enough all my boys enjoy this and their ages range 18 months – 8 years) Or at the park.

Being outside is nice.

My kids have two favourites; ‘The Cooking Station’ and ‘Excavations’.

‘The Cooking Station’ is pots, spoons, water and ‘ingredients’.

‘Excavations’ is creating a water system of dams, rivers, mountains and lakes.

Both involve shifting dirt, making mud and great industry.

Thank you to all our nappy doula’s for their contributions,

P.S There is a question at the bottom of each of these features. Join in the conversation and share your own experiences and stories with us…

3 Suggested resources about going outside and enjoying nature with your kids:

1. Green Hour (the inspiration of this question)  - discover ideas for outside play, nature crafts and more to get outside each day with your kids!
2. Sustainable Living in New Zealand
3. Sustainable Gardening Australia

A question to you about outside activities to enjoy with your littlies:

What is an activity that your kids enjoy doing outside?

Make your own reusable nappies: 3 Important tips for making your best ever DIY cloth nappies.

Want to have a go at making your own cloth nappies? Do it! Here are 3 tips to get you started.

This article is about tips for making your own cloth nappies. Even if you are a moderate, self-taught sewer you can sew your own nappies! It can be a fun activity, choosing fabrics, finding materials for the soaker, choosing the right fastenings. Preparing the fabric, drawing out and cutting the material, sewing, overlocking, trimming and the best part – road testing on your baby – over and over again – saving on the cost of a disposable nappy every time your baby wears it!

Let’s look at 3 important keys to help you make your own washable nappies to save money and enjoy a fun DIY project:

1. Find a cloth nappy pattern to follow.

Cloth nappy patterns can be free or low cost. You’ll find patterns for all sorts of nappy styles. Some patterns are available with photographic tutorials and step by step instructions. Favour these! Those that come with a purchase cost you know will have been tested and found to be a better quality design. Some free patterns you can find documented in photos on blogs by sewing enthusiasts. Check out some of the reviews of patterns to see which suit your level of sewing skills.

The Nappy Spot has a list of nappy making  tutorials and free patterns to explore – see Amber’s list on the left sidebar of The Nappy Spot.

2. Select your nappy making fabrics and notions.

You can make your baby’s nappies using recycled and repurposed fabrics from around the home – this is a wonderful use of resources, and very satisfying, as well as economical and more environmentally friendly. Of course, for the maximum absorbency and most professional finish, getting your fabric supplies from specialist nappy fabric shops offers the best quality. Often, they are specially sourced from organic and eco-conscious suppliers. Some offer nappy making kits, a great way for a DIY’er to start, with everything you need for one or three nappies pre-selected for you.

3. Connect with other DIY nappy making enthusiasts.

Find other mums making cloth nappies to talk DIY tips. Parenting forums and dedicated cloth nappy forums will have a section for mums making their own nappies where you can chat to other mums about the best designs, places having specials on fabrics, patterns and notions, troubleshoot technical problems, show your proud creations and help other mums in turn.

Camo Frog Nappy Making Kit from Nappies Covered

Get Started!

With these three ideas you’ll find yourself with all the tools, motivation and encouragement to make some hand made, unique cloth nappies for your baby with ease. To the left you can see a nappy making kit available for you to buy at Nappies Covered, ove of our sponsors – everything you need to start sewing a nappy as soon as it arrives in the mail! You’ll know you are giving your baby a more sustainable future by using washable, reusable modern cloth nappies. Every baby should have at least one ‘green’ nappy in their wardrobe – and you can find it by exploring the resources here at My Green Nappy.org

7 Modern Cloth DIY Projects for you to do…

When you join as a member of My Green Nappy (which is complimentary) you’ll receive My Green Nappy Guide in 7 main parts, with ongoing support. One part of this unique guide is a different modern cloth do-it-yourself project each week – so you can start with the easiest project that will save you money and help you be more environmentally friendly, getting more challenging until covering how to make your own cloth nappy, with links to even more resources. See the sign-up form up there on the right? Just add your first anme and email, and away you go! Find out more about My Green Nappy Guide below.

5 relevant resources for sewing your own cloth nappies here at My Green Nappy:

My Nappy Style Window for DIY Nappy Making Supplies – a range of retailers offering fabrics by the metre, in ‘nappy cuts’, in kits, as well as patterns, tips and tutorials.

My Green Nappy Guide – Part #6 has a DIY project about making your own cloth nappies.

Mums Making Modern Cloth Nappies – a gallery of home-made, mum-made nappies: you can proudly display your nappy there too!

Dedicated Cloth Nappy Forums – who will have a category for DIY modern cloth nappy making.

Other Parenting Forums – many of which may have a category for sewing enthusiasts.

A question for you about DIY nappies:

Tell us about your nappy making projects: how did you go, what pattern did you use, which would you recommend; what did you use for fabrics?

Support Forums for Mums in Australia and New Zealand

Find like-minded mums, friends, fun, information and gossip away at an online parent forum that suits you!

Visit this list of online Support Communities for parents in Australia and New Zealand…

Parent discussion boards are places where you can pop in daily, weekly, or whenever you have a free moment to tune into communal chatterboards where parents ‘meet’ online to discuss … everything and anything.

See what other parents are up to, share your own experiences, discover parenting ideas and information that is new to you, support other parents needing suggestions or strategies to try out.

Have a ’slow conversation’ with others and after a while of getting to know the others online, generally experience a sense of community in a society that largely isolates mothers a lot of the time.

You may be the only parent with small children in your street during the day, with no visiting activities planned where you can talk with other adults. This can be exceedingly lonely.

You may want to share some anecdote of hilarity or horror (LOL) that your child has surprised you with, you may wish to learn a bit about some topic from other Mums.

Over 90% of people listen to the real-life experiences of others with great interest, and a parenting forum is one way you can make connections, online friends and real-life friends, find playmates for your kids, likeminded folks to connect with, share your baby business ideas, get encouragement, commisseration, ideas and strategies, sit back and learn from the experiences of others vicariously (if you just read, this is called ‘lurking’) – the list is endless…

The places for you to chat online with other Mums are also many and varied.

This means there are discussion boards set up by people you will like, that share your interests, parenting styles and have information that will help you. Have a browse and find a community or three that might be just perfect for you! Of course, this list is for parenting forums, discussion lists; there are literally squillions of such community boards on every topic you could possibly have an interest in, and you can join as many as you like yo find exactly the bit of help you need for today.

Full of personal experiences, you can search through the boards for ‘threads’ about what you’d like to know, follow links to further information as a form of searching by parents who in essence post those resources that they have already found useful, perhaps saving you time.

In our society mothers are often isolated – geographically or socially. We need to find an extended social support network. One such place is an online forum.

Handy Tip: Create a username that is easy to remember and use the same one on every site, use the same password as well.  Be friendly, gracious, helpful, respectful of difference. Have fun along the way sharing with other mothers at home with small childen feeling the same as you – needing some CHATTER. In time, you’ll get to know the other mothers, and perhaps find locals that you can arrange to meet up with IRL (in Real Life) at a coffee shop to find new friends!

Visit this list of online Support Communities for parents in Australia and New Zealand…

A question to you:

Which is the forum you have enjoyed participating in the most?

Our Green Hour: Making A Lizard Rockery

Inspired by Green Hour, one aspect of the Mama*Earth Series is the sorts of activities you can do OUTSIDE with your children to encourage care of the environment.

How We Made a Lizard Rockery for Lizards to Shelter and Nest in.

Did you know lizards lay up to 30 eggs in a season?

Offering a safe place for them to hide and nest in encourages them to visit and stay in your yard to eat snails and other pests. We found a blue-tongue and looked into how to encourage more lizards to stay. We regularly do ‘Gecko Checks’ at night, looking on the outside walls of the house near sensor lights where bugs are attracted, and the lizards follow.

A simple poly pipe beside the fence, covered with some rocks is an easy and fun way to build a home for encouraging lizards to visit and stay, while protecting them from predators like cats. The rocks can also retain some warmth, and offer more nooks and crannies for little skinks and geckos to hide in, find bugs in and sun themselves on.

We had a great time with this activity, and check on it frequently.

Here’s a visual record of the creation of our home for lizards.

Making a Lizard Shelter in our Backyard…

Lizards are protected by a simple length of poly-pipe.

Our mossy rocks are from ancient shell fields of Mount Gambier stone.

Big rocks first to hold the tube in place

Smaller rocks fill in gaps and are like a puzzle to solve…

Baby Jett helps out. He’s nappy-free during Green Hour of course!

More rocks cover little holes and make hidey-holes for critters!

We found all sorts of bugs when moving the rocks to their new home.

Adding a few sticks is fun natural sculpting too!

All rocks are in place now.

We added bark, twigs and grassy bits to integrate our finished Lizard Rockery!

Some recommended resources for inviting, encouraging and helping out these natural pest controllers:

How to Make your Backyard Blue-Tongue Friendly…

Backyard Buddies…

Chemical Free Gardening Tips and Resources…

A question to you:

Do you have many lizards in your backyard? What if you created a few lizard hotels with your kids?