The Eco Mom from MaMaJo diapers

As a Mom, I strive to keep things simple, eco friendly and thrifty.  Luckily, these concepts usually coexist, thus making my life much easier.  For a first time mom, it is easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy that makes many moms to be empty their pocket books. But I say, keep it simple and have things do double duty.  Bath towels make excellent changing pad covers- they are super easy to use, you always have plenty on hand, and they have the added bonus of being super absorbent. The bath towel also works really well to go from bath, to changing pad (who needs the fancy and expensive bath robes for little ones)??  For toddlers, I find PJs a bit of a waste. Sweatshirts and pants work wonderfully for bedtime, and serve double duty for comfy clothes around the house. And if they are fleece, put them over 2 pairs of cotton training pants and you have a great, inexpensive potty training system.  Wipes and washcloths could also be used interchangeably. Done with those small prefolds?  Use them as doublers, cut them up to make washcloths or better yet, use them as fantastic cleaning cloths around the house.

When things are simple and home made, they usually are more natural, have no packaging, and cost pennies when compared to their store bought counterparts.  My all time favourite eco tip and child friendly activity is PLAYDOUGH.  I grew up with my mom making us playdough on a regular basis, and I have passed on this tradition to my own children. Home made playdough is much more fun as it tends to be a little softer, and stay that way longer.  Plus, you can make all kinds of cool colours and smells.  Traditionally, the recipe calls for food colouring but I much prefer adding Tang or Cool Aid crystals for colour, texture and wonderful aromas.

Here is the traditional recipe that I have always used:

1 cup water

3 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar

1 cup of flour

1 package of Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)

1 tablespoon of cooking oil

1/2 cup of salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large/medium pan. Add water and oil. Stir over medium heat until it looks like dough. Whatever the color of koolaid used should be the end result. This takes about 5 minutes.  (Please see these gorgeous pictures that I am borrowing from a fellow blogger).  

Here is a new, no cook recipe that works very very well ( maybe better than the traditional recipe)

Uncooked Play Dough

2 cups of plain flour
4 tablespoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 cup of salt
2 cups of boiling water
food colouring or Cool Aid Crystals *

Just pop in the mixing bowl and mix.  It looks like it wont mix well at first, but hang in there and it will. Just throw it onto the counter to knead and it will come together nicely.

*Add peppermint oil for a great smell and even longer lasting playdough.

Now if you really want to mix things up and have loads of fun, I suggest this site that I found while writing this blog   http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/

Please enjoy with your kids.  And if they eat it- dont worry, it is non toxic!!


If you have any questions you can convo. me at my shop


http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaJodiapersandpads