How about making your own customized, personalized baby picture frames? It’s a simple and fun way to enhance those photos with some added charm and uniqueness and there’s so many great ideas that are not only easy to bring to fruition, but inexpensive too! Customized baby picture frames not only make for great decoration, but they’re also wonderful to give as shower or special event gifts as well. And while you’re at it, you may even discover a hidden creative talent lurking inside that you didn’t even realize you possessed!

Let’s look at an easy way you can design and/or dress up any existing baby picture frame you have around the house or a new one that you’ve recently purchased or received.

The Way of Polymer Clay
Polymer clay is widely accessible at any craft store and in most hobby sections of your local department store. It’s available in an abundance of colors, really easy to work with and very inexpensive. And because it’s moldable, the possibilities for the designs you can create are practically endless. Now for this type of project, you can make the entire frame out of clay, overlay it onto an existing frame or dress up an old frame with cute clay embellishments.

To create a frame completely out of clay, you can choose to roll it out flat to your desired shape and density (not too thin to prevent it from cracking once it’s dry), and then cut out the center in any shape you like too – consider using a heart or other creatively-shaped cookie cutter to give it that special touch. Also think about using any household utensils to add texture and design effects to the piece as well.

Another idea is to roll out different shades of clay in a snake fashion and then place them parallel to each other in a log style, trimming the ends and space for the photo.

Make cute embellishments like ducks, flowers, boats – wherever your imagination takes you – and attach those to the frame. You can even spell out your baby’s name or create a short and sweet message to grandma or grandpa, etc.

Once you’ve got your frame the way you like it, make sure all the pieces are firmly attached and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 250o then remove and cool.

Afterward, you can choose to use it as is, attach a thin piece of protective plexi-glass (photo plastic available in any craft store) to the back of the frame with a hot glue gun or lay the entire piece over an existing frame of the same dimension attaching it with hot glue as well. Use the same concept for adding embellishments to a plain frame you may already have.

Making your own polymer clay baby picture frames is not only an inexpensive and unique way to display those precious photos, but it can also be a very relaxing, almost therapeutic activity for mom as well.

Homemade green baby lotion is kind to the skin and cheap to make as well because it only requires a few household ingredients. It is free of toxins and chemicals as it is 100% completely natural and extremely kind to baby’s soft skin! There are several recipes floating around out there to choose from, but here are just two of the best and most effective ones to try.

1. The Honey Milk Baby Lotion – Now we all know that honey is good for the skin and can leave it smooth and soothe irritated areas, which is why it is perfect for a baby over 12 months of age. It’s not recommended for  babies younger than 12 months because they can be susceptible to potentially harmful bacteria’s found in honey which can lead to Infant Botulism. For a lotion that you can refrigerate and use for up to a week, you will need ½ cup of honey and ½ cup of cream or milk (with the former being a better option). Poor the honey into the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the two are completely blended. Allow the mixture to stand for five minutes before placing in a glass jar with a lid and refrigerating. When completely cool, it will be ready to use!
2. The Lavender Baby Lotion – Again, this one will soothe irritated skin, but it will also protect the skin against further wetness and hold moisture in the skin. Mix 225g of petroleum jelly with nine teaspoons of olive oil, thirty drops of lavender oil and the same amount of chamomile. You do not have to heat this at all, but simply mix it in a bowl. You may want to use a fork to mix because it does take some blending but always needs mixing by hand to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly blended. Again, refrigerate for a few hours and then use on your child. It will keep for up to two weeks so be sure to store it properly in the fridge.

Both of these homemade baby lotion recipes will help to keep diaper rash at bay and bring it under control. Both recipes are cheap convenient and extremely green so you have nothing to lose by trying them!

The majority of them are harmful to the environment and can be harmful to your children, especially newborn babies. This is not just some scary story to try to encourage you to buy another product. A truth is that your current cleaning products are no more effective than homemade products that can be made in just a few moments with natural ingredients. In fact, those natural ingredients are often to be found in your home anyway. Lemon juice is a prime example.

You can protect your children and the environment by using the following recipes and tips to create your own cleaning solutions and save money at the same time!

• For an all-purpose cleaner, mix 125mls of pure soap with four litres of boiling water and stir well. Add 60mls of lemon juice to the solution and stir. Use the solution while it is still warm for an intensive clean. You can then bottle what is left over and use it as a spray.

• Baking soda is effective for cleaning carpets and scouring surfaces. To clean carpets, simply sprinkle baking soda over the area that you want to clean and leave it for an hour or so before vacuuming it up. This will bring any dirt and stain right out. For scouring, mix baking soda with an equal amount of pure soap and use a scrubbing brush. Baking soda is extremely effective for all sorts of household cleaning chores. It works as an oven cleaner and a bathroom cleaner when used with a damp sponge. It’s the one item that you must have at home for a cleaning solution!

• If you want to freshen the air in your home and introduce nice smells then adorn your home with plants. All air fresheners have a chemical component that coats you nasal passages instead of removing the existing smells. Plants do exactly the opposite and enhance your home as a result!

• Use vinegar to clean your windows. You literally only need a little vinegar to polish up the glass and remove lingering dirt. Vinegar also works to cut through greasy pots and pans and remove lingering stains on carpets. Lemon juice also works for these purposes but vinegar is slightly more efficient.

So there you have it! You can clean your home from top to bottom with household natural products and protect your children from the harmful effects of various chemicals at the same time, not to mention that you will save an awful lot of money this way!

If you are looking for a fun gift to make for any occasion, then personalized candle making may be something you would like to consider. There are many ways to make personalized candles, depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend.

With just a little extra time and effort, you can make a personalized candle out of an otherwise ordinary candle gift that the lucky recipient will love.

1. The simplest way to make a personalized candle is get a normal candle at your local candle store. Even general retail stores like Walmart sometimes have candles for sale. Candles come in all shapes and sizes, but almost any candle can be personalized.
2. Anything smaller than a tea light will be difficult to personalize. For tea light candles, you can normally purchase a big bag for a low price. These candles are great as favors for guests at a wedding or baby shower. The easiest way to personalize is to use either a graphics program on your computer or a word processor. We’ll stick with the Word processor since it is easier. First, draw a circle the same dimensions as the lid on the tea light, or better yet use a circular label sheet. Then select a nice font, like cursive script or Corsiva. You can enter then names and date of the event into the circle. Print out a sample on plain paper to make sure the look and size is right. Once you have the desired result, you can print your tea light label stickers. Finally, apply the sticker onto the top of the tea light.
3. For jar candles, you can create a square-shaped personalized label. Since you have more area to work with, you can download free graphics from the Internet. Search the web for “free clip art” and download the images you want. Once again print out a sample on plain paper and then print the label. If you don’t have a color printer, you can go to a local copier and they can make a nice label for you. Stick the label on the jar. Now you have created a unique gift personalized just for that special person.
4. For tall pillar candles, you can get those engraved at an engraving shop (look in the phone book under engravers). The artwork and text can come in different colors. If you are artistic, you can even buy candle-engraving kits online and do it yourself.
5. How about those 1oz votive candles? For a professional looking gift, get cellophane bags and colored ribbon. Wrap the candle in the cello bag and tie it up with the ribbon. Then attach a personalized tag to the ribbon. These candles can also be engraved.
6. If you can make candles, then there are limitless possibilities. You can use different fragrances oils to create scented candles. You can use embeds for decoration. Cookie cutters and molds are also useful for designing the right shape.

In summary, you can take an ordinary store candle and make it a very special gift with just a little more effort. Your friends and loved ones will cherish these gifts for years to come.

About the Author:
Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more personalized gift ideas, go to Personalized Baby Shower Favors and for more candle gift ideas, see Baby Shower Candle Favors.

As featured in the story “A Candle For Christmas” from the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)

Materials:

• 1 wax carton (quart) (milk, fabric softener, or orange juice)
• 1 pound of paraffin wax
• 4 or 5 old crayons
• two trays of ice cubes
• a double boiler (or an empty coffee can and a saucepan)
• 1 piece of ordinary white package string about six inches long.

Caution: Do not heat paraffin directly over the burner. Paraffin is easily combustible. Use a double boiler or a two-pound coffee can set in a pan of water. I put the coffee can on top of home canning jar rings (the rings, not the flat lids). If the can is not set on top of something, the concave bottom creates a vacuum when the water begins to heat up, plus if it’s on the bottom of the pan, it’s just that much closer to the burner.

Trim the top part of the carton off so that what remains is about six inches high.

Cut the string so that it is six inches long. (To make a wick that lasts longer, try braiding three pieces of string together.)

Melt the paraffin wax over medium heat in a double boiler or a coffee can in a pan of water. Use three-quarters of a pound for a somewhat smaller candle or use all four squares for a larger candle. Once the water begins to boil, it will take 10 or 15 minutes for the paraffin to melt.

Break the crayons into small pieces and add to the paraffin. If the crayons are added first before the wax is melted, the color makes it difficult to see if all of the paraffin is liquefied.

Use a pair of tongs (a scissors works, too), and dip the string into the paraffin. Dipping the string will ensure that it is coated with paraffin since the ice cubes may prevent some sections from coming in contact with the liquid wax. Hold the string so that it is in the middle of the carton and fill the carton with ice cubes. Pour the hot paraffin over the ice cubes.

The candle will be set in about 30 minutes. Let the candle stand for another hour or two until most of the ice cubes are melted. Pour off the water. Peel off the carton. Place the candle in a tray or on a plate to catch the rest of the water from the ice cubes as they finish melting. Let the candle dry for a day or two.

The candles I have made with a single piece of string only burn for an hour or so and burn quickly enough so that most of the paraffin remains intact. To use the paraffin again, melt the candle and pour the wax into other containers to make solid candles.

~ Solid Candles ~
To make solid candles, select several glass containers. Pint or half-pint canning or jelly jars work well. For the wick, measure out a few more inches of string than is needed to reach the bottom of the container. Tie the string around a pencil. Put the pencil across the top of the container to hold the wick in place. When the paraffin and crayons are melted, pour the liquid wax into the container(s). When the candle is set, snip off the wick about a half inch above the wax.

~ Scented Candles ~
To make scented candles, put three or four teaspoons of vanilla extract into the bottom of the double boiler (or the coffee can) and then add the paraffin and crayons. When the wax is melted, pour into containers.

About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer for two newspapers in west central Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Assoc.) and is the author of the book, Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (Aug. 2003); trade paperback. For more information about Christmas In Dairyland, visit ruralroute2.com. bigpines@ruralroute2.com

This is a great family craft because everyone can do it. Small children will have fun with it because often they are learning how to set the table, how to help out at mealtime. Everybody has their own chair at the dinner table (or the kitchen table in most houses…).

Children can make placemats for the whole family, designing them with some of the materials to look similar in design so that they match each other.

For this project you will need:

• white vinyl placemats
• clear contact paper
• scissors
• stick-on alphabet letters (can be found at most office supply stores)
• magazines such as Family Circle, Good Housekeeping that will show families and mealtimes.
• also magazines like National Geographic that have beautiful pictures of animals and nature.
• white 8 ½” x 11″ paper to draw on
• markers or crayons
• glue sticks

Most children will be very pleased with the idea of creating a placemat with their name on it. Let them pick out the letters or draw their name on a piece of paper. Depending on the size of the placemat, letters should be about 2″ tall.

Give your child the magazines to look through and find pictures of foods they like or just scenes they like. A child who loves animals may be happiest with a placemat covered with animal pictures. Another child may like nature scenes like the ocean or the mountains. Another idea is to use copies of family photos. You can also have your child draw pictures to put on their placemat.

Cut out the pictures (assist if needed). Arrange pictures on placemat first without glue, seeing where you like them best. Once your child likes the placement of the pictures, put them on the placemat using your gluestick.

Allow the placemat to dry for several hours. Then cover the placemat with clear contact paper. Measure the contact paper so that it is just slightly smaller than the placemat, by about 1/4″ on each side. This will help it stay in place.

These placemats will now clean off with any damp sponge and you can use gentle dish detergent on them if needed. It’s dinnertime!

About The Author
Abigail Beal © 2004 Abigail Beal a.k.a. “the Gift-wrap Goddess” teaches gift wrap in suburban New York. She is the author of 2 ezines: GiftWrapGoddessWraps and CreativeCraftsTeachers. To subscribe: groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/ groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/.
contact: giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com

Making your own wrapping paper is a fun activity that children or adults can do. With some creativity you can create gift wrap that is unique and different – everyone will know the gift is from you!

When making gift wrap with children you will probably want to use either craft white paper or craft brown paper (like the grocery bags). You could even use the inside of a grocery bag if the gift is small enough.

At several points depending on your child’s age – they may need help. If your child is not ready to cut with scissors, then manage all of the scissor work and let them have fun gluing everything. Remember to select non-toxic materials. Consider all art materials toxic unless they say they are non-toxic.

Stamping Shapes Paper: To make this you can use either sponges or potatoes. The ease with potatoes is they give children (and adults) a “handle” to hold onto. Sponges are a little harder to hold onto once they get wet, and your designs may not get as clean and clear results.

Use tempura or acrylic paint. Be sure with children to use non-toxic paint. Remember with art materials that if they do not say they are non-toxic, chances are they are toxic – so be aware and stay safe.

Select your paint colors and cut simple designs in your potatoes or sponges. Great shapes include stars, hearts, arrows, lightning bolts, circles, triangles, letters, numbers and smiley faces. Help your children cut the designs depending on their age level.

Lay the paper flat on a dry and protected surface and stamp away with your potatoes or sponges! Remember to put your design all over the paper so that it shows all over your gift, not just one area of the paper. Let it dry overnight before wrapping gifts.

Names or Shapes Paper: To make this paper you will need several sheets of fluorescent paper (8 ½ x 11”) is fine. You will also need glue sticks and scissors.

Select a name or a shape that you wish to do for your paper. Think about the size of your gift, is it big? Is your gift small? If your gift is big, then your letters or shapes can be bigger. If your gift is small then your letters or shapes need to be smaller.

If you are giving a birthday gift it could be fun to write the birthday child’s name. If it is a gift for Mom then you could write Mom. Or consider writing a short message like “Happy Birthday” if you have enough room.

Write boxy letters or cut out shapes and glue them onto the paper. Write the name and glue it onto the paper several times. Allow it to dry overnight. Then wrap gift.

Picture Paper:
To make this paper you will need magazines or newspapers. Catalogs such a flower catalogs or children’s catalogs are also good. Comic books are good for this also. You will need scissors and glue stick.

Select a theme for your paper. Are you going to cut out pictures of animals? Cartoon characters? Flowers? Home images? Or are you going to cut out words? Find the images and cut them out. Glue them onto the paper. Allow it to dry and then wrap your gift.

Special Message Paper:
This is good for most children of any age. First select how large the gift will be and cut the gift paper to size.

Select markers or crayons. You are going to write a special message to the friend or loved one to wish them a Happy Birthday or other good wishes. Help your child select their message.

Write the message on the paper. Now write the message again in other line with a different color marker or crayon. Continue until the paper is full. You can use medium to large handwriting – actually any size handwriting is fine. Just continue until the paper is completely filled. Let this paper dry before wrapping the gift.

When you give the gift remind the birthday child they need to read the Special Message on the wrapping paper.

Feminine Doily Paper:
This is a cute gift wrapping paper for a girl’s gift. This is also an easy project to do with even most young children because it only involves glue sticks.

To make this paper you will need paper doilies, either white or metallic (your choice). This project works best with the small doilies. You will also need a glue stick.

Glue the doilies onto the paper. Glue them in an even pattern all over the paper. The doilies will give the gift wrapping a feminine look. Once the doilies are dried, wrap the gift.

There are many other ideas for gift wrap that are in your home and right in front of your nose. Just use your imagination and you will find many other ideas to use with your children. Happy wrapping!

About The Author
Abigail Beal © 2004 Abigail Beal a.k.a. “the Gift-wrap Goddess” teaches gift wrap in suburban New York. She is the author of 2 ezines: GiftWrapGoddessWraps and CreativeCraftsTeachers. To subscribe: groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/ groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/ contact: creativecraftsteachers@yahoo.com or giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com

Chances are at the holidays you’ve been tempted to make holiday wrapping paper. But you may have heard too many stories about needing to use potatoes and tempura paint that bring you back to your grade school days. Have no fear – you do have options! Here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.

Okay this one does involve a potato….. but it’s good:

For this one you need to get some supplies. Yes you do need a potato. I prefer using a potato for stamping rather than a sponge because the potato gives you something to hold onto, and more importantly you can create your own customized look. So keep in mind that if you find a rubber stamp you fall in love with – the potato is optional.

You will need: acrylic paint in one or two colors, metallic pens in one or two colors, paper (can use traditional butcher block paper, white craft paper, or fancy paper from the art store).

In terms of paper – think of the background color you would like to have. Your local art store will often carry many beautiful colors of handmade gift paper. Select a paper that has a porous and fiber-y texture to it – you want to be sure that the paint soaks into the paper. If you select a paper that has a shiny side to it, the paint will not set well.

Think of the design you would like to do. For this gift wrapping paper design you are going to stamp a design with your potato and then embellish it and add some writing to the paper. A good choice for Valentine’s Day would be to cut a heart stamp in your potato and then to write the word “love” or “I love you” on different parts of your paper. Or you could write a special message to the person you are giving the gift to. You could embellish the hearts with little arrows.

Good designs for your potato could be hearts, stars, lightning bolts, letters, numbers, arrows and basic shapes. Stamp your gift wrapping paper first with your acrylic paint and then allow this to dry for at least three hours.

Once the paper is dry then return to add your embellishments with your metallic pens.

Special Memories Paper:
For this paper you will use photographs that you like and visit your local copy center that does color copies.

Before you go to the copy center, think if you want to include any special messages on this paper. Such as wishing the person you are giving the gift a “Happy Birthday” or wishing your mother “Happy Mother’s Day”. If you would like to do so, then type these messages out on a word document – select a basic typeface such as Times New Roman but italicize it and enlarge it to 18 or even 24 points. See how large you like the typeface. Bring a number of copies of this message with you, and a glue stick.

Lay your photographs out on the largest paper they have. This is usually a tabloid size of paper 11” x 17”. Scatter your photographs, do not center them on any one part of the paper – remember that your gift will cover most of the paper. Once you have scattered your photos, add your special message to the gift wrapping paper.

Depending on how large your gift is, you may need to ask for several sheets of this paper. You may also choose to use larger photographs, or ask the clerk at the copy center to enlarge your photographs when they make the color copies. Also ask if they can make you a copy that is really shrunken down so that you can use this for the gift card.

S-E-C-R-E-T M-E-S-S-A-G-E P-A-P-E-R:
This paper is good for a humorous occasion. Probably not the best choice for a wedding gift, then again I’m not invited so what do I know?

We’ve all seen those movies where characters get a spooky ransom note made out of cut out magazines and newspapers. Why not create a special birthday wish or holiday greeting to a friend or a loved one? It will be something different and this is great for someone you have traded nicknames with and share a lot of jokes with.

Select newspapers and magazines. Tabloids are great because their letters are very large and clear. Magazines are nice too because they often use artistic looking typefaces, and this can add some variety to your message.

You will be doing this on 11” x 17” paper, so visit your local copy center and pick up several sheets of this paper. You will need this first to begin the project.

Now choose your message. Go through your newspapers and magazines and obtain the letters. Keep them in a pile.

Once you have your letters, line them up as you wish them to appear on the paper. Remember to space them out so they cover a lot of the paper and not just the middle. Use your glue stick and glue them down.

After your message is glued down, return to the copy shop and have them run your masterpiece off on the copy Xerox (if you did the other project they already know what you are up to….). Have them make you several sheets if your gift is big. Then have them make you a sheet that is very shrunken down for the gift card. As small as possible.

Leaf Rubbings Paper:
Do you remember grade school? Did you like it? One of the things I liked was doing leaf rubbings. We would pick up leaves and bring them inside and put them under pieces of paper, rubbing crayons over the paper to get an impression of the leaf.

Okay, stroll down memory lane over. I was just beginning to remember what the lunch room smelled like……

For this project that is exactly what you are going to do. Select some leaves. Get a box of crayons. I would suggest buying a box of crayons with a wide variety of colors because the more variety of colors you have in front of you, the more colorful your paper can be. Once you get started you may want to create several sheets of this paper. You will also probably want to test this technique so that you fully understand how it works on a small piece of paper and then do it on your gift wrap paper (just the way the hair dye companies remind us to do a test strip…..).

A good leaf tip: Select leaves that have good “skeletons” – that have stems and all sorts of edges to them. It will give your crayons more edges to pick up on. Small wide leaves won’t give much of an impression. But also try to select a variety of leaves. Take a nice walk through your community, picking up leaves on the way. You will be surprised by how many leaves are actually available.

Do this also one leaf at a time. Put the leaf under the paper and take your crayon and peel your crayon completely and break it in half. Then put the crayon wide side down on the paper, rubbing side to side while exerting pressure onto it. You will quickly see how much pressure it takes to get a good impression of the leaf.

There may be other items that you can use for this project. What else leaves an impression? You can do office items like paper clips – paper clips come in a number of shapes and sizes.

Well, these are just some ideas for your inspiration. As you can see, gift wrapping ideas are often right at your fingertips. You can create gift wrap out of something that is probably right in your home, office or backyard! Happy wrapping!

About The Author
Abigail Beal is the author of two zines Creative Crafts Teacher – for crafts teachers and Gift Wrap Goddess Wraps – all about gift wrap. To subscribe: groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/ or groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/. giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com

It may sound daunting, but traveling with baby does not have to be a nightmare! A little preparation and forward planning is all you need for a successful trip with your tiny traveler.

There are certain supplies that are essential for any trip with your baby. The most important, of course, is enough food and milk for the journey. Always pack more than you think you’ll need and include plenty of finger foods if your baby is old enough — these are great for helping to keep him occupied! If you are breastfeeding and need to express milk, you can store it in a cooler, with ice, for up to 24 hours. You can also store bottles of pre-made formula in the same way — alternatively, you can add pre-measured powdered formula to the bottles, then top it up with cooled, boiled water as required.

Another option is to bring “ready to drink” cartons of formula. Whilst ideal for the journey itself, be aware that you may not be allowed to take these cartons with you into certain countries. Sealed containers of formula do not normally present a problem.

Solid foods can be packed into a cooler, although a better idea is to bring foods with you that you can easily prepare during the journey. Avocado pears and bananas are good examples, as they can be simply peeled, mashed and served to your baby at room temperature.

Always bring your own feeding bowls and utensils when traveling with baby – many eating establishments do not have cutlery appropriate for an infant’s use. A travel high chair is incredibly useful, too — and means that you can comfortably feed your baby wherever you go. Disposable bibs, or a wipe-clean plastic bib, can be very convenient when traveling and they certainly cut down on the laundry!

If you ask for food or milk to be warmed for you, be VERY careful to check the temperature on its return. Busy waiters or cabin crew may overheat the food and you will need to wait for it to cool down. With this in mind, ask for any food or milk to be warmed well before you’re actually going to need it!

Many parents worry about how to sterilize feeding equipment when traveling with baby. There are many products available to assist with this, from microwave sterilizer bags to disposable bottle liners. Most stores dealing with infant feeding equipment will offer a range of traveling accessories such as these.

Other essential items for your trip will include nappies/diapers and scented diaper bags. If you’re heading to a warm destination, adequate sun protection is a must! Also, consider bringing a small nightlight – if you’re breastfeeding, it can be very useful in a dark, unfamiliar hotel room.

To help your baby cope with the trip and to reassure him in new surroundings, be sure to bring his favorite blanket. This can also serve as a handy “curtain” to shield an airplane sky cot/bassinet from the light, or for naps in his stroller when out and about.

Dress your baby in light layers when traveling — not only does this make it easier to cope with fluctuating temperatures, but if your baby spills his food, for example, you can easily remove the top layer of clothing. Bring a change of clothes for yourself, too — baby’s mess tends to have a habit of transferring itself to his parents!

Enjoy your trip!

About this Article:
Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com, a complete guide to solid feeding during baby’s first year. For more information about traveling with an infant, including tips on air travel and taking your baby overseas, visit http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/traveling-with-baby.html.

Like baby wipes you purchase in a store, homemade baby wipes are portable and convenient. To make them, start with a roll of paper towels, such as Viva or Bounty. You will also need baby bath liquid, water, and a sturdy plastic container with a lid. I’m sure you can already see how you’re saving money – buying baby wipes costs from $3 to $5 a package. You’re paying for chemicals, fragrance, alcohol or other ingredients that dry the skin, and water. The ingredients listed for homemade baby wipes make two batches of wipes, so you’re only paying around 60 cent per package. Even better, you choose the baby bath liquid, and can therefore use organic or all natural if you wish to.

Firstly, choose a cylindrical plastic container, slightly bigger than a quart container. It needs to be tall enough to hold a roll of paper towels cut in half (so a bit bigger than a roll of toilet paper). Make sure the container’s lid fits tightly. Use a sharp blade to cut an “x” slit in middle of the lid.

Now, cut your roll of paper towel in half using a sharp knife. You will end up with two smaller rolls that look quite similar to rolls of toilet paper. Put one half of the paper towel roll into the container.

Grab a bowl, and mix together 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of the baby bath liquid. Pour this mixture into your homemade baby wipes container. Now you can go and make yourself a coffee, as you’ll need to wait about five minutes while the paper towels soak up the bath liquid mixture. Once the five minutes has passed, gently pull the cardboard core out of the middle of the paper towel roll. As you pull the core out, the innermost piece of paper towel should follow it up. Pull the piece of paper towel through the slit you cut in the container’s lid, and put the lid back on.

Now, when you’re ready to use a wipe, just pull the paper towel up through the lid of the container. The paper towel is perforated, so it will tear off easily at the perforation, leaving the next wipe poking through the lid, ready to use when you need it.

The container works well when you’re at home, but homemade baby wipes can also be used when you’re out and about. Pull out the number of baby wipes you’ll need and put them in a zip lock plastic bag. You can then just unzip the bag and take out a wipe when you need one, or you can cut a small hole in the bag to pull through one end of the first wipe, ready for use. In that case you may want to put the whole zip lock bag inside a plastic portable wipes box, both to stop them leaking and protect them from drying out in the air. Now you have portable homemade baby wipes!

Homemade baby wipes are very simple to make, cheap, convenient and much better for your baby’s skin – so make your own today!

About the Author:
Find heaps more great money saving baby ideas at Info About Baby You can sign up for a FREE Baby Tips newsletter at Baby Tips Newsletter. The author’s book about babies is available at Baby’s First Year.

With my first son, Phillip, we had a great Pediatrician from India. This man was very gentle with babies and you could tell when he held a baby that he loved children. When my son was a few days old, this doctor told me something that I had a difficult time grasping at first. He said, “Don’t wipe your baby’s bottom every time you change the diaper.”

This seemed foreign to me. I listened but I walked away thinking he didn’t know what he was talking about. I was under the impression that I was to clean that baby thoroughly every time I changed him.

Well, I set out to do just what the doctor told me; after all, he was the expert and I was a new mom! I realized somewhere along the line that the doctor was right. The only time I would wipe the baby’s bottom was when he had a bowel movement never when he was wet. Looking back I realized how wise that doctor really was. He understood that the PH of the baby’s skin was the same as the acid in the urine. Rubbing the baby’s sensitive skin 9 or 10 times a day, coupled with the constant PH change was a sure cause of a sore baby bottom. The urine didn’t cause a diaper rash, the wiping did! There was one other culprit that would cause a rash and that was a bowel movement.

With 5 children over several years, I can tell you that diaper rash honestly did not happen at our house. I attribute this to a quick and immediate change with diaper wipes whenever there was a bowel movement and NO wiping baby’s bottom when there wasn’t a bowel movement. Over the years I received many snide comments from on-lookers and well-intentioned friends and family but I would happily report to them that it was the doctor’s orders! What could they say to that?

To wipe or not to wipe must be a personal decision and I will leave you with this bit of “only wiping with bowel movement” information to do with what you will. One more thing though, after years of dealing with doctors, I wish I could tell you that they were all “experts” and that you should always do exactly everything they say, unfortunately, I have not found this to be true. I have found that there are some really good doctors out there and even then you should use your best judgment when dealing you’re your child.

While we are on the subject of baby bottoms and baby wipes, you might want to use this recipe. I made these wipes for over 5 years and always had them on hand. They were easy and saved a lot of money and my husband and I always felt they were just as good as the store brand!

Home Made Baby Wipes
If you go to a second hand store you can pick up an electric knife for about $3 and use it to cut your paper towels in half the short way. I tried other paper towels that were cheaper than Bounty and they would fall apart and mold if you left them in the container, so stick with Bounty for best results.

• ½ Roll of Bounty paper towels
• 1-Cup Water
• 1 TBS baby oil
• 2 TBS baby shampoo or baby bath of your choice
• Rubbermaid cylinder type container or old baby wipe container.

Mix all liquid ingredients in cylinder container. Remove outside plastic and inner cardboard tube from paper towels and place them in the container and put the lid on tight. Flip container over and wait until towels are thoroughly saturated. Pull wipes from middle. Want a printable version of this recipe? Go to: http://www.keys2kids.com/babywipes print.htm

Happy wiping!

© 2003 by Michelle Shelton. All rights reserved

About the Author
Michelle Shelton is an author, parenting coach, parent consultant, acclaimed public speaker, and Arizona Real Estate Agent and parent educator. Michelle is the author of the well known column Life with all these Kids. Visit her web site www.askmichelleshelton.com or contact her at 480-577-8272.

Thank You Letter
No matter what you give your child’s caregiver, you should always attach a special hand written note telling her how thankful you are that she is watching your baby. If your caregiver is at a center be sure that you give a copy to her boss so that her boss knows how great you think she is. If you have the inclination you can make it even more special by creating a card of your own, instead of buying one. Even if you don’t have the money to buy something fancy, spending a little bit of your time to give your caregiver an impromptu note of thanks will mean the world to them.

Gift Certificates
Let her treat herself! Give her a certificate to get a pedicure, a manicure, a facial or even a new hair do! Give her a day at a spa or a relaxing massage. Remember she works hard and probably has very little time to pamper herself. The money you pay her probably goes to bills and her family, so give her a treat that she has to spend on only her.

Free Meals
No, not one you make yourself, but a gift card to a restaurant or a collection of restaurants that your caregiver can choose from. Make sure you include enough that she can take her husband or a friend with her and enjoy a night out on you!

Bath Goodies
Bubble bath, shower gel and lotion are always a big hit with women. Most women love to sit in a bath and relax after a long day and being able to sit in a bath that smells good will make her day. There are so many options in terms of scents that you are sure to find one that she will like.

Coffee and Tea
If your caregiver is a coffee or tea drinker, get her a gift set that may include a new mug with an inspirational message or a mug that is decorated by your child. If it doesn’t come with it include some specialty cookies or biscuits that she can enjoy in the morning before she begins her day.

Handmade Gift from Your Child
If your child is old enough, sit down with them one weekend and help them make a handmade gift for your caregiver. It might be a thank you card, a mug to go along with the tea and coffee, or even a decorated picture frame that you can leave empty or insert with a picture of your caregiver and child. This special handmade and homemade gift from you and your child will probably mean more to your caregiver than anything you could buy for her at the store.

The options for gifts you can give to your child’s caregiver are endless, but giving a gift whether it is for an occasion or out of the blue is always a good idea. After all a caregiver who feels appreciated is probably a happy caregiver and a happy caregiver means that you will have a happy child who is well taken care of.