Author: Deborah

So you’re interested in cloth nappies or just bought some for your little one, but not sure how to clean them? I’ve got your back. Here are my top tips for cleaning cloth nappies.

Bambino mio miosolo bug's life collection review

How often to wash cloth nappies

How often you wash is going to depend on how many nappies you have and how many your baby gets through in a day. A newborn will need a lot more than a 1 year old for example. I wash every 3 days and have about 20-odd nappies to rotate full time. If you only want to use cloth nappies part time then you can always bulk out the machine with a towel load. You’ll learn what works for you after a couple of weeks.

How to wash nappies

I wash all my nappies at 40 degrees. I put them on a rinse wash first which is about 20 minutes or so. I then put them on the longest wash setting my machine has with powder detergent. It’s usually about 2.5-3 hours long. My machine lets me add more water.

What to do with poo?

If your baby is soley breastfed then their poo is water-soluble and it can go straight in the machine. I actually did the same for my bottle-fed baby and didn’t have any problems. As soon as they started weaning the poo went straight down the loo. This is where liners come in handy. You can use fleece liners (a cheap IKEA fleece blanket cut up will do) or paper liners – I like Bambino Mio ones, but I wouldn’t flush these. With a fleece liner flop what you can into the toilet and then hold on to the end and flush the toilet to remove the rest. It sounds kind of gross but you just get used to it! You can find out more about liners in my how to get started with cloth nappies post.

Drying cloth nappies

I put the nappies on an extra dry spin at the end of the wash cycle to get them a bit drier. Hang them out to air dry. I keep them away from heat, so no tumble drying, heated airer or hanging directly on the radiator. Direct heat can damage them. A sock hanger is fab for all the liners. Fleece liners are pretty much dry as soon as they come out of the wash. A sunny day can also help with any stains. I try and stuff my nappies as soon as they’re dry, preferably in front of a good tv show.

Where to keep dirty nappies?

You could use a nappy bin/bucket but I find wet bags so much easier. I use a large wet bag and hang it off one of the door handles. It doesn’t take up much space and I just throw it in the wash with the nappies. I use Baba + Boo which has a zip closure and I’ve never found it smelly. I also use the smaller bags for out and about.

I hope this guide has helped you and if you have any questions pop me a message on Instagram.

Author: Deborah

I am so excited to share with you Eleanor’s ice cream shop. I spent more hours on it than I really should have, but I love it!

Eleanor’s IKEA Duktig kitchen has always been stocked full of pretend food, kitchen equipment and so much more. It was overwhelming for me tidying it away so I wonder how it made Eleanor feel. I made the decision to remove most of the toys and only put out ones that fit in with a theme.

The first theme for our play kitchen is an ice cream shop. Eleanor has been pretty obsessed with ice creams since the summer, and always on the hunt for the ice cream van even if it is 2 degrees outside. So it was an obvious choice to start with whether it’s the right season or not.

On the front of the kitchen I made a sign, drew an open/closed sign and 2 menus. The menu with ice creams and lollys on matches (roughly, my drawing isn’t that great), her ice cream cart toy. The ice cream cart that you can just see in the sink is from JoJo Maman Bebe but these ice lollys* would also be fab.

On the seller side of the kitchen there’s easy access to the ice creams/lollys, the stacking cake and I made little cards with different flavour scoops on. We’ve also got our IKEA till for purchases, but she isn’t that bothered by that. I used American dollars in there as that’s what I had to hand. I’ve also added a little jam jar I turned into a sprinkles shaker with colourful rice inside.

The cupboards have been emptied and now house a bowl of fruit and an empty tray in case she wants to serve up on it. I also kept her singing teapot, cake and cups* in the microwave as there’s a drinks menu too. She loves that cake so I couldn’t remove it.

Eleanor was super excited when she saw her kitchen and has played with it every day. She’s been taking our orders for ice creams, adding sprinkles and also giving us an extra scoop card in whatever flavour we ask. I hope she gets lots of use out of this before I switch things over.

My favourite part is the open/closed sign, but she says the closed signs says open and visa versa!

*  This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase something through the link provided. I won’t post a link to a product that I haven’t used myself and love. Thank you for the support!

Author: Deborah

AD – gifted items

I’m a big fan of Bambino Mio nappies, and when they offered me the chance to try out their new Bug’s Life collection I couldn’t resist. 

Bambino mio miosolo bug's life collection review

I used miosolo nappies with Eleanor and we’ve been using them with Phoebe too for the last few weeks now she fits in them. These are birth to potty nappies but I find they fit better when you get to 9-10lbs. Phoebe was tiny when she was born so they swamped her. 

A few things I love about these nappies is that they are all in one. This means that the nappy is one piece and you stuff the boosting part back into the nappy using the handy pocket. If you want to see how this works, I’ve previously done a video review. They are made from microfibre so they’re very fast drying which will be helpful in the winter when I have to dry the nappies inside.

Bambino mio miosolo bug's life collection review

The Bug’s Life collection includes four new prints:

  • honeybee hive
  • rainbow rays
  • sunshine stripes
  • snail surprise

Which is your favourite design? Rainbow rays is always going to win for me, I love anything with a rainbow on it. But my toddler keeps reaching for the Honeybee Hive to put on Phoebe.

As well as 4 new nappy prints, they’ve also introduced their patterns onto boosters. I don’t use boosters yet with my 12 week old but they will be perfect when she’s older and needs that added absorbency.

Bambino mio miosolo bug's life collection review

Bambino Mio partnered with Aldi to bring you these prints at a fab price during Aldi’s baby and toddler event. Did you pick any up? There’s free delivery this weekend on the Bambino Mio website ending Monday night if you want to grab some of these designs. 

Disclaimer: I was sent nappies and boosters for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and I only work with brands I truly love.

Author: Deborah

Do you know someone who’s expecting a baby and want to buy them something eco-friendly and sustainable? I’ve picked out some of my favourite sustainable gifts for mum and baby.

I’m also excited that I get to pick one of these for my new niece or nephew arriving later this year!

So let me get on and share with you some of the eco-friendly and sustainable new baby gifts that I think would make an awesome present.

Bambino Mio Miosolo all-in-one cloth nappy

For parents

First up, how could I not mention cloth nappies. They can be a big investment, so if you know someone who might be interested in trying them then I definitely recommend gifting a little starter kit. Little Lamb do gift hampers which is a lovely idea, or you could make your own with a few different brands to give them a real experience. Here’s my handy guide to getting started with cloth nappies if you need some more ideas of what to include.

A must-have gift for mum is an insulated coffee mug. I bought one from my local garden centre and it is my lifeline for having a hot cuppa during the day. My husband makes me one before he leaves and if I can’t get to it for a few hours it doesn’t matter, it keeps warm for 6 hours!

I don’t know about you but we go through a lot of muslins! I use them for everything, from using as burp cloths to playing peekaboo with. Frugi have some absolutely adorable prints that would make a lovely gift.

One thing I wish I’d had first time round from the start was a wet bag. They’re so useful even if you aren’t using cloth nappies. You could throw in dirty clothes from a poonami or wet swimming gear after baby’s first swimming class. I really love Baba + Boo wet bags as they’re a great size at a good price.

My last idea is an annual pass. I had an annual pass to my local farm. Even as a baby I’d take Eleanor there to walk around and meet up with other mums. And when she got a bit older she loved looking at all the animals. So if there’s a local farm or attraction that offer an annual pass, this is a great sustainable gift. 

2 year olds favourite toys

Toys

Not something to be used straight away, but a teething toy will soon be an essential. My first started teething at 3 months old. This time round I bought a 100% natural rubber teething toy by Lanco called Bo the frog, and he’s adorable! 

I’m a little addicted to Grimms and this pastel beads grasper is perfect for small hands. I don’t know about my daughter, but I love playing with it, it has a calming effect like a stress ball. The beads rotate and can be worn around the wrist. 

What about a celebration ring? It’s not something the baby will play with until they’re older, but it’s a gift that you can add to each birthday or Christmas. Grimm’s do a range of celebration rings and decorative figures to add to the rings. 

What would you buy for a new baby gift? I hope I’ve given you a few ideas.

Author: Deborah

What could be more fun than rainbow ice cream cupcakes?!

My daughter, Eleanor, is obsessed with ice creams and rainbows at the moment, but she also loves to bake. Her favourite thing to watch on telly right now is Cupcake Jemma on YouTube. She always wants to watch the cupcake lady. 

rainbow ice cream cupcakes

So I thought I’d combine Eleanor’s favourite things into one rainbow ice cream cupcake. It’s so easy to do.

How to make rainbow ice cream cupcakes

I used Cupcake Jemma’s vanilla cupcake recipe, which has been my go to basic cupcake recipe for the last few months. I split the mixture into 3 and mixed in PME food colouring paste. The colours are amazing! I’ve used cheap liquids and gels before and they really don’t give you the rich colour that these pastes do.

I found some flat bottom ice cream cones in my local supermarket which are perfect for this recipe. I placed them in a normal cupcake tray and put a little foil around the base of each one to keep them steady. I then spooned in a teaspoon of each colour until the cones were 2/3rds full. I baked them for 22 minutes at 170 degrees C in my fan oven. 

For the buttercream, I used Jemma’s buttercream recipe (see a theme here, maybe I’m as addicted as Eleanor is). I was really tempted to do rainbow icing too, using the same 3 colours, but I didn’t have time and thought that, actually, white/cream looks more like ice cream. 

I really wish I’d had some flake to top it off with, but I covered them in sprinkles instead. 

rainbow ice cream cupcakes cut in half so you can see the colours

Eleanor LOVED these! Well, she loved the look of these. She didn’t like the buttercream and ate all the cone and left the cupcake. I wonder if she’ll be like my mum, always baking but never eating the cake. I just gobbled them all up!

Do you think you’ll give these a go?

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase something through the link provided. I won’t post a link to a product that I haven’t used myself and love. Thank you for the support!

 

Author: Deborah

I’ve been using cloth nappies for a couple of years now with a toddler and a newborn. I want to share with you what you need to get started using cloth nappies.

What you’ll need, washing every other day:

  • Approx 12-24 nappies (24 for a newborn but less for toddlers)
  • A wet bag for dirty nappies, or a bucket
  • Liners (fleece or disposable)
  • Boosters (if needed – see below)
  • Wipes (if you want to use cloth wipes too)

Cloth nappies. How to get started with cloth nappies.

Nappies

When it comes to trying cloth nappies, I definitely recommend seeing if there’s a nappy library near you. Most libraries will be able to offer a kit with a variety of nappies in it so you can see what best works with your little one. It can be a trial and error to see what nappies fit best. 

If you don’t have a local nappy library then buying second hand is amazing. As a bonus, preloved nappies are more absorbent than new ones as they’ve been washed. I have bought so many nappies from Facebook selling groups and eBay. This is also a great way of picking up one or two nappies from each brand/type to see which you like.

There are so many different types of cloth nappies out there and it can be really overwhelming to begin with. I’ve broken down the main types here. 

All-in-one nappies

These cloth nappies are the most like disposable ones as they go on pretty similar. They are really easy to use. I mostly used Bambino Mio with my toddler but I haven’t used all-in-ones with my newborn yet.

Pocket nappies

These nappies fit like an all-in-one but they have a pocket to add the absorbent fabric. I love Baba + Boo pocket nappies.

Fitted (shaped) nappies

Fitted, or shaped, nappies are shaped to fit your baby and you use them with a waterproof wrap. You can often get these in different sizes and in one birth-to-potty size, depending on the brand. I use shaped nappies from Little Lamb and I loved the Totsbots Bamboozles for night time with my toddler.

Flat nappies

This includes muslins, terries and prefolds. Terries and muslin squares are what our parents may have used. They’re big square pieces of fabric that you fold up in a variety of ways and secure with a pin or nappy nippa. You then use a waterproof outer wrap on top of it. If you look on YouTube there are lots of tutorials on different folds.

Prefolds are similar but are sewn into three panels which you place inside an outer wrap. Flat nappies are a cheap way of getting started. 

Cloth nappies in a draw. How to get started with cloth nappies.

Liners

There are reusable fleece liners and disposable liners that you throw away. Fleece liners are great as they wick away moisture keeping your little ones bottom dry. Either liner will catch poop so it doesn’t go all over the nappy. My biggest money saver with liners is to buy an IKEA fleece throw (I think it’s £1.50) and cut it up to fit inside the nappy. Such a bargain!

Boosters

I found boosters really overwhelming when I first needed them with my toddler. They come in different materials and I didn’t know what I needed. They usually come in these fabrics:

  • Microfibre & Charcoal
  • Cotton
  • Bamboo
  • Hemp

Microfibre being the least absorbent and hemp being the most. However, hemp is the slowest to absorb whereas microfibre and charcoal are the fastest. So what I do is use the fast absorber on top of a slow one, for example and microfibre booster on top of a bamboo one. Or sometimes I just use two bamboo boosters.

Cloth nappies. How to get started with cloth nappies.

Wipes

If you want to use cloth wipes as well then there are lots of brands out there. They also come in different fabrics. I use cotton as I find this the best for cleaning up poop. You can also get them in bamboo and microfibre. I recommend only using microfibre wipes for hands and face. 

You could also use flannels or cut up old towels for wipes. 

Some people keep their wipes in a box wet, or in a wet bag, but I tend to wet one when I need it. If I’m using them when out then I’ll use a water bottle to wet one if I’m not near a tap.

If you have any cloth nappy related questions let me know on here or over on Instagram @hellodeborahuk.

Author: Deborah

My zero waste hair care routine has made getting ready in the morning so much easier. I wash my hair once a week or longer if I can get away with it.

zero waste shampoo bar from lush

I don’t do ‘nopoo’, which is not using any shampoo at all. I don’t think I can face going out while it looks greasy. From what I’ve researched it can take awhile for your hair to adjust to no poo, and I don’t want to go through that phase yet.

My zero waste hair routine

I wash my hair with a shampoo bar from Lush. I’ve tried Honey I Washed My Hair and Jason and the Argan Oil and I love them both. Once my hair and the bar are wet, I rub it over my head (not the ends of my hair) and then massage it in with my fingers. I was surprised that it produced lots of bubbles like a normal shampoo.

At the moment I still have conditioner in a bottle left, and I use a pea size amount on the ends of my hair. I don’t use much at all. When it’s empty I’m going to try an apple cider vinegar rinse, which is ACV diluted with water and poured over your hair and rinsed out.

If during the week my hair is looking a little greasy then I wash with just water. I spend a couple of minutes in the shower massage the roots while under the water and that’s it. It usually gets greasy if I have my hair down and keep putting my hair behind my ears. I usually wear it in a plait or a topknot, or I have a hair scarf to hide any greasy bits.

In the summer I don’t use a hairdryer. This may change in the winter when I need it to dry quicker. I find that although I have thick hair it dries relatively quickly at the moment. When it’s still a bit damp I plait it so that I have waves for the rest of the week.

What’s your hair care routine?

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About me

Hi there, I’m Deborah. I live in Hampshire with my husband and spend my time baking, making and getting out in the fresh air. Find out more or get in touch.

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