Monday, January 31, 2011

Slings!

[Emily] Do you love babywearing? What kind of carrier do you use? My favourite is my Hot Sling which I've had for a few years now, it's by far my absolute favourite. I've had the Baby Bjorn, the Snugli, Infantino, etc.

Well, my daughter constantly grabs my sling and puts her dolls in it, so I put an elastic at the shoulder so it fits her. I was 'comissioned' to make a ring sling for a friend's daughter, [for dolls] and thought , what a great idea!!
So- here are some creations!!



Saturday, January 29, 2011

why cloth diaper?

Have you ever found yourself wondering what the benefits of cloth diapering, vs. disposable? Well- the big no brainer...is cost. Cloth diapering may seem to be expensive, when you start looking at the diapers, the styles, the laundering, etc- but you make that initial investment on your diapers [about $200-$300 depending on what you're getting] and the diapers last for YEARS. So, your little one potty trains typically around 2.5yrs-3yrs but some are in diapers longer than that. Cloth diapered babies potty train sooner than disposable diapered babies simply because you can adjust the amount of padding [absorption] in your cloth diapers, so that they start to feel wet- instead of wicking away all that wetness. My daughter was completely trained a month after her 2nd birthday. My son, who was in disposables wasn't trained until after his 3rd birthday!

Secondly- if you have a little one with sensitive skin, or is prone to rashes- cloth diapers are fantastic as they allow their skin to breath [they're not wrapped in plastic..] A lot of kids have allergies to whatever chemicals are in disposable diapers [those beads that absorb their urine...that's scientifically made- do you know what it is? Because I sure don't] Cloth diapers also encourage you to change your baby's bum a little more often than a disposable- which also helps with rash prevention and healing.

thirdly- before I switched to cloth diapers [pockets] my little ones were soaking through everything, every single night. I put them in cloth- and they never leaked through again!! it was incredible. So I started saving on sheets, that extra laundry from having to wash sheets from nap time, bed time, and anytime in between where they were lying down in their diapers.

4- they're SO CUTE

5- They are so environmentally friendly as nothing has to be put in a dump , or composted for years before it gets passed back through the earth. Help your baby start their life off early, with a super tiny carbon footprint, just as their little tiny footprints truly are.

6- You can pass them on and keep on giving back to the environment!

7- the big one for me, was that I had two babies in diapers, and both in completely different sizes. [nb and size 3 at the time] so I bought one size pockets and used the exact same diapers on both babies.


Tell us your reasons for going cloth!! And if you are wondering whether you should or not- post some questions!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Pixie Glitz tutus

(Emily) Have ya heard of them?? Well they are absolutely AMAZING. One of my best childhood friends decided back in the fall to make a tutu for her daughter...and now has a business because they're THAT perfect ! I am thinking, we have to get some more followers so Maple Bottoms can have a giveaway all our own, featuring the beautiful tutus of Pixie Glitz designs! Pixie Glitz is located in Windsor, Ontario and are all hand-crafted during nap time [she's got 2 little ones under the age of 3!] and Somer-Lee [the designer/creator/owner] will even make the most perfect custom designed tutu for whatever occasion it is you've got coming up. But really...why do you need a special occasion to wear a tutu? Madison [my 2yr old] finds an occasion, every single day to wear a tutu... and pearls. Because hey...why not?!

[this is one of Madison's ridiculously fat baby dolls.. I've never had a baby with that many rolls- but I know they exist ;-) ]