sustainability Archives - Leaf and Steel

I’m getting my house ready for pregnancy #2!

Yes, pregnancy #2. My first pregnancy had a rough start. I had terrible morning sickness – I spent the first 20 weeks hunched over the toilet or asleep.

I’ve partnered with Kind Laundry to make an effort to stock up on supplies and finesse my systems for pregnancy #2! Kind Laundry’s products are not only zero waste and non-toxic, but actually work.

I’m making a conscious effort this month to get different aspects of my life ready for another pregnancy. This time, I’ll be taking care of a toddler and I won’t have the luxury of sleeping all day like last time. I have closets that need to be cleaned out, freezer meals that need to be made, and items that I need to stock up on so I don’t have to be constantly running to the store.

In addition to stocking up on household items, it’s time to more towards non-toxic household products. Kind Laundry uses 5 simple non-toxic ingredients, which is perfect for my sensitive skin and gentle enough for my one year old’s skin too.

I’ve broken down their products below, to give you a better idea of what Kind Laundry has to offer!

Thank you to Kind Laundry for partnering with me on this post. All opinions are my own. For more information on Kind Laundry and their products head to www.kindlaundry.com.

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you.

Stain Removal Bar

The stain removal bar is a plant based bar that can be used by getting it wet an rubbing on the stain before washing. I used this on my daughter’s clothes and was pleased with the results.

Dryer Balls

These have been on my list to buy forever! Dryer balls are used to reduce drying time and prevent static. Kind’s are 100% pure New Zealand wool.

Laundry Bag

A mesh laundry bag was also on my list of things to buy before the next baby! There’s nothing worse then putting 10 newborn socks in the wash and somehow only ending up with 8. I swear my washing machine eats baby socks. Using a mesh bag keeps everything in one place during the process.

Laundry Detergent Sheets

I’ll admit, this is where I was most skeptical. My daughter is eating solids 4x a day now, which is like an instant mess every time. I always end up covered in whatever she’s eating (don’t ask me how!). My husband and I each work out 5x a week. So basically, we make a lot of stinky laundry.

The detergent sheets just need to be thrown in the wash, no measuring required.

I was shocked and impressed how well they cleaned. Our laundry smelled great and didn’t leave any of that gummy residue feeling on my hands after I touched it. The detergent sheets definitely passed the wash test over here.

If you’re looking for laundry products that fight stains while also being non-toxic, zero waste, and biodegradable, check out Kind Laundry! Their products save space,

Did you have a rough pregnancy? Do you use non-toxic products in your home?

Let me know below!

What Do You Need to Cloth Diaper?

I’ll be straight with you – there is an upfront cost to cloth diapering. Once you have your supplies, it evens out quickly. We were spending over $60/month on disposable Pampers for our 11 month old.

The easiest way to cut costs is to go with an All-in-One (AIO) diaper. They are the biggest bang-for-your-buck and will last a long time.

The first thing you will need is a shell. Here’s where you get to choose adorable prints to fit your little one’s personality!

Next, you can either do a reusable fleece insert OR a disposable insert that tucks into the diaper.

And that’s it!

Charlie Banana also makes reusable wipes, swim diapers, and wet bags.

How to Cloth Diaper

The first thing is to wash the items in 40C water. Next, hang to dry or tumble dry on low.

Then, you’re all ready to start! Simply insert the disposable liner or fleece insert into the shell and snap onto baby! They will take care of the rest.

How to Wash Cloth Diapers

This is the part that scares people off – I promise you it’s not that bad!

If you’re a parent, your probably already used to all kinds of bodily fluid and you’re probably a master at disposing of yuckies without getting it anywhere, so this should be a breeze.

Disposable inserts can simply be discarded like a typical diaper.

For fleece or reusable liners, put any solids into the toilet and rinse any excess residue. Store the inserts and diaper in a dry or wet pail to store until its time to wash. Wash them in 40C water with diaper-friendly detergent and tumble dry on low or hang to dry.

That’s it!

Avoid bleach, hot water, and high dryer settings.

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Pros to Cloth Diapering

There are so many positives that come along with cloth diapering!

I would argue that the biggest one is shrinking your carbon footprint. Disposable diapers end up in landfills and contribute to climate change. We need to leave a better planet for our children. Making small changes like using cloth diapers or reusable wipes teaches little ones young that the choices we make matter. We are not helpless.

Another plus side to cloth diapering is the cost! No more trips to Target or Walmart to get diapers every month. With cloth diapers, you know that you won’t run out.

Charlie Banana’s diapers are super soft and gentle on the diaper area. In my experience, they cause less irritation.

And of course, who doesn’t love choosing super cute prints!

Cons to Cloth Diapering

The only real downside that I’ve experienced with cloth diapering is extra laundry. I use a combination of the disposable inserts and cloth inserts. The disposable inserts can just be thrown away while the cloth ones need to be washed.

I do not cloth diaper when we’re leaving the house or when someone else is watching the baby, for simplicity’s sake.

Again, there is an upfront cost, but this quickly evens out. You can even buy gently used shells on eBay and pass them down from kid to kid. Charlie Banana’s shells are durable and built to last.

Why Charlie Banana?

Charlie Banana is the go to choice for parents because of their commitment to quality and care for babies and the planet! I was happily surprised by how soft their products are and how well they’ve held up!

They have so many cute prints to choose from and other sustainable household items to choose from.

From their website:

We know that single-use plastics can have a devastating impact on our environment – and reversing that impact means creating products that are gentle on baby’s skin and gentle on the planet. That’s why every Charlie Banana diaper is made with the softest materials, Climate Neutral Certified, and benefits environmental causes through our pledge to donate 1% for the Planet.

I’m honestly kind of bummed I waited this long to try cloth diapering – it’s so much less work than I had imagined. I feel like I’m making a small dent in my family’s carbon footprint and I love that I’ll be able to reuse the diapers with my next kids. I will definitely be cloth diapering baby #2!

Do you currently cloth diaper? Is it something you’d want to try? Have you heard of Charlie Banana? Let me know below!

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Zero Waste Laundry with Kind Laundry