By Marci Seither, Contributing Writer

Poop happens. If you have ever packed up a diaper bag, you know it is a true fact.

I remember, as a new mom, that bathing a toddler and a baby  at the same time was a “tag team” experience. One evening, the baby pooped in the tub much to the chagrin of our toddler who immediately screamed as the small tootsie roll swirled toward him.

Hearing the shrieks of horror, my husband ran in to see what was going on.  He immediately noted the situation, ran out of the bathroom, and emerged a few seconds later with my  slotted spoon. Quickly, he scooped the treasure up, plopped it into the toilet, and flushed. I stared at him as if he had just grown a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

The word perplexed doesn’t even come close to what I was thinking as  the little brown lump swirled out of sight.

“It is taken care of!” John beamed, my kitchen tool in his hand.

“That was my new spoon,” I signed. “Toss it in the trash. Now.”

We poured new bathwater, soaped everyone up, and after getting ready for bedtime, cuddled on the couch for a story. Everyone survived. Everyone lived.

It was a minor crisis that changed a bit of our routine, but that is life.

With as much as we think we have our routines under control, we need to remember that we never have to handle things on our own, the Lord is always there to help.

We can be confident that whenever poop happens during the day, God can handle it – without sacrificing kitchen utencils.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord. Consider my signing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait with expectation.” – Psalm 5:1-3

Our family is on Baby Launch countdown!

At the end of December, our daughter and son-in-law announced they were expecting our first grandbaby! I have been busy making a Dr. Seuss quilt and shower decorations, but I also want to share with Emma all of the things I did as a young mom. One way I saves some green was by making homemade baby wipes.

Homemade Baby Wipes Tutorial & Recipe

What you need:

Airtight container – I used an ice cream bucket, but you can use an empty coffee canister, baby wipe container, or find a good container with a lid. You might also want to keep a zip lock bag of the wipes in your diaper bag.

Paper towels –  I purchased the big Viva bale at Costco and had a coupon! Score. Bounty is also a good brand. When it come to this project, you want to spend a bit more on higher quality paper towels that are not going to start bio-degrading as soon as the water mixture is poured over them.

I love the various size towels as well because some clean-ups require less than others. It is less wasteful which is good for the environment and great on the budget.

Note from Jami: You can also make reusable baby wipes by using cloth instead of paper towels! Disposable wipes are great because you can throw them away with the diapers – but if you use cloth diapers (like we do) then it’s actually easier (and cheaper) to use cloth wipes that can be thrown in the wet bag and washed along with your diapers. Follow these same instructions but use some sort of cloth wipe instead (or you can even use baby wash cloths which are the perfect size, inexpensive, and you seem to get a ton of them at baby showers). I love these flannel baby wipes from Bum Genius. They are super soft, durable, and are the right size (not too thin). I got a couple boxes of these from Babies R’ Us with a giftcard.

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. baby wash – there are so many types of baby wash on the market. Some are organic, some are oat based, some are generic brand knock offs of national brands. I went with the cheapest. Face it, if you have a baby, chances are you already have a baby wash you prefer so just snag a couple of tablespoons and you are good to go. (Note from Jami: My personal favorite is Honest Company shampoo and baby wash – my local target has two huge bottles for $14!)

1 Tbsp. baby oil – I found some with Aloe and Vitamin E in it.

1 Tbsp. witch hazel – this is found in the first aid area of any superstore or pharmacy

INSTRUCTIONS

1)  Cut paper towel in half using a sharp knife, electric knife, or even a chop saw. Remove the middle cardboard tube, allowing you to pull the towels from the center.

2)  Put the roll in an airtight container

3)  Mix the water, baby bath, oil and witch hazel in bowl.

4)  Pour over paper towel roll

5)  Put the lid on

 That is it! So fast, simple, and economical.

Note: Due to absorbency difference in paper towels you may need a bit less or more water. Depends on how wet you want your homemade baby wipes!