Egg-free. Gluten-Free. Sugar-Free. Homemade baby cookies/bars

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I've been looking for some great cookie/bar recipes that are 8-month old baby friendly.  And let me tell you that isn't such an easy task.  At least when it comes to ones that are sugar-free.  Why do people feel the need to add sugar to baby food?! It just baffles me.

So anyways I sat down today and made my own recipe up and by the way Phia ate them I'm saying they turned out great. And these are perfect for the families who are baby-led weaning.

The Recipe:

Oven pre-heated to 350 F

Yeilds about 9- 2" logs

1/2 C Rice Flour

1/2 C ground oatmeal (I used organic baby oatmeal but you could just grind some quick oats up in a blender)

*1/2 C Pear juice or juice of choice

*1/2 C water

Dash of Cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together and cut/form into your desired shape (I did logs as they are easier for Phia to hold on to).  Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 F.  These do stay chewy even after cooling!

NOTE- The dough is stickier than regular cookie dough

*You could use 1 C of all juice or 1 C of all water if your prefer

The In's and Out's of Cloth Diapering: Washing!

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Ask 20 different people that you cloth how they wash them and you will receive 20 different answers.  That is because a washing routine really depends on what kind of machine, you have, what kind of water (hard of soft), and how often you will be washing.

So what I am going to do is give you some basic info on washing your diapers and you can go from there. Sound good? Okay, here we go!

The basics of washing

1. Do NOT use a wet pail, essentially a bucket full of water. This is something of the past. And not only is it a drowning hazard for young children but it could also lead to a case of the "stinkies" or mildew. YUCK! Today most people use a diaper pail with a liner inside of it or a hanging wet bag.
1. Choose a detergent that is free of enzymes, dyes, and fragrances.  In last weeks post I shared my recipe for homemade detergent with you.  But if that is not your thing you can check out this chart for a list of safe detergents.
2. Look at what type of washer your have. HE (High Efficiency  or a regular washer and even if it's a top loader of front loader.  These matter because what settings you use or how you wash will depend on these.

A basic Routine

In last week when I shared my recipe for homemade detergent I also shared two different washing routines that I use depending on the amount of time I have and how many diapers there are (we only CD part time). 

But here is a basic wash routine that most people use:

1. On wash day throw all of your diapers and pail liner or wet bag into the washer
2. Do a rinse cycle on cold with no detergent. (If you use hot water you might cause stains to form from any residue.
3. Do a full wash cycle on HOT with about 1/4- 1/2 the amount of the recommended detergent.
4. Do a second RINSE cycle to ensure all of the detergent is rinsed out.
5. Shells and covers should be line dried in order to keep the waterproof material effective but every things else can be thrown in the drier.

This is pretty much the same routine that I follow BUT I only use 2 Tablespoons of my homemade detergent and sometimes skip the pre-rinse or the final rinse. 

And Remember everyone's wash routines are different and what works for me not work for you and vice versa.  You will just have to experiment to find out what works for you and your washer. 

Homemade Cloth Diaper detergent

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Almost every brand of cloth diapers has their own special detergent that they want you to use on their diapers. But unless you have a CD store in your area you will more than likely have to order it online.  And if  you're like me and don't have a credit or debit card then you are kind of in a tough spot.

That is why I decided to do a little research on homemade detergent and came across a lot of information.  With most of the detergents containing 3 similar ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, and Oxiclean. So I just took that information, went to my local Wal*Mart and was able to find all the ingredients there. I then went home and got to work.

My CD detergent Recipe:

• 2 Cup Washing Soda
• 2 Cup Borax
• 1 Cup Sun Oxygen (similar to Oxiclean just cheaper)

The process to making this was simple.  I me`asured out and mixed all 3 ingredients together in my plastic container and it was done.  But I went a step further and transferred some of it into a Mason Jar just because it is easier to store on my washer.  Use 2 Tablespoons per load

Washing Method #1

Rinse/Spin cycle on cold with no detergent, Full wash cycle on hot with 2 TBSP detergent, Rinse/Spin cycle on cold with no detergent.  I then hang dry the covers and Pocket diapers and throw the FSTs, inserts, and perfolds into the dryer on medium/low heat for 30-45 minutes.

I've gotten lazy though and now use this method:

Washing Method #2

Full wash cycle on Cold with 2 TBSP detergent and then throw everything into the dryer on Medium/low heat for 30-45 minutes.

There are those weeks though where I go a little longer between washes, like last week, and when that happens I end up doing method #1 and sometimes add 1 or 2 extra rinses at the end.