Homemade Diaper Cream and Spray!

Have you ever considered using a diaper spray? Having a spray bottle ready when you're diaper changing helps loosen what's dried on the baby's bottom and cleanse their skin.

For cloth wipe users like myself, it's essential to have something to moisten the cloth wipes. However, even when I've used disposable wipes in the past, I like to clean my baby and then spray the solution on her bottom and wipe her clean again. This ensures she's 1) clean and 2) helps us to avoid rashes caused by ammonia buildup from urine or bacteria from solids.

My diaper changing routine is basically 3 steps, I can say that since I've implemented it we have not had any bad diaper rashes (except for when my kids have suffered diarrhea - changing that often makes babies prone to raw skin on their bottoms).

Step 1) Spray and wipe, spray and wipe. Two times is sufficient, sometimes 3 with toddlers. I don't want my child's bottom to just be 'visibly' clean. I want them clean- most of us use water in the bathroom so it makes sense that I would ensure they're just as clean.

Step 2) Wipe dry, air dry if possible. This isn't always an option when we're out and about but I always have 2 cloth wipes on hand when we are so that I can clean and dry their skin. If you use disposables, perhaps carry around a pack of tissues to blot them dry. Moist skin trapped in a diaper is one of the leading causes for yeast rash.

Step 3) I ALWAYS use a barrier on my baby. Unfortunately a lot of diaper creams are not suitable for cloth use, so we have had to resort to disposables during sickness so I can use Sudocreme. That all changed when I found out how to create my OWN easy diaper cream!

I've used products that I know you can get in the KSA!

Homemade Diaper Spray:
What you will need:

• 1 Small Spray bottle
• 1 tsp of coconut oil. We used Nirmal which we found at LuLu Hypermarkets. White bottle. 18 Sar.
• 5-10 drops of tea tree oil (depending on the strength) we used one from the Body Shop. 20ml costs 58 Sar, a bit pricey- but well worth it considering you're not paying shipping. 
• 60 ml of boiled water, lukewarm OR distilled water at room temperature. 
• Some people use an all natural soap, a couple of drops. I have never found that I needed a detergent to clean my baby's skin. I don't like the idea of having it sit on their skin for long periods of time. A great option is castille soap, if you choose to add it.
• 2 Tsp Raw Organic honey, no wax. My father in law is a beekeeper mashallah, so I get it for free. Find the best quality you can. 

Add the room temperature honey and water to your spray bottle. Add the coconut oil and tea tree oil. Shake vigorously. 

Honey, Tea tree, and coconut oil all have anti bacterial and anti microbial properties. Honey never goes bad. All of the ingredients will help decrease changes that your baby will develop a rash while moisturizing her skin.

Homemade Barrier Cream/ Diaper Cream:

What you will need:

• 1 Pump bottle
• 60ish ml of coconut oil, melted.
• 20 drops of tea tree oil 
• Bee's wax and Honey- approximately 2 tbs melted. 
• 1 tbs cornstarch (I use a no talc baby powder that uses cornstarch)

In the microwave heat the honey and wax together for 20 seconds, until melted completely. Run it through some mesh and add it to 60 ml of Coconut oil. Add 20 drops of Tea Tree oil. Heat again for 15 seconds. Shake the bottle very well for 2 minutes. The ingredients will emulsify. While the mixture is still warm I add the baby powder/ cornstarch. Mix until it is completely dissolved into the cream. You will notice the cream will become slightly thicker. 

When this barrier cream goes on it will heal the skin and moisturize, while also creating an effective barrier on the baby's skin. It dries to a satin finish on the baby's skin eventually. The mixture is never sticky and smells a lot of honey and coconut. 

31 Week Pregnancy Update

This week passed quickly! We had a wonderful Eid, Eid Mubarak. We hope you did, too!

This week has been a bit of a downhill spiral in terms of how I feel. I was feeling excellent for the last month or so, but this week was hard. I don't know if it was the change in schedule, the delicious Eid foods, lack of sleep or what? I feel so tired.

Aside from feeling really tired, I have been experiencing some night-time restlessness, lots of braxton hicks contractions and leg cramps. My back hurts, too. At this size, this far into the pregnancy, I guess it makes some sense that I'm not feeling spry.

This will be a relatively shorter post, because while things are going to start happening rapidly, they're pretty slow right now. Eid took up the whole week, I didn't manage to buy anything or get anything ready.

While we were in Al Baha, we went into our storage room and dug through all of our boxes for baby stuff. I didn't come out with a lot for a newborn. I found my old baby carrier, the 'big baby' car seat (a convertible car seat not made for infants), a high chair (reliable ol' ikea), an umbrella stroller we use for travel (Chicco, 50$ at Walmart in Canada). D2's coming home outfit was an emotional find, we have decided to use it again for D3.

It's always a good idea for moms to check what they have saved from other babies, you'd be surprised how good the condition of baby items can be. They've only been used a short time, a lot of the time we don't actually need to repurchase anything. I found a lot of 3-6 month clothing that has gone through 4 girls in the family, and will be used for D3! The best way to save money is to stay on top of what you have and make lists. I have a new list, and I feel good about how little is actually on there!

If this is your first child, consider buying second hand or asking friends and relatives if they have anything left over. It doesn't matter how much money you have, it's great for the environment to reuse items. It's even better for your wallet. Plus, there is something special about used items with a personal history. I have a little dress that I remember my friend Suzie's small babies in, and then D1 and D2. I look forward to seeing D3 in it.

On the note of reusing items and fighting the urge to have 'all new' stuff for your baby, when it does come to things that you have to buy new, buy the best quality you can afford. As you will see in some up-coming reviews I have planned, I have purchased some nice items that I hope will last me at least another baby or two! (Inshallah). If I don't have another baby for some reason, it would be an item I'm proud to pass on to someone I care about.

What am I doing now?
I am still taking the dates, waiting for my Red Raspberry Leaf extract, Evening primrose pills.

What have I got this far?
I'm expecting a bit in the mail as well as a newborn shop this coming week! Check in next week for a summary of those items!

Dates, EVP, RRL, FG- Nature's gifts to Women Part 1

Dates, Evening Primrose Oil, and Raspberry Leaf extract, and Fenugreek- Nature's gifts to Women

My first daughter (D1) was as cozy as a baby could be. At nearly 42 weeks, I was worried that my body wasn't going to go into labour spontaneously. I was feeling heavier and more anxious by the day. Her vitals were perfect, and everything seemed alright as far as our planned home birth in Canada was going to go.

At 39 weeks I did a membrane sweep, this didn't do much other than cause bleeding and cramping. My midwife told me that first time mothers usually take a bit longer on average and not to worry. I was taking long walks and trying my best to find anything online that would help bring D1 to the world.

At 40 weeks, a sense of doubt crept over me. I was at my due date and there was no sign of D1. The pregnancy had been yet another long waiting game in my life, and I was so excited to meet my baby that I could barely sleep. My husband had just come back from Saudi Arabia. We both thought she'd make her appearance sooner, frantically booking tickets and rushing him home to me. My Grandparents on the coast came all the way to see us, hoping the baby would come while they were there, and alas, she stayed in and they went back to Newfoundland.

I consider myself a patient woman. I lived away from my husband for 5 years. I know that if Allah is making me wait, that means he's giving me the time to wait (I was alive and well, after all). Patience was the least I could give considering everything I've always wanted I've been blessed with, never denied. Patience as always been the test. My marriage, my business, my babies. Always taking their sweet time. D1 was no exception, but she was by far my most testing wait.

See, I was barely 21 by then and while I spent months doing research, I didn't know my options. Everyone has their ways of bringing on labour, from pineapple to jumping (Yeah, seriously. On a trampoline). I had tried a lot of the safer methods but by 41 weeks I had almost given up.

Long story short, due to my daughter's size (5ish kilos) and her positioning I ended up going into labour 2 weeks late at home. It was 4 am and I had barely slept 3 hours. The night before my husband and I had an 8 hour adventure, chinese food, and gone to bed. I couldn't tell if the early labour contractions were cramps from the chinese food or actual labour.

I waited anxiously as my husband slept. I called the midwife that afternoon, having thought that I surely waited long enough. She checked me and frowned, "You're still at the beginning. Call me in 8 hours or when the contractions pick up."

I laboured for 41 hours. I went to the hospital towards the end, relinquished my dreams of a natural homebirth and had an epidural because I hadn't eaten or slept in days. After an hour nap, I had D1.

Now, by the time D2 came around (in Saudi Arabia), I was 37 weeks but very sick. I had been dealing with erratic blood pressure readings, inflammation in the gallbladder due to hormones (ouch), extreme headaches that took my vision temporarily. Being that ill wasn't my preferred way of inducing labour. By 38 Weeks, I went in to be induced to stop the onset of Preeclampsia and found out I had gone into labour on my own! 18 hours later, almost half the time of my last labour, she arrived.

So far I am clear of the minor and major complications I had with D1 and D2. Still, I wanted to find a way I could induce labour naturally or at least help myself along. I took to the internet and found a lot of information. I feel like I have spent the majority of this pregnancy coming to terms with my past experiences and doing research on how to prevent bad outcomes. In the end, we know it's not up to us. However, I'm a firm believer that trying helps me. It will help me accept whatever happens with D3, it is a way of having a hand in my fate and doing the best I can to get what I want.

So, in my research I found the safest and most tried and true aids for pregnant women. I found the science to back it up, and I feel pretty good about what I read. With things like 'Castor Oil' and other really intense remedies, you can cause yourself a lot of discomfort (or even run the risk of a bad birth outcome). What I've chosen to do has very little to no risk, and I'm excited to try it out and document my experience.

When I get the items I ordered off of a popular health and wellness site (I'll get back to them, later), I will do a review. We spent approximately 180 SAR on the items and the shipping, which isn't bad because I could not find these products in Saudi Arabia. I looked at UAE based health and wellness sites as well and the prices were majorly inflated.

The purpose of this blog is to help you. I want to find things at the best of my ability, give you the down low about what's good and find the best price. I want to document and honestly review what I have tried so you don't make the same mistakes as I did, and I want to share my major successes.

 Being assertive can help us physically, but it can also help us mentally. I know that even in my hardest labour I did everything I could do to help. I also know that you can't avoid trauma or bad scenarios. The way I have been able to cope with the different experiences I've had is that I have been assertive and educated myself. Your brain is your greatest asset when it comes to childbirth.

Hello and Welcome!

Salam!

This is my first post, so I thought I'd introduce myself and what I'm all about.

My name is B.C and I'm a Canadian woman living in Saudi Arabia with my Saudi husband and 2 adorable daughters. I am about 30 weeks along with my 3rd daughter inshallah.

I'm passionate about natural living, which poses as a challenge here in Saudi Arabia because the availability of sustainable products is rare. I want to change that and show people how I've managed to save money and look after my girls for the past 6 years in the Middle East!

I love reviewing products and talking about ways that I make my life easier.

I'm reaching out to lovely moms everywhere in the Middle East so we can share and connect.

I hope that my experience here can help new moms or newcomers to Saudi Arabia get comfortable and find the best quality items for their children. I want to bridge the gap and offer all I have to help you feel a little less stressed and overwhelmed. Being a mom is hard, but it's so rewarding. If we work together we can achieve so much, motherhood is a sisterhood and I believe the key to surviving it is having friends.

I have a youtube channel and a facebook group, I'll be starting an instagram and a snapchat very soon.  I'll update you on all of that as we make this happen.

Here's to humble beginnings and great intentions.

Much love,
B.C at the Sandy Diaper.