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Sara's Blog
Description:
My name is Sara, owner of Snugfits

May 08
2008

Natural Stain Removal for Baby Clothes

Posted by Sara in parentingnatural livingautism

As the parent of a newborn baby, its natural to feel apprehensive about all the chemicals contained in laundry detergents and stain removers these days. You've got good reason to be worried. Those chemicals can cause bad rashes and skin irritations on your little one's sensitive skin. It seems like every other week there's another warning about the harmful chemicals in baby items. The focus here is on laundry, something I'm terribly familiar with as the mother of two boys, aged 4 and 2. My oldest, Gavin, was diagnosed with Autism at 13 months old. It was a life changing wake up call to my family that we needed to pay better attention to what chemicals surround our children everyday. Some kids' bodies are better than others at flushing out the toxins and chemicals that are presented every day through plastics, detergents, preservatives, artificial coloring, fragrances, etc. We can reduce and eliminate some of these perils cheaply and easily just by doing a little homework.

One thing that a lot of moms don't consider is that nifty little stain remover they just dab on the onesie before a wash. It sure is handy, isn't it? Well, think about it for a minute. If you're taking every precaution with your child's health, e.g. using BPA-free bottles, natural detergent and organic food, why would you put something on your baby clothes that is nothing more than an ultra concentrated form of the same toxins you are trying to avoid? Petroleum-based detergents used in pre-wash stain removers can be acutely harmful to babies. Babies can be afflicted with an allergic reaction of the skin, lungs, sinuses, and eyes. Solvents in some pre-wash stain removers cause brain damage at high doses, and have been linked to infertility and miscarriages.

So, how can you get those stains out without compromising your baby's health? As the owner of Snugfits™, an online baby clothing boutique, and 2 messy little boys (with one on the way!), I live and breathe baby clothes. These 2 rambunctious rough housers love playing in the back yard, which provides me with plenty of practice taking out the grass and mud stains they acquire daily. I've got some solutions for you, none of which require too much elbow grease.

- Always treat the stain as soon as possible. The longer it sits, the harder it is to get out.

- For a fresh stain, run cold water over it and try to work it out right away. Sometimes this is all you need to do.

- For more stubborn stains, soak it in milk overnight, then wash as usual the next day. This works well on a lot of stains including chocolate, ink, and blood.

- For oil/greasy stains, rub corn flour into it and let it pull out the oil for about 20 minutes. It works great. It has been said that you can hasten the process by putting a paper towel over and under the corn floured stain and ironing it. I've never tried that method because I've always believed that heat makes a stain set into the fabric. I never wash stained clothes in hot water, either.

- Really tough stains might need the old fashioned vinegar/baking soda trick. Just make a thick paste in a small bowl out of vinegar and baking soda and work it into the onesie or baby shirt with an old tooth brush.

- Let the baby clothes sit in the (full) washer for an hour or so before running the cycle. Newer washers have an option to let you do this. If you have an older washer, leave the lid open until it's had a good soak. I think this is a good practice on all laundry loads, not just stained baby clothes.

- When I do break down and use a soap on a stain, I use a natural dish liquid. Just rub some of it onto the stain with an old toothbrush and let it soak in the water.

- Don't ever dry the clothes with the stains until the stain has been eliminated. Once it goes through a hot dryer, it may never come out.

- Another good piece of advice for taking care of baby clothes is to add a half cup of white distilled vinegar to each load during the rinse cycle. The clothes come out fresher because the vinegar breaks down the alkaline and soapy residue, allowing them to be rinsed completely.

One final note on keeping baby clothes non-toxic is to consider washing them separately from your own, especially if you work in an industry where your clothes may be contaminated. Chemists, lab techs, mechanics, and painters are all exposed to chemicals that can harm a sensitive baby. Carpenters working with treated (arsenic) wood should be especially cautious about keeping their clothes apart from baby's. Think about the toxins that might be in your clothes and consider washing them in a separate load.

Take care of those baby clothes! You might be using them again (and again!)

























Feb 12
2008

Vote for us on T-Shirt Countdown

Posted by Sara in t-shirtscontest
I have entered one of our baby tee shirt designs into a "mini contest" of sorts. I chose our "Mine!" design for the entry. So far, we've gotten a fair amount of clicks out - but not many votes. I am hoping that some of you might be willing to help us out! If you've got an extra minute or two on your hands (which I realize is few and far between if you are a parent), just click the banner below to be taken to the voting page. Thank you so much for your support!



Feb 06
2008

Hello World

Posted by Sara in snugfitspregnancyparentingchildrenblogautism
Welcome to our blog! We have just launched our new website for Snugfits™ and could not be more excited about it! After all of our hard work - we finally have something to show for it. We worked for years perfecting our product and now we get to share it with the world instead of just our town. Not to say that we don't appreciate our loyal local customers, because we do... very much. They have given us the confidence to take our business to the next level.

Both my husband and I are also looking forward to the new challenge of blogging. That is, coming up with topics to "blog" about without putting people to sleep! Hopefully we will appeal to parents out there like us, with similar interests and tastes. We both have somewhat different (yet, complimentary) approaches to life, so that should make it interesting. We are planing to talk about just about anything of interest to us. Raising children, pregnancy, cooking, leisure activities, graphic arts, running a home-based business - you name it.

I think I'll start off by telling you a little more about myself. Some things that are not mentioned on our "About Us" page - which I tried to keep more strictly related to the business of selling tees. My husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last August. I am the proud mother of two beautiful little boys. Gavin is my oldest son, who will turn 4 on March 11th. Garrett is my youngest son, who will turn 2 on May 2nd. I am also pregnant with my third child, who is due on August 7th... which is also our anniversary. However, since fewer than 10% of births actually occur on the due date, it will most likely be some other day. But, it's special anyhow. We do not know the sex yet - and we will definitely be finding out, just as we did with the other two. Kind of hoping for a girl - but I love my boys and one more would be just grand. They tell me that this time around I am considered "high risk" for my "advanced age" - which is 37, turing 38 on March 6th. A tad bit depressing! I've always considered 30 something to be fairly young... Also, my husband is approximately 8 years my junior, so he's always kept me youthful in spirit.

Our son Gavin was diagnosed with a developmental delay at 13 months old. He was subsequently diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old. Raising a child with Autism is both trying and rewarding at the same time. Gavin is truly a dear soul underneath all of the difficulties we face daily with his communication and seemingly odd behavior. Parenting any child can be a tough job, though... for sure. We are just starting to experience what it's like to have an authentic "terrible two year old" with Garrett. It will be fun discussing our parenting strategies - unsuccessful more often than not - with all of you! And in return, we hope to gain valuable insight from you on raising children of all abilities.

My goals for the future stretch across several aspects of my life. I hope to expand on the Snugfits™ line, adding designs for older children, pregnant moms and parents. I'd also love to offer my designs that are specifically geared for children with Autism. Although I've had success selling my designs in these areas locally, being able to afford the inventory needed to offer the same color choices that I do for my baby line will take time. On a personal front, I am working towards being able to home school all of my children once they reach elementary school age. It will take a lot of research, planning and networking in order for me to step into that world confidently. I look forward to sharing my life's journey with all of you.

I thank you for taking the time to read this. And, for visiting our store. If you have any questions, comments, constructive criticism or advice - please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!









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