The many uses of coconut oil

I have used coconut oil on my face, body and hair as a moisturizer for a while now.  There's many other uses for it, but that's for another blog post.  For anyone who doesn't know, coconut oil comes in a glass jar and can be found in the cooking isle.  It is in a solid state as long as the temperature is cooler than 76 degrees.  Once it gets warmer than that, it melts into a liquid.

I use the oil on her skin as a moisturizer.  Her pediatrician even made a comment the first time she saw Addison.   She said she had never seen such beautiful skin on a newborn.  The best part about using the oil on your skin is it's not greasy and a little bit goes a very long way.  Not to mention it smells great too!

One Friday night we had to run some errands and same for the next morning.  I'm not sure which day it happened (my guess would be Saturday) but she got a tiny bit of diaper rash from sitting in a dirty diaper for too long.  Keep in mind we are using cloth diapers, not disposable.  Immediately after I saw the diaper rash I applied some coconut oil to her bottom and by the end of the night, the rash was gone!  I had read about coconut oil being great for diaper rash, but I could hardly believe how fast it cleared it up.  Now I just apply a very light layer of coconut oil every time I change her diaper.  Not only does it make clean ups a breeze, it seems to help the cloth wipe glide over her skin better.  After looking at other natural products for treating diaper rash, it makes sense to see 98% of them contain coconut oil. It is antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial.  It is also a safe alternative to use for diaper rash if you use cloth diapers.

I noticed on the inside of her right thigh a tiny red mark.  Initially it looked like it was just a mark left from her diaper maybe being too tight.  Every day we have about an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon with no diaper.  After all of this free time without a diaper, the marks were still there.  I decided to try a little coconut oil on it.  After about 4 applications, the red marks had faded to a pinkish color.  By the next day, the marks were completely gone and have never come back.

Addison also seemed to be getting a case of cradle cap. I started putting coconut oil on her head and it soon disappeared. Her cradle cap never got crusty and yellow.  It pretty much just looked like flaky, scaly skin.  After about a week and a half to two weeks of use and lightly brushing her scalp in a circular motion, the cradle cap was gone and beautiful peach fuzz was left on her head where her hair had previously fallen out.

Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag Review

I don't have any other experience with any other diaper bag, but I felt I should do a review of my diaper bag since I am so pleased.  I just figure if anyone is on the fence, it might help them to decide if they want one or not. I have a Petunia Pickle Bottom shoulder bag.  I chose this bag because I know how messy I can be and it has a glazed fabric (PVC free wipe-able material) on the outside, so it can easily be wiped clean.  I also liked the built in changing table station and it's great because the pad is removable.  Another nice feature is all of the pockets.  There is even a zipper pocket in the strap for your keys.   For me the bag is the perfect size.  It's not too big or small and fits everything I need on the go.

I am absolutely in love with this diaper bag and always get compliments on it!

Planet Wise Wet Bag & Diaper Pail Liner Reviews

 As promised from a previous post, here is my review for the Planet Wise wet bag.  I initially purchased a small wet bag for my diaper bag.  Within days of the birth of my daughter we were able to try it out.  She is exclusively breastfed, so her poo is watery and only has a faint odor.  After several outings and using the wet bag, I couldn't be more pleased with the performance.  I have put dirty wet and soiled diapers in the bag for extended periods of time and it doesn't smell at all.  Her diapers are wet, but not dripping with water, so I do not know the full extent of its leak protection.  I must be honest though.  When I first bought it, I poured a cup of water in it, zipped it up and shook it around with no leaks.  I'm pretty sure it will hold up to leaks if I ever need it to.  I like it so much I ended up buying a medium bag for upstairs (Pack and Play with a changing table in the living room) and a diaper pail liner for the nursery.  The diaper pail liner is elastic at the top and it stays wide open and uncovered with no issues of any odors.  The medium bag I keep zipped up halfway, but I used to keep it completely unzipped and had no issues with odor at all.  I now have to keep it zipped halfway to keep our Golden Retriever out of it.  I found out the hard way he likes to eat the soiled diapers and he will pull every single one out of the bag.  Once the soiled diapers are out of the bag, my little Chihuahua likes to roll around in them.  Yes, we have an interesting household.  No, it has nothing to do with the performance review of the wet bags, but I thought I'd give a fair warning to anyone that has dogs.  I can happen & it's pretty gross.  It's also not fun following a dog around after every time he poops to make sure all of the diaper has come out.  Of course, the first time my Chihuahua decided to roll around in dirty diapers, she pulled the soiled diaper out herself and proceeded to carry it to the middle of the living room and roll in it...... while I had company!  It was cute and funny watching her roll around and play with it.  That is until my guest asked what that was and I realized it was a dirty diaper!  Sick, sick dogs I tell ya!