Day FIVE of the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge

I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.  You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post.  This year there are over 450 participants from all over the world! 

Friday-TEN things I have learned so far

 

1. A flat diaper can be made out of just about anything because a flat diaper is simply a square of fabric. As I have been following other challenge participants on Facebook I have seen people use t-shirts, old sheets, receiving blankets, flower sack towels and the list goes on. Personally I have only used burp cloths from Ikea and actual flat diapers for this challenge but knowing what others have used may come in handy if I am ever stuck without a diaper for my son.

2. A Snappi is probably the best diaper innovation ever! Using a Snappi is so much easier than using pins when you have a wiggly two year old.

3. The good old "rubber" pants still work really well and in my experience leak less over night than the newer covers on the market.

Ready to get PJs on after a long day on the road...wearing hemp flats under a pair of rubber pants

4. Wet bags can be found in the camping section of some stores. We traveled for 15 hours today and the ONE thing I forgot to pack was a wet bag.

Dry Sack (Wet bag) we found at Gander Mountain

5. It IS possible to travel for long periods of time and still use flats...we stopped about every two to three hours on the road today.

6. If you are changing a tall and wiggly two year old in a public bathroom it is easier to use the floor to change them (as long as it is clean or you have a changing pad) than to try to get them to stay on the changing tables while you try to get the flat diaper folded.

7. Learning the diaper bag fold BEFORE you travel is probably a really good thing. I have only used the Happy Anteater (a variation of the Origami fold) and a pad fold. I had to fold diapers at every stop because I didn't prefold them before I left.

8. Flat diapers are easier to clean and dry than pocket diapers, all in ones and all in twos. I have struggled with finding the best washing routine for washing the non-flat diapers and have struggled with ammonia build up, finding the right amount of water to add to the HE machine and getting the thick inserts to dry in a decent time. Flat diapers do not require as much drying time and because they are only one layer of fabric so far they have been easier to wash and rinse

9. Diapers don't need to stay white. Cotton flat diapers are very easy to dye and dying them can be quite fun.

10. Using flats this week has helped me become more aware of diapering alternatives. I find myself thinking about how things can be done for less money, how other resources or materials can be used or how something can be made easier. I have learned that I can be a better advocate of cloth diapers because I know how it can be done using little or no money.