Day ONE of 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! 

Monday- “ Why I’m Taking the Challenge”

Today is the first day of the actual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. I have actually been using mostly flats for 21 days now and have been able to master using an origami fold and have discovered that one flat diaper is not enough for my super wetter. I have also faced the challenge of coming up with a solution to drying diapers with limited space in the house. 

You may be asking yourself why a busy mom with  a teenager and a two year old would willingly give up her easy to use pocket diapers and limit herself to only using flats? Also, is she really crazy enough to hand wash for an entire week? 

The answer to the second question is yes, I am crazy enough to hand wash diapers for an entire week. This part of the challenge is actually easier for me than learning how to use the flats. I do not have a washer and dryer in my apartment. The ability to stay home to wash diapers instead of lugging the heavy tote down three flights of stairs with a two year old in tow in order to drive up to the in-law's house is a wonderful thing.

The answer to the first question is a little more involved. Firstly, I am choosing to do this challenge in the hopes of bringing awareness to cloth diapering. I would love for others to learn that using cloth diapers is not that hard to do and it doesn't have to cost that much money. It is also very possible to cloth diaper your baby if you do not have access to laundry facilities. 

Secondly, my own personal history plays a large part in why I am doing this challenge. I was 16 years old when my daughter was born. I started off using cloth diapers on her but stopped when my mom stopped paying for the diaper service. I had to figure out ways to buy disposable diapers myself. I was able to get some help from a local non-profit that would give you diapers for your baby if you sat through their parenting classes but that was only available until she turned a year old. Her dad did have a job but his income barely covered the expenses of paying the bills, putting gas in the car and buying food. When she was a year old I went back to high school full time in addition to working part time jobs here and there. We were constantly hovering around the poverty line and it was a real struggle to buy the diapers. Thousands of dollars could have been saved if I had known how to use flat diapers back then.

The challenge continues!

Pictures from this morning:

Swaddlebees Flat origami folded with a Osocozy flat pad folded and closed with a Snappi

Bummis Super Snap Rocket cover over the flats listed above