Day SEVEN of the Second Annual Flats and Hand Washing 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! 

Sunday- THE END!

This week has been an interesting week. I have been using flat diapers and hand washing them for an entire seven days. In addition to using the flats and hand washing I also blogged about it every day. You can read about my week by clicking on each of the days below:

Monday- Why I am taking the challenge
Tuesday- Supplies
Wednesday- Favorite way to use flats
Thursday- How am I doing/My thoughts on hand washing
Friday- Ten things I have learned so far
Saturday- Challenge to do more 

Completing this challenge has given me more knowledge about using cloth and taught me ways of diapering that I hadn't tried before. I feel able to sit down with some one and help them trouble shoot to come up with a solution that would allow them to be able to use cloth. Even using cloth diapers part time has the potential to cut the cost of diapering in half.

This is one of the towels we found at Goodwill

The cover we found at Goodwill....found out the hard way that it is not waterproof

One of the most difficult challenges for me this week has been traveling with the flats and washing them in a hotel bathroom. They haven't been drying well and I believe that I will have to iron them tonight to speed the drying process so we can pack to leave first thing in the morning. The challenge ends tonight and I can see Walmart from the window of the hotel room...but guess what...I am still going to be using the flats that we brought with us...even traveling home tomorrow.

Day SIX 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!

Saturday- Challenge to do more.....

Hand Washing in a Hotel bathroom

Throughout this week I have been constantly thinking how using flats would have fit into my life when my daughter was a baby. Would it have been practical for me to use flats and hand wash them? Back on Day ONE of this challenge I blogged about why I chose to do this challenge and shared that I was a teen parent and struggled at times to diaper my baby. Now, almost 16 years later, I am in a very different position financially and I am able to afford more things than I could back then. Looking back at my past experiences gives me a different perspective on this challenge. Each purchase caused me to think how the same thing could have been accomplished if I were still living below the poverty line.

Goodwill diapering finds

There are many reasons why a person with limited income can use flat diapers. I also see some challenges that would need to be addressed. I am fortunate to live in the suburbs of Chicago. There are three or four cloth diaper stores and two Ikea stores within an hour of my house. I also have the ability to get to these stores in my car or by public transit.  A person living in a rural area or some one with limited access to transportation would have a harder time being able to get all of the supplies needed. Obtaining covers for a smaller baby would probably be the most challenging. Stores like Walmart and Target only carry rubber pants in 18 month size and bigger. Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby do carry rubber pants in infant sizes but those two stores are not as wide spread. Many parents that choose to cloth diaper their babies are able to turn to the internet to be able to order covers. But what if you don't have internet? What if you don't have a credit card? Or no address to have something shipped to? How can a person obtain covers to use over flats in these situations?

I love the idea of raising awareness about cloth diapering. I love the idea of diapering for little to no money. I like the idea of educating lower income parents about cloth diapers and offering them alternatives to disposables. I love the idea of babies being in fresh diapers when they need them and not being left in dirty disposable diapers because diapers are so expensive. My challenge to any one reading this is to think outside of your comfort zone and try to put your self in the place of some one that is struggling to survive. Is there a non-profit agency that works with young mothers near you? Would you be willing to teach other mothers how to use flat diapers? Is there a way you can step up and work on putting together a program that helps supply the diapering and washing supplies needed to parents that don't have the internet access you do?

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.

Day FOUR 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!  

Thursday-How I’m Doing- My Thoughts on Handwashing

Hmmmm...How am I doing with this challenge so far? Starting on May 1st gave me a little practice and a chance to work out all the kinks before the actual week long challenge started. Truthfully, I have a new love of flat diapers and plan on using them for the next couple of months until my little guy potty trains. Also, if we have any more babies, we will be using flats from the beginning! Once I learned how to do the fold before putting it on the baby actually using the diapers is pretty easy. The hand washing and drying with no dryer has proven to be the most challenging.

Earlier this week I shared the picture of my 18 gallon tote that I use to wash in place of the 5 gallon bucket. Switching to the tote has been the number one lesson learned in washing the flats. I wash every other day and because I used two flats with each diaper change that work out to be 18 diapers per wash load. Using the larger tote gives the flats and covers more room to agitate which helps gets them cleaner and allows for more water to rinse.

Another tough lesson learned was to avoid using too much detergent. Through trial and error I learned to stick to about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half. If I used any more than that I was having to do at least five rinses before the detergent was completely out. 

Wringing the wet flats is the most painful for me and I have the blisters to prove it.

Honestly though, the most challenging part of hand washing the diapers for me has been finding a good way to hang them up to dry. We live in a third floor attic apartment with very little space. The following series of pictures chronicles my attempts at finding the best solution for my situation:

The first rack didn't work well for us because it took up almost all of the floor space in the living room and only held 9 or 10 diapers.

The first drying rack we tried, my 5ft 9 in teenage daughter is standing next to it for size comparison.

Then I got creative with some Command hooks, some clothes pins and the header across our living room.

This didn't work because the diapers were not spread out enough to dry and ended up dripping all over our living room.

After the first two attempts at drying in the house after washing at night, I switched to washing first thing in the morning and hanging them outside on the line that my husband strung up between buildings. 

Drying on the line outside my house.

Finally we ended up with this $10 drying rack from Ikea that folds up flat when not in use and is able to hold two days worth of diapers. This is my favorite way to dry because I can put the diapers on it in the house, fold up the sides and carry the loaded rack outside and put it in the sun. This is the best solution during the weekdays for me because I don't have any one to stay in the house to watch the two year old while I hang the diapers up. I can also move the rack as the sun moves so the diapers get the best sun all day.

When the challenge is over, I may go back to washing in the machines either at my in-law's house or the laundry mat but now that I have the drying rack I will probably continue to use it to dry the diapers.

 

Day THREE 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! 

 Wednesday-Favorite Way To Use Flats

 (A short and sweet post after a very busy day!)

Swaddlebees Flat Diaper from this morning

 My favorite way to use flats as diapers is to use the Happy Anteater fold with a second flat inside pad folded with a PUL cover (not pictured)

My 15 year old daughter's favorite way to use a flat is pad folded in a pocket.

My husband's favorite way to use a flat is to avoid it at all costs.

Finally, my two year old's favorite way to use a flat is to take all of the freshly hand washed, line dried and folded flats out of the storage container. Then he makes a nest out of them, climbs into the nest and pretends to sleep with fake snores. (Next time I will try to take a picture!)

 So, far this challenge seems to be more challenging to the rest of my family than to me. I don't mind washing by hand and I have found that I really like the flat diapers. I keep wondering why I didn't try them sooner!

Day TWO 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! 

Tuesday: Supplies....also happens to be a diaper washing day for me

A few weeks ago I posted the list of materials that I planned on using for the challenge here. Instead of re-listing everything today, I plan on updating on how everything is working. The items I chose to use are simply MY choice and what works best for ME. One of the BEST things about using flats is that they are simply a single layer of fabric cut into a square, the options for what can be diapers is endless.

1 five gallon bucket with lid for a camp style washer: The bucket and lid work fine if you are washing 6-8 flat diapers and a few covers at one time. When diapering my son I use two flats at a time so in order to keep to only washing so few diapers at a time I would have to wash twice a day or do multiple loads in the bucket in a day. Neither of those options were practical for my busy lifestyle so I decided to keep the basic method of washing with the bucket but I replaced the 5 gallon bucket with an 18 gallon storage tote that I already had at home.

This is the 18 gallon tote that I use to wash diapers.

 Diaper covers: 1 Bummis Super Snap Diaper cover (Rockets),1 Blueberry Coveralls (Dinos with snaps), 1 Thirsties Duowrap (Hoot with snaps) and some covers I had at home already including Weehuggers, Thirsties and Bummis. I ended up packing up most of the covers I had at home already. The Weehuggers covers have too much fabric to be efficient for hand washing and take WAY too long to dry. The hook and loop (aka Velcro) on my older Thirsties covers was starting to wear and my son could easily take them off. The only cover I kept out that I had already had was the Bummis one with frogs on it. For night time, I purchased some waterproof training pants from Babies R Us as well as some from Buy Buy Baby and found that I prefer the ones from Buy Buy Baby because they have nylon in them and they fit better.

Wet bags for soiled diapers : I did not purchase any new wetbags because I already had too many on hand. I have found however that most of my wetbags are an absolute NIGHTMARE to wash and dry without machines. I have two from Bummis that are only one waterproof layer, they are easy to wash by hand and dry on the line. The rest of my wet bags are a layer of waterproof material inside a layer of fabric and I am not going to use them during this challenge.

Flat diapers : 12 Vandring Burp Cloths from Ikea, 6 Swaddlebees Flats, 12 Osocozy Flats and 4 Rumpeeze hemp flats. I have found that the Osocozy flats are slightly smaller than the others that I have and while they absorb and hold about the same amount, their size makes it hard to get the diaper on a squirmy 2 year old. The Osocozys do work GREAT as doublers though. I use the Rumpeeze exclusively at night time with the rubber training pants over them and have not had a single nighttime leak in the last three weeks.

Fasteners: I have both diaper pins and this little device called a Snappi. I prefer the Snappi over the pins because it is faster and easier. I have used pins here and there but every time I do my son screams his head off like I stabbed him (no way did I ever come CLOSE to him with the tip of that pin!)

The yellow Y shaped thing holding the diaper closed is a Snappi.

 

 

 A place to hang diapers to dry is the final "thing" you need. Here is my parting teaser! I will cover the challenges I had drying the diapers in a future post :)

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