Flats and Handwashing Days 6 and 7

Days 5 and 6 combined- The Final Days of the Challenge by Dirty Diaper Laundry. The last days of having to handwash my flat diapers. Thank God!

Well yesterday we had a wedding to attend. Just my husband and I, so we left the kids with my mother in law. Normally, for sitters I just leave pockets out and ready to go. So I explained to MIL (mother in law) what to do with the flats and covers. I simply took several flats and padfolded them all and placed one into each cover that wasn't dirty. #3 has had some not so pleasant diapers the last few days, I think, thanks to some garlic bread from our favorite Italian restaurant. Little guys system can't quite handle it yet, I guess. I also took washcloths and placed one in each diaper to use for a liner, since #3 needed some stronger strength diaper rash cream. Since there were a few different cover brands, I just snapped them all up where they normally are snapped when they are on #3. MIL figured things out just fine and #3 survived the night without mommy. I gotta tell you, it was a welcome break and some much needed adult time. Starting the day with all clean diapers, I thankfully didn't have to worry about diaper laundry when we got home at 10:30, and to tell you the truth, with all the continued yucky diapers today, I have enjoyed today without doing any handwashing either.

This whole experience has been very eye opening. I very much so take advantage of the fact that I have a washer and dryer, I have looked at my water bills, and truly it costs me about $3-4 a month to wash my diapers. Many people pay that to wash 1 LOAD of laundry. I see where cloth would be a huge turnoff to someone who had to pay that. Handwashing would be one way to make things work, if you had to, but I honestly do not know if I could or even want to handwash if I could afford disposables. If I was paying $3 a load of laundry, it would cost me at least $21 a week to wash my families clothes and laundry. That would totally not be affordable. If that was the case, I would honestly get a portable washer, that I could hook up, I am guessing it would be in an apartment, inside my home. The initial cost can be spendy, at about $250-$500, but the payoff would be in leaps and bounds. Even if I got a higher grade Heier washer, it would pay for itself in 5-6 months. That to me would be totally worth the cost. But if this wasn't possible to do, I guess I would probably do a mix of disposable diapers and cloth. I don't know if I could honestly handwash diapers every day, unless I absolutely had to. Hopefully, my life will never come to that. Over all, I am so glad I took this Challenge. It opened my eyes to how half of the world diapers their babies and washes those diapers. To me, the women and men, who handwash out of need are the true ones to look up to. True determination to do the right thing by their children is nothing but admiral and I can only aspire to keep those thoughts close to my heart.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 5

Day 5- What Have We Learned So Far?

Day 5 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge Hosted by DirtyDiaperLaundry. Its been 5 days of using only flats and handwashing them. Its getting old. Using the flats isn't so bad, washing them by hand is.

 I have learned that I like just strictly padfolding. I love trifolding my prefolds, so why would it be any different with flats?! When its in a fancy fold, and #3 poops, there is so much more poop to get off the diaper, from every corner of the diaper, than just in 1 strip in the middle.
I have learned that using a plunger gets your diapers cleaner, but using the grapestomp method is easier.
I have learned that wringing out diapers is a big pain in the butt.
I have learned that I really REALLY appreciate my washer and dryer.
I have learned I am stronger than I think.
But most importantly, I have learned that as long as my child is in cloth, I am a happy mommy :)

About to grapestomp it with my feet :)

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 4

Day 4- Whatcha Think About Handwashing?
Day 4 Of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge by DirtyDiaperLaundry. Day 4 of NOT using my washer and dryer to wash my diapers and ONLY using Flats. The using flats isn't so bad, it's the handwashing that sucks! I have only washed twice, Day 2 and 3, and I will wash later today/tonight, but it' still tiring, Thankfully I have had a little helper. Its time consuming, my back gets sore, and its just tedious to make sure all the poop/pee/soap all gets out. And now since its been raining for 2 days, drying takes much much longer. I have found though, putting a fan aimed at the drying rack helps out with speeding things up! All I pray is that the rain stops soon so I can hang dry outside again!
Day 2s post I did a photo shoot of my handwashing fiasco. Day 3 was much the same, but today I may change it up a bit. I may try the grape stomp method. We will see if I am brave enough :)

On a side note, #3s rash, which I have self determined is Roseola, is going away. Thank goodness! Hopefully devil baby will go away once the rash is all healed. Ok he was only that bad for 2 days, now he is just back to being his feisty self.

Here he is today, totally uncooperative in letting me get a good photo of him in his flat. This is a receiving blanket I have been using, I like it just as much as my Osocozy flats!


I know this post, like most of them, are all over the place, I can never find a good flow, so I just go with what pops in my head, so bear with me! Another positive on all this, is that folding and putting away takes mere minutes now. I just padfold all my flats, and lay them by the couch along with my wipes and covers. No running them upstairs to put them away, no matching up diapers with inserts or folding prefolds all the same way. While I do enjoy that and love it and its my quiet time, it does eat up some time. By just folding the flats up in rectangles, and only a few at a time, makes it all way more fast and I am on with the rest of my day! Do I miss my other diapers and washing machine? Heck YES! Can I wait for this week to be over so I can become lazy again by just tossing the dirties in the machine? Oh I can't wait!!!! Am I finding MAJOR appreciation for modern technology? Oh Good Gracious that is a resounding YES YES YES!!!!!! So, While I am finding appreciation for people that HAVE to do this, whether it be cloth diapers only, or they have to do all their laundry this way, I have to say, after this week is over, I will never handwash again, unless I have to. Oh and next years Challenge :)

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3

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!  

Day 3- How Do You Use Your Flats?

When it comes to diapering for me, the more simple the better. 99% of the time, I have just padfolded. Basically, folding into a rectangle and laying it in the cover. #3 is so wiggly and on the move, I don't have time to do anything else! Plus, he has broken out in a rash, thinking Roseola, so he is super crabby, fussy, and feisty. I did manage to do a little fancier of a fold yesterday with him. I "think" its the angel wing fold.... but I could be wrong. I guess I will have to look that up! Poor kid. Look at that rash!


Now, I have to say, flats still aren't really my favorite, yes they are super versatile, and I am starting to like them more, especially just padfolding, they are a great supplement to my prefolds. I have also come to find out, that I really do like using flats for a night time diaper! I have mentioned before, I use 4 super old Fuzzibunz pocket diapers, that the PUL has completely worn off of, as nighttime fitteds. They are great because I can stuff them fat, or thin, and it doesn't matter, they work great. I can stuff with natural fibers, or microfiber, but it always has the fleece stay dry which we need at night for #3. I can also see us using these while camping, since we are getting a little pop up camper and all :-)


Now, on to today. Today was a craptastic sort of day. #3 was up the ENTIRE night last night! I am not even joking you. He woke up at 11pm, and I didn't get more than 5 minutes of sleep at a time until after 4am. It was horrible. He was awake, then he was crabby and awake, then he was inbetween awake and asleep and super crabby. Miserable I tell ya. So today was rough. At least he got a couple good naps in! We still stuck through it and rocked the flats, oh and did I mention, I watch my nephew and friends kids?! So I had 3 boys in flats today.. Thankfully, I don't have to wash that many diapers though! Phew! I'm just tired thinking about it! Today was also a rainy day, so hangdry inside on my drying rack took a lot longer than outside on the line. Twelve flats is NOT enough. I am going to try my hardest to stick it out with that many for the rest of the week, but I may use an old crib sheet and maybe get 2 or 3 more out of it to supplement, at least while I am washing and drying!

So, I am going to end here, I am tired and desperately need some sleep. Tomorrow is another day, and I think I am going to try something other than the plunger and bucket method.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2

                        


Day 2- So what am I using this week?!

1. 12 flats, 6 Osocozy flats, and 6 receiving blanket flats I was going to sell in a garage sale.
2. A few covers. This year there is no limit on the number, Last year I believe you could use 5, so that is what i am shooting for. I have 3 flip covers, my least expensive cover with flaps, so that is what I will be using the most. I will supplement with my other covers if I have to.
3. 1 upcycled wool cover for night time because its most breathable and keeps #3 the most dry at night.
4. 1, maybe 2, super old fuzzibunz pocket diapers that the PUL is completely gone off of. I use these any ways at night as a stay dry fitted stuffed with a flat or 2, depending on when  I get the washing done each day. I am betting I will wash in the mornings or early afternoons when the kids are down for a nap. 
5. A kitty litter pail I got from my mom to use as dirty diaper storage and how I will be washing diapers this week. I do still need to pick up a plunger tonight to make a camp style washer.
6. Rockin Green Hard Rock detergent. I normally use Tide Powder, but for the challenge I want something a little more gentle on my hands, and I have some leftover from when I used to use it. Good way to use a little more up right?!
7. Cloth wipes. I have several types of cloth wipes, and as I was using a 2 layer cotton one this morning, I thought how it would be easier to wash and get clean a single layer wipe than a 2 layer wipe. So for the rest of the challenge I will be using my baby washcloths that I use as cloth wipes because they are single layer and repurposed.
8. Coconut Oil for rash cream. I don't foresee any rashes this week, unless teething those molars for #3 kicks in hard core. But coconut oil can be found at your grocery store, and is readily available, and fairly cheap and cloth safe, so I will be using that if needed.
9. A snappi. I don't normally use one with my prefolds, but if I want to get fancy with my flat folding I may need one. :-) Also if we go out and about, I will use 1 small travel wetbag.

For now, I think this is all I will need!




Ok, So #2 and I just handwashed for the first time. My hands are shaking! It  was hard work, but totally gratifying to see them out on the line flapping in the breeze drying. My hands are dried out, I will be using gloves for sure tomorrow. It took us about 40 minutes, I let the dirties soak in a pail for a while, then to do our first rinse, I added a pinch of Rockin Green then plunged. Emptied out the rinse, wrung them then filled the pail back up to do the wash with some more RnG. Plunged like crazy and even had #2 help me, hey she asked to try it! Emptied the wash, then we rinsed in the big tub, plunged, swirled, etc. then rinsed under faucet to get any leftover soap out and wrung out and hung them outside on our line. I think I will try the grape stomp method next time, as recommended by a friend who did the challenge last year with 3 in cloth!!!!
Our first night of the challenge, last night went well too. #3 fell asleep on our way home from Target at about 8pm last night, so I just put him to bed. He woke up at about 11pm to nurse, so I stuffed my old no PUL Fuzzibunz with only 1 flat, put on his upcycled wool soaker, and he slept until 7am this morning. Wasn't super soaked either, I would say pretty normal! Yay!

So, so far so good. I feel some big muscles in my near future :)

1st rinse

plunging 1st rinse

after 1st rinse

Wringing out

Wash with detergent

#2 Helping me out

Final Rinse


And Ta Da! Clean diapers out on the line!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 1

So Today is the first day of the 2nd annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge by Dirty Diaper Laundry. A whole week of using flat diapers and handwashing.

Day 1- Why are you taking it?
I will admit, besides making sure I had a bucket(actually a kitty litter pail from my mom), 12 flats-6 Osocozy ones I bought for $8 from someone local and 6 receiving blankets, and some detergent that will be easy on my hands and the diapers-some leftover Rockin Green Hard Rock, I am totally unprepared. But that's the way I wanted it! I only have ever used flats literally 2 or 3 times. But I didn't want practice with them, because in all honesty, this challenge is all about learning for me and what I would do if I didn't know anything besides disposables, and I was forced to use cloth. Learning what it would be like to all of a sudden be out of money for diapers and improvising. That's what it's about right? This is the story that I believe was some of the spark for doing the challenge last year. Its incredibly sad what some parents are forced to do and have to choose between buying food or diapers. Getting the awareness out there that cloth can be a great option even if you  have to hand wash, is better than letting your child sit in a dirty diaper all day or reusing disposable diapers that can make your child sick.
Another reason I am doing this challenge, is that it IS a challenge! Who doesn't love a good challenge?! I love all my pretty cloth diapers, and washing them, because it's EASY. I simply put the dirty ones in a bag until wash day, then dump in my machine. At the end of the week, will I love cloth diapering even if it's so labor intensive? My guesses are yes I will, but I will have a much bigger appreciation for my washing machine and my countless cloth diapers!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2012

Yup, you saw that right. Flats and Handwashing for a whole week!!!! I will not go into tons of details and just link to dirtydiaperlaundry.com for all the info you need!!!! Way awesome and we are doing this!!!



#3 in a receiving blanket flat and pins in June 2011. My first flat attempt ever!