Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 7

Today is day five of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and hand washing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.

Today I am reflecting on the past seven days of the Flats Challenge.

I found this year more difficult than last year in that it was raining 6 out of 7 days this week and I had to dry my flats indoors next to the dehumidifier.  I was also washing twice a day to ensure the flats had enough time to dry in the event of an emergency.  By Thursday I didn't even want to look at my washing pail and plunger.

On a positive note, I have a renewed love and respect for flat diapers.  They are so easy and it has done wonders for my daughter's EC practice.  For a while there she was reluctant to practice, but for some reason the flats worked for her and she was able to get back on track.

I hope I am never in a situation where I do not have access to a washer or dryer, but I am relieved to know that in a worst case scenario I would be able to do it.

Thank you Dirty Diaper Laundry for hosting this amazing campaign again.  I look forward to next year's challenge!!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 6

Today is day five of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and hand washing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.

We are at the finish line.  One more day of handwashing flats and drying them in my house.  It has been a horrible week weather wise.  Only one load of flats made it out on a quasi sunny day.  This challenge has pushed me to keep going even when I wanted to give up and use my dryer.

I had to work today, which meant my hubs was in control of the diaper situation for a couple hours.  He is 100% supportive of me using less water, less electricity, and not buying disposable diapers.  He just lets me do my thing.  He even likes the pocket diapers!  Before I left for work I showed him the flats and the pins and how to use them.  He ended up using one pocket diaper because he was not comfortable securing the pins on our wiggly toddler.  I support that decision 100%.

Handwashing the last load of flats at 11:30 pm

It is very late and I have just finished handwashing my last load of flats diapers for a LONG time, hopefully.  I am excited that tomorrow is that last day of the challenge but I am grateful that I have participated this week.  

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 5

Today is day five of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and hand washing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.

Today we are discussing the tips and tricks we have learned during the week.  This has been a rainy and humid week in New England.  Today is Friday and so far we have had only ONE day of sun.  This makes the Flats Challenge a real CHALLENGE.  Since it takes quite a bit longer for the flats to dry indoors, I have come up with a system that seems to keep my head above water, so to speak.  I have had to handwash twice a day.  Once at night with all the days dirty diapers, and once in the early to late morning with any soiled flats that have built up.

At night, after i wring out my last flat and lay it on my drying rack, I carry the entire rack over to my dehumidifier and place the rack alongside it.  During the night they flats dry perfectly and I am able to fold them first thing in the morning.

For the late morning wash, I have the same set up next to the dehumidifier with my freshly washed flats.  These will take all day to dry.  Once they are ready I am able to fold them and have them on standby in case of emergency.

This system has worked for me during this dreary week.  I will be honest, it is a lot of work and I don't know how long I would be able to keep it up if I didn't have access to my dryer on the rainy days.  It isn't usually this dreary in New England, so the line drying option is always my best bet.

I am so in love with flats again, that using them will be a breeze once the challenge is over and I can use them in my dryer when it rains.  I cannot believe how much better my daughter does in them.  Our EC practice has gone through the roof this week.  I am much more vigilant about checking her and getting her on the toilet more often.  She is starting to wait until she is on the toilet to go! This milestone alone is worth all the handwashing this week!!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 4

Today is day four of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and hand washing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.  

Today we are discussing handwashing.  I honestly don't mind handwashing.  I have my 10 gallon rubber bucket, my plunger and my rubber gloves.  I like to plunge for a little bit and then get my hands in there and really get things moving.  The worst part of the handwashing for me is when the water splashes me in the face when I get carried away.  Also, the wringing out of the diapers makes my hands cramp, too.  

The weather finally cooperated with me today.  Despite being very overcast this morning, it wasn't raining.  I decided to do a load of diapers and get them on the line a.s.a.p.  They could stay out all day and take as long as they needed to dry.

After a very active playdate, I came home with more dirty flats than I had expected to use.  The sun was shining and the morning load of flats were dry.  I washed the rest of her diapers and hung them out to dry

That is when I noticed what I thought was smoke from my dryer vent (it didn't occur to me right away that I wasn't even using my dryer).  But this mystery smoke was everywhere in the air.  A look up into my tall pine trees was where I found the answer.  POLLEN.  An absurdly disgusting amount of pollen. So much pollen that it actually looked like smoke.  Think about when you are putting on make-up and you rub your blush brush into your favorite blush.  Then you tap off the excess.  That excess dusting that comes off the brush times a million blush brushes and you will have one is on just ONE of the trees.  I have 6 of these said trees.  One of which is holding up my clothesline.

Below are a few pictures I took of the trees and the mess on my deck after one day.

 The pollen smoke actually makes this pic look cloudy.

 A close up of the pollen bunches.

 My poor patio furniture.

Gross.

So now here is my predicament.  Pollen smoke aside, it is a gorgeous day.  I'd hate to waste the sunshine on these diapers by having them indoors.  Plus it is supposed to rain again tomorrow :-(  Should I rewash all her diapers now because they are most likely covered in some pollen?  Should I wait to see if she has a reaction?  Even though I don't mind washing them by hand, that is a LOT of work and my drying rack can't hold all the diapers.

HELP!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3

Today is day three of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and hand washing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.  

I handwashed my diapers last night and dried them on my rack for the second night in a row.  It had been raining for two straight days.  Finally today the sun started to peek its head out so I ran to hang them out on the line.  I didn't care that they were almost dry already.  I just love the way they smell coming back in from the line.

After three days, I have rekindled my love affair with my flats.  I still can't remember why I stopped using them in the first place.  Not only are they super simple to use, they DRY so much faster than prefolds or pocket diapers.  The most wonderful bonus is that it has done wonders for ECing with my baby.  I can't explain why, but she stays dry between naps, and drier for longer periods of time during the day wearing the flats.  With prefolds and pockets, by the time I got her on the changing table she was already wet and she would writhe in agony to get off the potty because she didn't have to go anymore.  This entire week she has been much more cooperative using the toilet.  She actually smiles with success!

How do I use my flats?  I use two flats and one Thirsties cover at all times.  I diaper bag fold one flat and double up with a pad folded flat as an insert.  On day 1 of this challenge, I was using the diaper bag fold for the first time, and didn't know to use the pad folded flat as a doubler.  That day my baby soaked through 2 pairs of pants, her only cover and 4 flats.  Since then, I have learned my lesson, and I'm never looking back!

Flats Challenge Day 2

It has been raining in New England since Sunday night.  I washed Monday's flats in my bucket right after I put my daughter to bed.  We went through so many flats because of my leak issues that day.  I was concerned they wouldn't dry in time for Tuesday so I set them up on the drying rack next to our dehumidifier in the basement.  They were perfect when I woke up this morning.

I am happy to report that we did much better today staying dry.  The diaper bag fold with a  pad folded flat insert has worked wonders for her.  It also gives her a really fluffy bottom!  It has been a much quieter day today and I have been able to get her to use the toilet for each pee and poop!  I hand washed the flats again tonight because it is still damp outside.

What does it take to participate in this challenge?  I have several Thirsties covers in a variety of colors.  My flats are a mix of brands, all of which I like very much.  I have 6 pink safety pins.  I have a large rubber bucket and plunger and rubber gloves.  I like to get my hands in there during the rinse cycle and mix it up by hands.  I have my homemade laundry soap set up and ready to go. Finally I have my dry rack, which I would be lost without.

Aside from my actual stash, most of the supplies are commonplace in many homes.  Handwashing the flats brings back memories from when I participated last year with water splashing everywhere, including my face, as I vigorously plunged my diapers.  But mostly, I am reminded how much a person can do with so little.  It is so refreshing to detach myself from my dependency and love affair with my washer and dryer.  It gives me confidence that in an emergency, I could manage my families laundry needs without electricity.

2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 1

Today is the first day of the 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  By Sunday afternoon, I had all my flats washed folded and prepared for the first day's use.

Rain is predicted until at least Wednesday this week, which means I will be washing the flats every night to make sure they are dry when I need them again.

My first change went easier than expected.  I am using the diaper bag fold which I have never used before.  Last year I was using the origami fold exclusively.  My daughter was only  5 months old and it worked for us.  Now that she is 17 months old and very active, I am hoping the diaper bag fold is resilient.

We spent the afternoon having lunch with friends.  Hindsight, it probably wasn't the best way to start the first day of the flats challenge using a new fold.  I was not able to devote 100% of my attention to my daughter's bathroom cues because I was busy socializing, trying to eat lunch and playing referee with my daughter and all the unlocked cabinets, exposed outlets and sharp corners in the baby-less house.  As a result, my poor girl wet through two pairs of pants, 3 flats, and her only cover. In less then two hours, I should add.  I didn't have another change of clothes with me and I only brought one cover (STUPID).  I had the choice of either packing up and leaving in the middle of lunch with a bottomless child, or staying (and not being rude in my opinion-  my friend put a lot of thought and time into preparing food for us to just up and leave on her) and putting my daughter in a disposable, my "emergency only" diaper kept at the very bottom of my diaper bag.

I could sense my friend, with well intensions in mind, sigh in relief when she saw the disposable on my pant-less child.  I, on the other hand, was sighing in resignation and defeat that I was unable to hold it together for the first 24 hours of the challenge.

Tomorrow is another day and I will learn from today's mistakes.  I will double up the flats and lay a pad folded flat inside the diaper bag flat.  I will also make a soaker out of an old wool sweater I've been staring at for weeks. I will also try and listen to my daughter's bathroom cues.  Finally, I will be bringing a back up cover in the likely event that this happens again.

Here we go again!

Following last year's rewarding and amazing success with the Flats Challenge I am excited to announce that I am gearing up again for this year's challenge.  This time with a much older child, which brings its own set of unique issues.

As you may recall, the challenge is aimed at bringing awareness to the benefits of cloth diapering.  Families who are tight on funds do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on disposable diapers for their babies.  In all actuality, a baby can be diapered from birth to potty training for less than $50 with the use of flat diapers.

With this challenge, I will only be able to  use my flat diapers and covers.  No pocket diapers and no prefolds. I will also not have the use of my washer or dryer.  The point of that goes hand in hand with the objective of this challenge.  Not all families, low income or not, have access to a washer or dryer.  Others cannot afford to use a laundromat.  The diapers will be hand washed in a camper style bucket and line dried outside on nice days and inside on rainy days.

This may seem silly and pointless to some, but it is a good lesson in how little you need to survive.  After the first day or two during last years challenge, I realized that hand washing diapers is 100% doable and I even got into a nice rhythm of washing and drying during naps.

I will be blogging my progress, my good days and my bad days for the entire week.

Stay tuned!!