Flats Challenge - Day 6!

Happy Saturday! This will be a short one since my husband are going on a date tonight!

I have fallen into a great groove with this challenge - just when it's about to be over. This morning I did a big load of diapers. It's taking a lot of time to dry them since it is so humid. 

My mom is coming over in a bit to watch Finn. I told her all about the flats and handwashing challenge. She told me all about how that was how she diapered us when we were babies. In her words: "because we were broke!" Interesting how, the previous generation used flats if they were broke (disposable diapers were a luxury). But in today's society, parents can't imagine life without their 'luxury' disposables that they just dry and reuse them? What happened?

Off to change a poopy diaper.

Flats Challenge - Friday

Last night, my husband handwashed flats in our camp washer. Our bucket washer's lid is broken now (he admitted from "vigorous agitation")... It still works and all. No problem, there's just a crack. In retrospect, I think putting tape or some kind of protection around the lid hole is a good idea.

End of the week thoughts: Whether this challenge impacts the people who were reusing disposable diapers is somewhat moot. I had a great experience so far & that is immediate and matters. As for the 'target,' (so to speak) is it that all these parents need is an education in modern cloth? Is it that they just don't care about the earth, their child's butt, etc. Or do they have 3 jobs and just trying to make things work? Who knows... probably a mix of all three and more. I chafe at categorizing people, but I have to admit, reusing disposable diapers is not smart.

I think it is a shame when people make decisions without all the facts. Maybe that is just the way I am - I like to research things, weigh the pro's and con's. Now, I don't sit with a yellow pad and do this for EVERY decision, it's subconscious at this point. But I firmly believe in looking into my options and getting educated for myself. It's just that there are a LOT of things that come up once you become a parent: diapers, feeding the baby, health (yours, your baby's), how and where to give birth, life insurance, investments, etc! It's overwhelming!!! I think we let a lot go by the wayside - just letting life get in the way (there is ALWAYS an excuse for procrastination). Don't get me wrong, I am a procrastinator... big time. I'm working on it! But what really gets me is when decisions are made without proper information. You just do it because it is what everyone else does. 'Everyone' gives birth at the hospital, uses sposies, thinks the food pyramid is the authority on how to eat right, etc. etc. etc. 

I was on Syracuse's premier local diaper store's website (Basic Baby) and the icon that corresponded with laundry is an old fashioned wash tub and board. I feel blessed to be living in an age of modern conveniences. Yay for my washing machine! Yay for my dishwasher for that matter! 

Flats work really well. Recently I have been having problems with night leakage. This week, I have had NO LEAKAGE at all! I knew that this challenge would force me to be more comfortable with flat diapers (which I had an interest in). I never thought that I'd like and appreciate them so much.

Unanswered questions: 

Each time I have handwashed the dipes this week, I keep thinking about the bucket washer - Is it safe to be washing dipes in VERY HOT water in this plastic bucket? It wasn't labeled as a safe plastic, so I'm assuming that it is not. Call me weird, but is this plastic paint bucket releasing some horrible chemicals into the diapers that my son is sitting in right now?

I am a stay at home mom. I can guess what it's like for working mom's to use flats and handwash full time, but it would be just a guess. I know what it's like to be a mom, and what it's like to work, but the two thus far have been mutually exclusive. I am curious as to the feasibility in situations other than mine.

I hear about the growing population of teen mothers - through TV, a MOPs outreach at local high schools, media, etc. I'm wondering how receptive teen mom's are to cloth diapers? It can't be easy in first place, but if a large portion of your paycheck each week is going towards poop catching - ouch! In my ideal situation, (not that teenage mothering is always ideal) these girls could buy a pack of flats and save the difference from pampers until they have enough to buy a couple of pocket diapers & use cloth full time. I know that is what I would do NOW if we didn't have enough money. Nine months ago when Finn was born? probably not. I just didn't know.

Thankful Thursday 5/26/11

I am thankful for my washing machines. When I lived in apartments in college and right out of college, I couldn't wait until I lived in a place with washing machines en suite! Well, I have lived in my house since late 2007 & I think I have forgotten that feeling.  This week handwashing diapers has given me a new appreciation for my washer!

Thankful that Finn went in the potty this morning! We have been casually practicing Elimination Communication for the past few months. I am always excited when we have a "catch," but especially this week! This morning, Finn not only peed in the potty, but he poo-d too! Which means about three less diapers for me to clean :) Happy baby, Happy mommy!

Thankful that I can have all the cute diapers that Finn needs and I wants. We are richly blessed with the means to buy many luxuries. At the same time, we (try to) have the wisdom to limit our indulgences.

Flats Challenge - Wednesday

Flats on a line!

For anyone who hasn't been following the challenge, Kim has updated her original post to include all the links to tutorials and whatnot. Take a look!

Here are the official rules:

• You MUST use Flats.
• You MUST handwash them.  How is up to you.  (bathtub, sink, large wash tub, portable non electronic washing machine, or camp style washer (bucket and plunger- think churning butter)
• You MUST air dry them.  (indoors or outdoors, makes no difference)
• You MUST limit your number of covers in rotation to 5 or less.
• You can use any detergent you want.  (Keep in mind that you still want cloth safe detergents)
• You can still use your nighttime diapers but I ask that you try to make flats work.  Maybe try a prefold wrapped in a flat.
• You can use disposable liners.
• You CAN’T use a diaper sprayer.  I thought long and hard about this one, but at an average cost of 40.00 this is one diaper accessory that is out of range for many families.  Dunk, swish, flush, or scrape!
• You MUST start the morning of May 23 and end the evening of May 30.

Finn's trying out his new water table

This morning, I did another washing. It ended up being two separate "loads." Since there were diapers from all day yesterday, PLUS he did a big poo this morning. I am SO proud to say that the Big Poo came out completely! I just rinsed the stuff off in hot water in my utility sink, then washed (cold rinse, hot wash with detergent, cold wash). It's all hanging outside right now! I figured since rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and friday, today is the day! Honestly, I felt really apprehensive about the handwashing. Not that I couldn't do it (have you seen these guns? LOL), but that I wasn't getting them as clean as a machine could. Well, getting the Big Poo out (no stains!!!!) really bolstered my confidence in the handwashing process.

Finn in his new shorties

Shorties for my Shortie

Until today, I've been using only 3 covers since my woolies have taken this long to dry. Well, I just put Finn into his blue wool shorties (with an origami folded flat underneath). So stinkin' cute! I just hope he doesn't poo in them (although I rolled the edges of the flat, it'll probably get on the sides of the cover if he poos). 

The Flats and Handwashing Challenge

I am really excited to be participating in the Flats and Handwashing challenge coming up May 23rd - May 30th. Kim from Dirty Diaper Laundry extended the challenge recently & to be honest, I sat on the fence for a while on it. I recently got a few flats from diaperswappers (Ikea flats), and started using them during the day. Oddly, I like them. They wash really easily & the fit is so customizable. So, I wasn't too worried about the actual use of the flats, it was the handwashing!

So, you may ask, WHY is it that I've decided to overcome this whole not wanting to handwash diapers thing and participate? Well... there are a few reasons...

Firstly, I like a challenge and the change to our routine -mix it up, spice it up. I stay at home with my baby Finn & we have had a long cold winter, so I welcome the change!

I'd like to get more comfortable with flats. I feel like, though I use them sometimes currently, I always fall back on my pocket diapers as my comfort zone. using them exclusively for a week will probably push my outside of my comfort zone.

On one of my long walks, I decided that I'd like to go camping this summer. my Hubby and I didn't get to go last summer since I was very pregnant & I just love the area where we typically go and miss the adventure of it all. So... being the practical person (logistical ninja) that I am, I thought to myself "how are we going to cloth diaper in the middle of the woods?" Indeed - how? I cannot imagine going to be one with nature and using plastic nappies... So flats and handwashing might just be the ticket!

My husband and I are passionate about saving money and showing others to do the same. We have a financial education business where we teach families and help them achieve their goals and dreams. Cloth diapering is one easy thing that you can do to positively impact your savings. Take the $2000 some-odd dollars that you save cloth diapering your baby and put it into a college savings account for them! Or - more likely, take the extra money you save and help your family not go into debt. Flat diapers are probably one of the most affordable ways to diaper your baby (aside from making your own diapers from repurposed clothing - which would be practically free). So to defray the upfront cost of cloth diapers, a family could buy a modest stash of flat diapers, use them while saving the money they aren't spending on sposies for pocket diapers (if they want). In this way, you don't need any more money to start cloth diapering than what it would cost for a BJ's sized box of sposies.

I love cloth diapering. I also love being a resource for others & enjoy getting the word out there. This challenge will certainly turn some heads & I'd like to be able to say that I have been there, done that before suggesting to someone that they use flat diapers, and/or cloth diaper without access to a washing machine.

There's the why - now, HOW?

Well, Jon agreed to make me a bucket washer like Kim made on DDL. I have 12 flats on hand, so I might buy a few more in case I find myself using them two at a time (kite or origami fold with a pad-folded flat added for my heavy-in-the-morning pee-er).

Also, I need to finish up a few covers I've been working on. I have 2 covers that fit him right now. I cut the sleeves off of 2 sweaters (100% wool) that I don't wear anymore for longies, and I felted up the body of the sweaters to make wraps. So I really need to get going on finishing those up so that I have more than 2 covers!

For night, I am going to try 2 pad folded flats in a pocket dipe to start.

Last week, Finn and I participated in the Great Cloth Diaper change. It gave me the feeling that it was a once in a lifetime type of event. I get the same thing from this challenge. It's really exciting to be involved in a grassroots movement taking place in nurseries across the world.