What have I learned??

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!  

  

T showing her love of "shooooes!!!!' while shopping

Our cute flats in covers 

More cuteness

What exactly have I learned so far from this? Well..... I have learned that sometimes doing something out of the norm is kinda fun. I have learned I could totally survive without power for a while, although then I would not have a water heater or stove to boil water on.....  Scratch that.... I could totally survive without my washing machine and dryer if I needed to. I have learned that just because someone views something as "old fashioned" doesn't mean it doesn't work or even work better than what we have today!! I know I was diapered with pre fold and those plastic pull on pants. I'm honestly not sure what form of cloth diaper my Mom was diapered in or my Grandma.... I'll have to ask. I have seen pictures of my Mom and Uncle when they were little with cloth and my Grandma and I have talked about them before. My Grandma (and rest of the family) has been supportive of us using cloth. :) My Mom isn't with us anymore but did get to go window shopping for fluff while I was pregnant, so I'm pretty sure she would have been too.  I have learned that my muscles have gotten soft in the time I have been off the fire department. :D  I have learned I have a whole new respect for the generations that went before us who did ALL THEIR LAUNDRY by hand. I always knew it was a tough job.... I just respect and appreciate the amount of work and what they did to take care of their families more now. This seems fitting with this weekend being Memorial Day. I have learned that if washing by hand using your camp washer as your "wet bag" works pretty well and that having them soak aka a wet pail instead of a dry pail system helps get them clean easier. I have learned that when you go out and NEED to use a wet bag that a simple PUL one really works better than a cute fabric covered wet/ dry bag. I love my wet/ dry bag for my diaper bag but the dry time is horrendous!!! We went shopping for several hours and then met Daddy and went out for supper to celebrate the last day of school!!!!  As a homeschool family this was as much a celebration for C as it was for me!! ;) 

Hand washing

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!   

The kids and Grandma stopped by to see me at work 

T and her night time fluff

The problem diaper

So far hand washing hasn't been that bad. It's honestly quicker than using the washing machine and I think they have been getting cleaner. Yes, my arms and shoulders have been getting a workout but that's not a horrible thing. They air dry pretty fast too!! I have either been doing 2 loads per day ( one during nap) or washing before I go to bed so they can dry over night. They are usually dry or pretty close to when I get up. We have been using the flats with covers and its been working well. Wednesday and Friday the kids are spending time with Grandma and I am stuffing flats that have been pad folded into pocket diapers. This means waaaay more washing as I now have to wash a cover for every diaper she wears. Still the pile wasn't too horrible. I did end up washing the covers separate from the flats after the initial rinse. Hubby helped and we got it all done and hung up in decent time. We did seem to have better luck getting the Bum Genius 4.0 pockets cleaner and stuffed with a flat easier than some of the others. I had one Fuzzibunz diaper (that of course she pooped in) that after using the diaper sprayer (which I hardly use) now has poop imbedded into it. I blame the diaper sprayer!! I keep washing it but honestly think it will need a washing machine to get clean. I think hand washing all the time it totally do able but I would probably occasionally throw them threw the washer or use a washboard to make sure they are clean. Like that cover.... it would just live in my wet pail until I went to the laundry mat if we were living that way. Instead it will keep getting worked on until tuesday. :) Although the diapers look the same (because she just sees the pre stuffed pockets)  my Mother in Law did notice and comment that they seemed to not need changed as often and seemed to be more absorbent. :) 

How do you fold THAT?!?!?!

WHAT do you call that, Mom?!?!?! 

This is day 3 of the 7 day Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry . (Want more information? Check out their link or my "Challenge" blog post) So far its going good.   So todays topic is folds. This may be a challenge as I am still figuring out what works for us. So far we have pad folded (basically made a long rectangle that you place in the cover), diaper bag folded (Dirty Diaper Laundry has an awesome how to video http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/how-to-fold-a-flat-diaperbag-style-video-and-image-tutorial/) Otherwise its been make it up as you go and fly by the seat of your pants folding. :) Pad folding is easy and familiar as we use a system of covers and inserts already. I am actually enjoying learning, or attempting, the various folds and using pins!! Didn't see that coming!! T is part Houdini and at the age of 13 months could undo all of our velcro AND snap diapers. She has also mastered snappi's and everything else we have thrown at her!! So its been nice to know that even if she takes the cover off she will have SOMETHING on!!! (Insert evil laugh) Ironically she has been really good about telling us she needs to potty the past few days thus making me regret pinning her in quite so well. Ahhh life with a toddler!! Just when you think you know what they will do they change!! This would be a very good day to "blog hop" and see how everybody else is folding. :) I know I will be doing some research!!! 

Cost

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!  

I was asked to compare the cost of using flats to disposables and while I am still working on "the bigger picture" I thought I would share my supply cost. This is figuring that you bought all of this new. There are places to buy used or factory second covers etc. 

 2  6 count packages of diaper pins $1.99 each  total $3.98 (could totally get by with just the 6)

(Snappis are $3.95 but I have yet to use mine)

12 count package of Bakers and Chef's flour sack towels  $12.48

1 5 gallon bucket with lid  $2.60

1 Plunger $2.98

Econobum covers $8.95 each for $8.95 total 

Flip covers $13.95 each  for $41.85 total (right now they are on sale buy 2 get 1 free reducing your cost to $27.90)

5 1/2 yard of flannel blankets. I can routinely get sale flannel for $2.79 per yard and that's prints!! Sooo $6.98 total?? (These are repurposed blankets my Mom made for my son when he was born that ended up not getting used due to small size.... We ended up using 1.5 yard blankets!!! )

My "garden" drying rack

Smiling faces make
 laundry more fun, right??

Total "start up" cost is..... $79.82 or $65.87 with sale pricing!! 

I figure we use about 9 gallons of HOT water per "load" that I wash but have not figured up cost on that yet. I did 2 loads yesterday and 1 today. I did not add in the drying rack as I have no idea where to find one to price ( I inherited mine) but you can totally use hangers and clothes pins or shower curtain rods etc. Today I used the decorative metal fence/ trellis the peas in my garden climb up to dry diapers on. Really the only ongoing cost is the hot water and soap. A 24oz container of Original liquid Dawn is $3.00 and that would get you MANY loads! Again there are ways to cut this figure even more. Shop the local thrift store for used flannel sheets. One $1.00 queen flannel sheet would yield quite a few flats. T-shirts can also be used as diaper flats although I have yet to try this one...... :)

According to Amazon disposables in size 5 (my daughter would be in 5's) run anywhere from $.23 a diaper (Luvs) to $.29 (Huggies) and up if you start getting into the "special" verietys!! If you figure 5 diapers a day that adds up fast!!  $34.50 for Luvs  and $43.50 for the Huggies per month!! 

T in a flannel blanket that was diaper bag folded with another pad folded for night (this was around 3 am)

What do you use??

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! 


 Today went surprisingly well ( the above picture is our first flat!!! )and we had no diaper leeks or issues. WOOHOO!! T is a pretty heavy wetter and I was concerned that flats alone would not cut it. We are doing this challenge as frugally as possible and I have tried to either use things we had or use things that are easy to get. I picked up a package of 12 flour sack towels from Sam's and have them prepped as my "flats". I am also repurposing a nice pile of baby blankets that always seemed too small for actual blankets. We had some snappies which are plastic hooks on a stretchy rubber band type thing for use instead of pins but I have also added in some good old fashioned pins that I bought at Toys R Us. I was able to get 6 in a package for under $2. I had some but since they were from when I was in diapers I figured they should be retired. :D 

We are using Flip and Econobum covers that we already owned but both are decent and fairly reasonable to buy new if you needed to. I am trying to only use 4. We needed 2 today and one dried during the day but I'm thinking the one that is drying overnight inside may not be dry by morning. My husband made a "camp washer" which basically is a 5 gallon bucket with a hole drilled in the top and then a plunger ( a new clean one) with holes drilled in it.     

IT WORKS AWESOME!!!! 

Of course our first diaper change this morning was a dirty one so I just shook it off and then threw it into the wash bucket and poured in HOT water and set the lid on so it could soak. Several changes later we had enough for a load. I did the first load for the day right after lunch and during nap. We had 1 dirty cover, 1 dirty flat, and 4 wet flats plus several cloth wipes. I added more hot water and plunged for a bit. Drained water and added more hot water and a very small amount of dish soap. Then we plunged some more. T is very fascinated by this and loves to "help" with the plunging part. I figure hey, she gets them dirty why not let her clean them?!?!
Then when I felt they were clean we dumped the water out again. All of this was done in the tub so I just dumped the bucket completely out. T then beat on the diapers with the plunger for a bit and helped get some of the water out. We then put them back in the bucket and got more hot water. Then the lid goes back on and we rinsed them. Then a final wringing or beating out of water and its off to the drying rack that is outside on the porch today. Most of the pictures are from the second load when I didn't have "help". :)

Challenge

This is my diaper stash. The one that is going into storage for a week.....No my child will not be running around pant less.... the semi-crazy side of me has agreed to spend a week using only flat fold cloth diapers. You know the kind our great grandmas used that are literally like a sheet you must fold?? Yeah....those! But that's not the crazy part.... I am also not going to use my washing machine. That's right, for 7 days EVERY DIAPER T wears will be hand washed!! Oh my fluffy goodness!!! Why you might ask would I CHOOSE to do this?? Weeellll..... I think I miss the challenge I had being on the fire department and the "prepared for an emergency" thing appeals to me. I'm honestly not totally sure just felt it would be a good learning experience. There are a lot of family's out there who have problems affording diapers (even to the point of  needing to reuse disposables to stretch their diapers farther!)  and feel that for whatever reason, be it cost, laundry,etc, that cloth is not an option. Many people don't even know it still exists, I know we didn't the first time around!!  Anyhow we (the 450+ other people doing this and I) are trying to show that it CAN be done cheaply and without a washer and dryer and THERE ARE OPTIONS!!! If nothing else I will have learned basic "survivor" skills and be better equipped to answer questions when people ask. :) So here we go. For seven days we will use only flat diapers and I will hand wash them all!! Want more information about the challenge? Click the link below to visit Dirty Diaper Laundry.

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/second-annual-flats-and-handwashing-challenge-may-21-27-sign-up/