2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 7: Final Thoughts

Well, it's the last day of the 5th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.

Today's topic is: Day 7 (May 17)- Final Thoughts- How was this experience for you, what have you learned, and what will you do with your new knowledge?

I'm not really sure how to explain. Part of it was just like any other day because we use flats and prefolds pretty much full time anyway. I almost felt like I was cheating because I had everything I needed plus some. I know that's ridiculous of course. I've done it from scratch before and it's not much different except my flats now are a bit more absorbent.

I really enjoyed doing this. It took me back to the very, very basics of cloth diapering, which I love! Even as an experienced cloth diaperer, I have cloth diapered for 4.5 years and 2 kids, one of them since birth, I still need a reminder not to over complicate my routine. This is exactly what I needed. I realized that if I had to I can make it through the night with my heavy wetter using only flats if I need to. I've also learned through other people's posts that I will probably want to use other folds besides pad fold when I have this little baby in a few months.

My biggest struggle this time was doing this while pregnant. I seem to have a huge lack of energy this pregnancy compared to my other pregnancies when I was this far along. Probably because I have 2, very active, kids to chase after and not just one or none. Whatever the cause some days I did not want to wash those diapers! But, I knew if I didn't do it everyday it would just make more work for me in the next day. So I just bucked up and did it. After I started finding a routine it worked quite well. I will say if I did this full time I would probably end up getting different equipment like a wash board and basin/bucket thingy. And some more efficient way of wringing out diapers than just my hands. I would also get a dryer rack for the inside of my house. I used to have one when I first moved in here 5 years ago because we didn't have a dryer and I couldn't hang on the line outside because of weather. I loved that dryer rack and used it all the time when I first started cloth diapering. But it was ruined and I haven't got another one yet. I will though. While I won't be continuing to handwash for now, because I'm lazy and don't want to keep bending over the wash bucket while my belly continues to grow, I would be more than able to if I actually did need to. In my opinion this is a very doable solution.

Doing it with kids around can be a struggle for some, but mostly I just let mine help me. Even my little 2 year old took part in the washing. It doesn't have to be a, "okay, mommy's going to lock herself away and do the diaper wash now" kind of thing. Let them be around while you do it, let them help. It keeps them much better occupied than trying to keep them out while you do it. Yes, it can take longer but it's not bad.

My cute little helpers.

 I guess there wasn't much that I learned this time. Except maybe that I can do it even when I have absolutely no desire or drive to do it. More so, it was just reminders that I CAN in fact do it and should I ever need to do this full time, all the time, I am more than capable. Being prepared and thinking about what kind of plan I had before I started helped me a lot. Like when it rained, I hadn't really thought about needing to dry stuff inside so I was a little unprepared for that. Even then, it still worked out just fine. One of my struggles this time was blogging about it actually. I've never done it before (blogged about the challenge) and I have a tendency to ramble, so I was worried I'd suck at it. I'm still not sure how I did but it was fun to write about it. I think it will also help me in the future to remember what works well for me and what doesn't. Overall, I'm secure in the knowledge that I have all I need when it comes to diapering my kids and future kids.



What about you? Did you participate? What did you learn?

2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 6: Favorite Flat Folds!

Here we are Day 6 of the 5th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge! I can't believe it's almost over!

It's a dreary rainy day here today. It's been dreary all week, but today it's finally raining. We need it. We don't get much rain here in southern Idaho, so when we do we love it! Unless it's like last year where we got more rain in one day than we normally do in the entire year plus some. Yeah that was a lot of nice flooding, not so much where we live but in the town right next to our little thing it was flooding like crazy. But we still loved the rain we got! Anyway, all this rain reminded me of what I forgot to talk about yesterday in my washing segment so I'll lightly touch on that today. What do you do when you can't hang them up on a line outside? Either because you don't have one or the weather is crappy. There are a few things you can do. You can do like I'm doing today and hang them on the shower rod and towel rod in the bathrooms. I like doing this because I can close the door and the heater will blow and help them dry faster. You can get a drying rack that folds up nice for storage. I used to have one of those until it got destroyed by my husband breaking up a dog fight or something. Yes, I was mad. I would set it up over a vent in our floor so when the heat came on it would blow upwards right at the diapers (and other clothes). It was a good solution. I think I've seen things on how to make them with pvc pipe that you can make for cheaper than buying one. You can also iron your diapers. This helps them dry faster. It can also sanitize them if that's something you're worried about. Anyway, that's what I remembered that I forgot to put on the post yesterday.

On to today!!! Today is Day 6 and the topic is: Favorite Flat Folds and Fasteners!

What's my favorite fold? Thanks for asking. My favorite, as I think you have probably guessed by now, is the Pad fold!

It's simple and easy. I can fold them all like this ahead of time and just be done with it. I don't have to try and get any fasteners on a squirmy baby or toddler. All I have to do is put it in a cover and be done with it. Everyone folds these differently so I'm going to show you how I do it. It's weird trying to show you in pictures because I have to lay it down to do it. Normally I just hold it and do it while I'm standing and it takes 5 seconds or less. I also love it because it makes it so there are lots of layers in the wet zone but also is really good for letting it spread evenly throughout the diaper if it needs to. It also reminds me of the tri-fold for prefolds, which is what I always used prior to getting flats.

First start with it flat.

Then fold it in half.

Then start folding it down in little sections. I find that 4 down folds seems to be the perfect amount for the size of my diapers.

And here is the finished product!

I like the folded part to be on the bottom so the seam doesn't rub on baby's butt.

I'll admit. I've never really tried other folds than this one. I had a few snappis for closures that I tried with my prefolds but by that time my son was too big for it to do much good. (My first was a year when I started cloth diapers.) And with my second he was at least 6 months when I started using flats. Anyway, I wasn't really impressed and it never seemed to stay together for us. So pad fold it is. The only down side is that this fold doesn't always keep the poop from getting onto the cover. But the poo does always stay in the diaper/cover. We never had any blowouts with our second at all. I freaking love cloth diapers. With this baby, I'll be using my go to prefolds and I'm adding in flats as well. I'll probably be trying different folds to help contain the newborn poos from getting onto the covers. Also, because the pad fold will be too big for a little newborn. It'll be interesting using flats on a newborn. I've never done that before. But I'm excited to do it! So what are your favorite folds and closures?


And here's a pic of the fold instructions all in one picture! Woooo!

2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 5: My Wash Routine!

Today is Day 5 of the 5th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.

Today's Topic is: What's your wash routine?

This week I've been washing in the morning after breakfast is over, that way the diapers can have all day to dry if they need it (like if the weather is bad or something.) So far I have been washing everyday. This keeps my load to a minimum, which is nice for the washer bucket, and helps me save time overall. There's been years I didn't wash everyday and it always just made more work and took more time in the long run. My wash routine is pretty simple and usually takes less than an hour. First I'll show you what I use. I use the Camp Style Washer Bucket. Not to brag or anything but I made it myself. (struts) You can see how to make it here. I didn't follow the tutorial exactly but it works just fine.

You need a 5 gallon bucket with lid, a plunger, and a drill with a 1 inch drill bit (or one big enough to make a hole the handle of your plunger can go through.) and a smaller drill bit to use on the rubber part of the plunger. Drill a hole in the top in the middle of the lid big enough for the handle of the plunder to go through. Then, drill smaller holes around the base of the plunder (you can do top and sides or just top or just sides.) This will help to decrease the resistance while washing and save your arms a lot of work. NOTE: I HIGHLY suggest getting a screw on lid for your bucket. The snap on one is such a pain and if you're like me and have weak wrists and hands it's even worse. Splurge the extra dollar or whatever and get the freaking screw on. I wish I did. Now I'm stuck with a snap on because I'm not gonna waste the lid I got.

Next, put your diapers in the bucket. I always wash with the bucket in the bathtub. A days worth is about the perfect size load. If you have more than a days I probably wouldn't do more than 8-10 large size diapers in a load maybe 12 if you're desperate. My son is old enough that he doesn't go through that many diapers anymore. The biggest load so far was today and that was 8 diapers.

 Turn on the water and fill it to the top. Put in the plunger (can go in anytime) put the lid on and start plunging and agitating. When you're ready to drain the water take off the lid and dump the water out. I use the plunger to hold the diapers back and in the bucket while I'm draining. I used to leave the lid on a cracked open and drain out the crack but that just took way too long for me. This year I've been taking the lid off to drain and I like that much better.

As far as how I wash. I usually do 2 cold rinses. Then, I do like a little half rinse with hot water to get all the cold water out of the diapers, this helps keep them from cooling off the water I put in for the hot wash. I was in all the way hot, no cold at all, and put in about a tablespoon or less of my soap. The amount of soap will vary depending on your load size and how hard your water is. We have very hard water so I have to use more soap. Right now I'm using this soap. I won it in an online giveaway. I usually use Country Save or Biokleen.

One scoop of this is equal to one tablespoon.

I usually put in the soap and then fill the bucket to the very top with hot hot water. NOTE: If all you have to wash with is cold water that is ok. It will still wash your diapers just fine. I have done this when I had no access to hot water and this worked well with cold water. The diapers still get clean. Then I plunge and agitate for a few minutes. Mostly I do it until it feels right. Then I drain. I usually do 2-3 rinses. You want to rinse until you think the soap is all the way out. If you use too much soap it will take more rinses. For the very last rinse I do a cool or warm rinse. That way I don't scald my hands with hot water when I'm trying to wring out the diapers. If you are using gloves you probably don't need to worry about a cooler last rinse. Your hands would probably be fine in the gloves wringing out hot water.

I don't do anything fancy to wring out the diapers. I just use my hands and twist. Some people have success using a salad dryer thingy. I don't have one, so I don't use one. I've seen some other things but mostly I just never take the time to make them. You can also wring out a little water and then lay it flat in a towel and roll the towel up. There are plenty of options that are DIY that you can look up online.

Then after the washing and wringing, it's time to hang them up!

My trusty clothes pins and my clothes pins holder my mom made for me when I first moved into this house 5 years ago.

I am fortunate enough to have beautiful clothes line in my back yard. Well, beautiful as in handy, it holds a lot of clothes, and it was already here when we moved in (even better).

I usually just put the diapers in the bucket after I wring them out and take them outside to the line. I shake out each one and then hang it in half over the line like shown about. I'd hang it on the edge and skip hanging it in half but I have 2 littles that like to pull on the laundry or hit it. This keeps it out of the way the best. Some people overlap their clothes/diapers when hanging them so they can use less clothes pins. I hate doing that though, it takes longer to dry and it just bugs me having them overlapped. Clothes pins are super cheap so it's easy to buy enough that you don't need to do that. Especially if you're having a smaller load of stuff.

And that concludes my wash routine. It takes me less than an hour.

I've also washed in the tub before basically the same thing only a bigger space. If you have larger load or more than 1 days worth of diapers it's worth doing it in the tub than trying to do multiple loads in the diaper bucket. Honestly if I had one of those old school washboards and washtub I'd probably just use that but I don't have those and the bucket was cheaper than trying to get my hands on those. Some people wear gloves. I don't have any so I don't wear any. Your hands get used to it after the first day or so. I think I had more to say but it's lunch time and my brain has left the building. I hope some of this was helpful and that it made sense. See you tomorrow.

2015 Flats and Handashing Challenge Day 4: Traveling With Flats

Today is Day 4 of the 5th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge!

The topic of Day 4 is: Traveling With Flats!

So how do I usually travel with them? Easy Peasy that's how!

I just stuff everything I need into the diaper bag and I'm good to go!

Normally when I'm out running errands I pack for the whole day. We live out a ways from town so when we go to town, we GO to town. It's a whole day gone or most of the day gone. I usually pack 4-6 flats (or more) depending on what we're doing and how long we'll be gone. I pack 3-4 covers (or more). I usually never use that much, but it's much better to over prepared than it is to be lacking diapers, am I right?! I also usually bring 8-10 wipes or more.

So what do I carry these lovelies in when they are wet or soiled? I use wetbags! Usually about a medium size one That will fit about a days worth of diapers in it if I need it too. I haven't always had a wetbag. I used to just use a grocery bag or you could use a big ziplock bag. I only ever used a grocery bag usually though. Now I have two wetbags, one I bought and one I won in a raffle thing. They don't need to be a fancy brand or anything. like that. I also have a wipes pouch wetbag. I use it to carry wipes I've gotten wet before we go out since there aren't always sinks or water available when changing diapers in public.

Here's a demo of what I do with the wipes. Usually I keep them stored folded into quarters and then I just get them wet and scrunch them into balls and stuff them in the wipes pouch wet bag. If you don't have a wipes pouch just use a ziplock bag or something like that. I only really have one because my friend got me one when my second was born.

When I'm out I do my standard pad fold. I'll explain later in the week how I fold it (I think everyone does it however they want. lol) but here is a pic of the finished product.

I do this fold because it's super fast and easy and I can do it before we even go anywhere. That way I don't have to try and deal with getting a "fancy" fold onto a squirmy baby in the middle of running errands. I just plop it in the cover and I'm good to go.

At home when I deal with poopy diapers I immediately spray/rinse them off and put them in my pail. When I'm out and about sometimes I can rinse them out and sometimes I can't. If I can, I always try and do it. It's much easier to get poo off right away than it is after it's been sitting in the diaper for a long time. It's also less stinky (not that there is a lot of smell, if any, at all when you put it in the wetbag.) If I can't wash it out right then I wrap it up tight in the cover, similar to how you wrap a poopy disposable diaper up, and stick it in the wetbag. This is when it's nice to have more than one wetbag or grocery bag, because then you can have one for your poopies and one for your wets. That way if anything happens and the diaper gets all jumbled around it doesn't get poo on the other diapers creating more work for you later.

That's about it I think. It's really pretty simple. Having a flat that has a more absorbent fabric or knit can be helpful. I like using my bamboo flats the most if I'm going out with flats. Check their diaper often. Be sure and change them before you leave the house and then after you take them out of the carseat. It really depends on how often and how much your kid normally pees. It's really not anymore work to use flats than it is to use an AIO or pocket in my opinion. Of course I use flats and prefolds full time anyway, so maybe I'm biased. ;-)

Anyway, that's all for today. I don't think I left anything out. How do you travel with flats?

2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3: Open Topic

Today is Day 3 of the 5th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. Today's topic is: Open Topic! Wohoo.

I'm kinda glad it's an open topic today. I'm having issues with focusing today and feeling motivated to do anything. I think it's because at this exact time last year we were going through some really scary things with my youngest (then 18 months old). This whole week I keep thinking something is going to happen and put us in that position all over again. It's like my body remembers what happened last year and is trying to get me to slow down for the upcoming life storm. And I'm a about 24 weeks pregnant so I'm already a crazy mixed bag of emotions. blah. I've had to force myself to do anything today but I've managed to somehow get things done anyway.

Anyway, enough of my stuff. On to diapers!!! I'm not really sure what I'm going to write about. Maybe what doing this is like when I'm in my 2nd trimester vs. when I'm not pregnant? I've never been pregnant when doing the challenge so this is a new experience for me. My body is always so exhausted and I just don't have the stamina and endurance I do when I'm not pregnant. Add on the two kids now ages 5 and 2 and I'm really wiped out. lol So what do you do when it's like this?

1. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to get it done. I don't mean over extend your limits or anything. Just that it's really hard to have motivation to hand wash diapers and go hang them on the line when all you want to do is nap or sit and relax starring off into space. You just got to get up and do it! Sometimes that means setting the timer and committing a certain amount of time to whatever. I've done this enough to know that for me it can take less than an hour to wash and hang the diapers if I actually do it and just get it done. If I go really slow or take a lot of breaks it takes a bit longer. Today was a break taking day. lol Not huge long breaks or anything but I still managed to do it in about an hour. Yay!

2. Enlist Helpers!!!

This will save you energy and arm tiredness (I can't think of anything else to call it.) This trick won't last long usually, but long enough for a small break. The newness and funness of washing diapers is short lived for them. I can still get my youngest to help me a bit but the oldest is over it. haha

3. Pad fold. Pad fold. Pad fold. I'm too lazy to try and do anything fancier than that. I don't have anything to fasten the diaper together anyway so it doesn't even matter. You can fold them long before you need them and then when the time comes for a change, just plop it in the cover and bam your done! Wooo!

4. Wash every day. I know it seems like a lot of washing, but it's the perfect size load for the washer bucket and keeps you from having to play catch up. It also minimizes the overall amount of time that you have to be washing. I'll talk more about wash routine later this week.

I don't really have any fancy tips or tricks. Night time if you don't use inserts then just use 3 flats pad folded together. Works like a charm.

I'm not sure what else to write. My brain has left the building. I'm not sure it will ever return. The week is going well so far. It's not different at all from my normal routine really since I use flats almost full time anyway. The only difference is washing and not using prefolds or the occasional AIO, which is fine with me. Flats wash and dry so much easier than any other diaper out there. They really are amazing beauties and I love them. Some day I'll get into the fancy folds and such. Probably when this baby gets here and will be too small for my normal pad fold. They'll be glorious for holding in those messy newborn poos.

Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry today is so boring.

2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2: What's in your stash?

So it's Day 2 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. You can find the sign-up, rules, and more details on why they started it here. Basically it's to help raise awareness that there are more than just expensive disposables for families in need. To help people know they have options. I think it's awesome!

Today's prompt is:

Day 2 (May 12)- Show Us Your Stash!  Talk about supplies and give us a breakdown of the total cost, including the things you are using that you owned prior.

Well, I almost feel like I'm cheating because I use flats and prefolds full time anyway, so I've been able to build up a good stash over the last few years. I actually started using flats full time because of the Challenge in 2013. I figured out how amazing they are and decided to get "real" from the store flats and replace my old FST (Flour Sack Towels) and cut up t-shirts with them. So Here is my stash! (I've included links to where I bought what below.)

I have 12 Diaper Rite Birdseye Cotton Flats (size Large: $26.95 per 12 pack) and 12 Diaper Rite Bamboo Flats (Size Large: $34.95 per 12 pack)


Covers:
I have about 7-8 covers of varying brands and prices. My favorites cost under $10 and most of the others I have are definitely under $15. I have more covers but I rarely use them except for when I absolutely need to (they're pretty worn out because of how old they are and how much use they got, but they're still good if I have to use them. I even have some that are about 13-14 years old that my SIL used on her son when he was a baby and they still work great!)

The Covers I currently have and use most often are:
--Imagine One Size Diaper Cover (hook and loop in Rawr print) - $8.95
--Diaper Rite One Size Diaper Cover (in color Electric Carrot) - $8.95
--Buttons Diaper Cover (in color Cherry) - $11.00
--Econobum One Size Diaper Cover (trim color Moonbeam) - $11.95
--Sweet Pea One Size Diaper Cover (in print: Bandit the Raccoon) - $11.95
--Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover (hook and loop, can't remember the print) -$12.75
--Blueberry Coverall Diaper Cover (print: Dino) - I didn't actually buy this one, I received it as a gift but I looked up the price and it's $18.95. Way more than I would spend on a cover because I'm cheap.

For help with night time, because I have a super heavy wetter, I use:
--Diaper Rite Bamboo Diaper Doubler - $3.49 each - I have 3.
--Geffenbaby Hemp/cotton insert/doubler - not sure of the price I got it in a mystery package a few years ago.

Wipes:
--Diaper Rite Flannel Wipes - $5.95 for a 12 pack - I think I have 2 packs
--Some homemade wipes a lady from church made me when I was pregnant with my first

Washing:
--Molly's Suds Cloth Diaper Laundry Powder - I won this in an online giveaway. Price is: $14.99
      Normally I use Country Save or Biokleen which are both about $15 give or take a few bucks and they're a bigger package than the Molly's Suds.

--Aquas Diaper Sprayer - $49.95 (I'll admit this was a huge purchase for me but it was worth it I suppose)
       It's starting to crap out on me, it's a few years old (we have extremely hard water that is very hard on these kinds of things) I've discovered you can buy sprayer things at places like Home Depot for way cheaper. Next time I get one I'm getting one there or somewhere super cheap. You don't even need a diaper sprayer. I diapered my first baby without having one and it was just fine swishing them in the toilet. I actually hated the sprayer when I first got it.

--The diaper pail (where you keep the dirty diapers) is just some Sterilite container I got from Walmart when I started using cloth about 4.5 years ago. It was probably $5 or so. I don't even remember. I definitely wouldn't have paid more that $10 though for sure. I love it. It makes me think of Oscar the Grouch's trash can that he lives in, hehe. You don't have to have a fancy pail/liner. Just whatever container with a lid.

--Camp Style Washer Bucket - This thing is amazing!!! It's homemade and cost less than $10 to make. All you need is a big bucket, (5 gallons) the lid for the bucket, and a plunger. Drill some holes and you're golden! (the tutorial also has a door sweep strip thingy to put over the hole in the lid but I never put that on or bought any. It works just fine without) I also drilled some small holes in the plunger to decrease resistance while washing. I learned about this from a Dirty Diaper Laundry Tutorial. I looked it up because I wanted to use cloth while camping but I needed a way to wash them. My friend showed me where to see the video tutorial for this glorious thing and I LOVE IT!!! It is so handy and you can wash so much more than just diapers in it. I will say this. Splurge and get the freaking screw on lid for the bucket! Seriously. It's such a pain to do the snap on/off lid. We have a snap on/off lid and I hate it. lol I mean I obviously put up with it but I have weak hands/grip and it's a huge pain to try and get the dang thing off. Just save yourself the trouble and get the screw lid! lol

--Clothes Pins and Holder thingy (made from a hanger with fabric sewn into a pouch on it) to hold them and hang them on the line while hanging laundry. I don't even know how much it costs. I got a bunch of clothes pins from my mom and she made me the holder thingy. I have bought a pack of clothes pins of about 50 pins or so for a couple bucks. They are super cheap to get.

--A clothes line to hang stuff on. Mine was here when we moved in. If I didn't have one I'd get a rack or something or make one out of pvc piping for cheap. Or just use my shower rod/towel rod to hang them on. Or put up a string across a room in my house and hang them on there.

So the total of this particular stash is roughly give or take a few dollars probably (I didn't include stuff I got for free) comes to: $209.92

Keep in mind. This is a "fancy" stash that has been built over a period of about 2-3 years or so. It was not bought all at once but in little snippets here and there. Thus, making a seemingly large purchase much more reasonable.

I have also done this for much much much cheaper. The first year I did this I use FST, cut up t-shirts, and covers I already had. Maybe like 4 covers that I got brand new at about $13 each. (I could have got much cheaper and used for even less if I had looked harder) I probably bought 3-4 4packs of FST that were about $4 each. So that's a dollar per diaper. So $12-$16. The t-shirts I used were my husbands old shirts. I maybe cut up 5 or so giving me 10 diapers (2 diapers per shirt) for free. I also had left over receiving blankets that were given to me that is used. So that's another diapers for free. I think I had one pack of 12 wipes at the time. So that's about $5. So that stash was about $73 (which wasn't all at once either) because I spent $50 or so on covers. The covers are always going to be the most expensive item when it comes to flats, just because the flats themselves are so cheap. And even then the covers aren't expensive really, especially considering the use you get out of them. I could have done it for even cheaper.

Part of my original flats stash of FST and t-shirts. With a few covers.

 Some people don't really use covers they just pay more attention to when the baby is wet right away and change accordingly so it doesn't get on anything else (because flats don't have a waterproof shell it's just fabric so that's why most use a cover. They have things like Snappi's, Boingos and diaper pins that you can use to hold the diaper on in "fancy" folds. (I don't use them, I'm too lazy and cheap to buy them, not that they're expensive or anything, and just do a pad type fold and place it in the cover. lol)

Anyway, considering how expensive disposables are this is an excellent solution. Especially since they can be used for years and through more than one kid.

2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Why am I doing this?

So I'm participating in this:

 You can find the sign-up and rules from Dirty Diaper Laundry (the creators of the wonderful challenge) here.

This is my third year doing this. This year I decided to do the blog prompts. I'm not sure why. Maybe in case there's someone out there who comes across this and it happens to help them. Anyway, I'll be blogging about my experience each day from a set of prompts to help us along. So, here we go!

Day 1 (May 11)- Why I’m Taking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge?

I'm talking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge because I want to raise awareness for people who can't afford diapers for their children. I want people to know there are other options out there besides expensive disposables. There are people who have to choose food or diapers for their kids and of course they choose food, who wouldn't? In some cases disposables get reused or they only use 1 to 2 diapers for the entire day because that's all they can afford to do. It doesn't have to be that way. There are alternatives that are very affordable. Among which are Flats.

Flats can be made out of anything. They are a single layer of flat fabric, hence the name flats. Usually they're made from natural fibers like cotton, bamboo, or hemp. They can be made from t-shirts, towels, receiving blankets, fabric you have, flour sack towels (FST), or can be bought pre-made from a store that sells cloth diapers. The awesome thing about flats is that they can absorb a lot, fit any baby, are extremely durable, wash very easily, dry super fast and are very very inexpensive. This makes them ideal for people who can't afford diapers (or anyone interested in diapers really) or people who don't have a washer and dryer of their own. Flats are probably my favorite diaper option to be honest. The simplicity of them makes them perfect for me. I had never used flats before I took the challenge 2 years ago in 2013 (I can't believe it's already been that long!) but I have been hooked ever since.

The first time I did the challenge I used flats made from old t-shirts I had cut up and FST that I bought from Target that were about $1 a piece. I already had covers since I already did cloth diapers.

My first Flats and Handwashing Challenge in 2013. I used cut up t-shirts and FST.

My first Flats and Handwashing Challenge in 2013. I used cut up t-shirts and FST.

The second year I participated was last year in 2014. I was unable to complete it unfortunately because on the second day my son ended up in the hospital having to have surgery and then in the PICU for a couple days, all because he choked on and aspirated a tiny piece of carrot. So last year was a bust.

I have however done flats and handwashing on other occasions besides the challenge. Going camping for example.

Here I am washing diapers while camping. Using my camp-style washer bucket.

I'm doing this because I'm obsessed with cloth diapers. I think they are wonderful and that everyone should use them. Obviously I know that isn't going to happen unless they suddenly stop making disposables. I just want people to know there is a more affordable option. Not only that but it's doable as well! It's easy to work in washing them into my schedule, even if I was more pressed for time. I also think it's fun and reminds me that I have options if I should ever need them. This actually helped me in real life when our washer was broken and we weren't able to get another one for a few weeks and couldn't go to a laundromat. I already knew how to hand wash diapers, so it was very easy for me to use what I had learned while doing that in order to wash our clothes quickly and efficiently. I'm not gonna lie. Doing this can seem a bit tedious at times, especially if I just don't want to do anything that day. But it is certainly doable and can be worked into my daily routine without interrupting it.

I know I had more to add and to make this less jumbled, but my pregnant brain has gotten the better of me so that's all for now I suppose. I'll see you tomorrow. Happy Flats Challenge!