Flats Challenge: DAY 5

I am participating in the 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge, hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  I have pledged to use flats, and handwash them, for 7 days.  The Challenge was an idea that came about after numerous articles referenced the practice of reusing disposable diapers.  Families with no money for new diapers were scraping out the solid contents or using a hair dryer to dry the diapers for reuse.  Not only is this unsanitary but it is also extremely dangerous. {read the original article} It was the personal mission of Kim of DDL to educate others that, although not ideal, hand washing the inexpensive flat cloth diapers was an option to families who had no other way to diaper.  No baby should have to suffer when there are ways to diaper for less than $50.00.

A little Flats Challenge humor!
(not sure who made this to credit them)

DAY 5

UPDATE:  We have a TON to do today (shopping, packing, lunch, speech therapy, gymnastics, loading up the car, then a 6 hour car trip).  E woke up first thing with a nasty diaper, then another one soon after (where the receiving blanket leaked even his pee, but fortunately not the poop).  The last 2 days he's had nasty "teething poo", but he's not teething.  Not fun with flats, but I've dealt with it and just washed more often.  But today (and the next 2 days) I won't have time or be able to handwash diapers every few hours.  We don't have enough to go more than 5 diaper changes before I need to wash. 

So I cheated.  And not even with a regular cloth diaper.  I cheated with disposable inserts.  I have them to use on our trip once the Challenge was over, but I'm starting early.  I don't want to leave dirty cloth diapers here for 5 days, so it was the next best option. 

I am still handwashing the last batch of flats and covers.  I knew at this point I could have just thrown them in the washer, but I wanted to at least follow through with that part.  So, I think I am done with the Flats & Handwashing Challenge.  I really wanted to follow through, and I'm a little disappointed.  But, I'm still proud I even did the first 4 days with our busy week. 


The rest of this blog I wrote yesterday, since I wasn't sure I'd be able to sit and blog this morning.  So read on for things I've learned, and some helpful tips!

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I've learned a lot this week.  I've been cloth diapering for almost 2.5 years, done a TON of research, lead our local cloth diaper group, but I have never done anything quite like this challenge.

I'll be honest.... I was this close to backing out last minute.  I have had so much going on recently, and the next 5-6 weeks are just crazy busy.  I didn't want to add using "inconvenient" diapers, and the time to handwash diapers, to my list of things to do this week.  Not to mention the blog posts to go along with it.  And the fact that Day 5 we will be in the car for 6 hours, and Days 6-7 will be out of town.  There were too many good reasons NOT to take this challenge. 

But, I'm glad I did!  I'm glad I have stuck with it so far.  We'll see how things go when we hop in the car later, and spend the next couple of days out of town, but so far it has taught me a lot.



Here are just a few things I've learned so far:

• Pad folding inside a PUL cover is just like using an AI2 style diaper.
• Flats & handwashing are only as difficult as you make them out to be.  I took a simple approach, and found this challenge was much easier than I anticipated.  I think if I had over-thought it (or had a very negative attitude towards it) I would have just made it more difficult on myself.
• I really can cloth diaper my child with things found around the house.  Receiving blankets aren't my favorite diaper, but they work (sometimes;).  So do t-shirts.  Flour sack towels are my favorite.  Granted, not everyone has PUL or wool covers, but they are easy to get or make.  Baby washcloths make great wipes (but I already knew that!).  This is advice I frequently give, but never experienced first hand.  Now I have!
• In case of emergency, I will not have to worry about what to use as a diaper.  I can get creative.  I know how to wash them if I don't have access to a washing machine.
• Don't spend 30 minutes drying and straightening your hair, then wash the diapers.  You'll get sweaty and undo what you just did.... 

TIPS:

• Always have an extra change of clothes when running errands.  I've been lucky with our regular cloth diapers not to have to do this. 
• Be sure the cover goes over all of the flat.  I forgot a few times and the wet flat stuck out of the cover, causing leaks.
• Wash daily, or it's just more work.  I found that 5-8 items (covers and wetbags included) were the easiest for me to wash at one time.  I sometimes washed twice a day, but once a day was usually enough.
•  Line drying outside is much quicker than indoors.  Plus, the sun helps sanitize the diapers, while fading stains.  
• Flats are extremely versatile!  They can be used in ANY cloth diaper.  Plus, they make fantastic cleaning or burp rags.  Also good for spilled drinks!  
• It doesn't take much detergent when handwashing diapers.  I used 1-1.5 tsp to wash 5-8 items, with the bathtub filled about 1/4 of the way.
• When taking diapers off an outdoor clothesline, shake well to remove any bugs. 
• Beat, shake, and/or twist dry diapers to soften them up.
• Don't skimp on the agitating.  When agitating diapers by hand (or with a plunger),  it feels a lot longer than it is.  4-5 minutes worked well for me, then soak, then another 3-4 minutes of agitation before rinsing.  Diapers may stink if they don't get clean enough.
• Moisturize!  My hands have been very dry this week, so lotion has been my friend.  

I will try to update as soon as I am able with how the final days of this Challenge went while out of town.  If I have internet access, I will try to get at least one blog post up.  Here's hoping I don't give up on flats in the last 2 days of the challenge.  My only concern is finding time to handwash the diapers.  [insert sad face here]

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: DAY 1

I am participating in the 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge, hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  I have pledged to use flats, and handwash them, for 7 days.  The Challenge was an idea that came about after numerous articles referenced the practice of reusing disposable diapers.  Families with no money for new diapers were scraping out the solid contents or using a hair dryer to dry the diapers for reuse.  Not only is this unsanitary but it is also extremely dangerous. {read the original article} It was the personal mission of Kim of DDL to educate others that, although not ideal, hand washing the inexpensive flat cloth diapers was an option to families who had no other way to diaper.  No baby should have to suffer when there are ways to diaper for less than $50.00.



DAY 1

You may think it's a little weird to choose flats and handwashing when I have a perfectly "normal" stash of cloth diapers (a fairly large one, at that).  But I'm sure you think it's just insane to choose to handwash diapers for one full week, when my washer is in full working condition. 

So WHY? would I choose flats and handwashing for 7 full days?  Why would I choose to take the extra time when I am busy planning my soon-to-be 5 year old's birthday party?  Why, when I am planning a 5 day trip to visit family?  Day 5 of this challenge, we will be in the car for 6 hours.  Days 6-7 we will be staying with family.  Outside, at a lake, in the woods.  I already plan to use a hybrid system (for the 1st time) the remainder of our trip.  But the plan is to stay dedicated to the Flats Challenge. 

The first reason that comes to mind is so that I am able to share my personal experience with those who could benefit from using flats and handwashing full time.  As the founder of the DFW Cloth Diaper Project, I would love to be able to share my own tips and tricks.  As with all things cloth diapering, I like to be able to give my own opinion, since it adds a more personal touch.  How can I teach someone to handwash diapers if I've never done so myself? 

I recommend that people use flats and covers on trips, since they are easy to handwash.  Since the last 2.5 days of this challenge will be on vacation, I will also be able to give my personal experience with flats while traveling.

First Flat of the Challenge!
Flour Sack Towel, "diaper bag fold", with an organic flat as a doubler.
I only use pins with flats.
My poor little guy was attacked by ants and mosqitoes this weekend:(

Another reason is to simply prove to myself that I can do it.  I admit, I am nervous about handwashing.  I bought flats last year in preperation for the 1st Flats & Handwashing Challenge.  However, I was in a motorcycle accident about a month prior to the Challenge and was not able to participate.  I have never been a prefolds girl, I just don't like them.  But I discovered last year that I actually kinda like flats.  Not my favorite diaper, but there's something nostalgic about using flats and pins.

Another reason I'm participating is the good ol' Boy Scout motto:  Be Prepared!  I have been caught out of the house, running errands, with a poopy toddler... and NO DIAPER BAG.  I used the spare diaper (a Flip cover and stay dry insert) from the car, but he pooped again.  We were at the mall, so I went into a department store and bought some receiving blankets on clearance.  I felt so proud that I was able to think of that!  I can honestly tell you that if that had happened when we used disposables (we used them for 2.5 years before we knew about cloth) that I would have been poop out of luck (pun intended!).  I would have gotten nothing done and just gone home. 

We live in North Texas.  Tornadoes are not common, but also not rare.  Not too long ago we took shelter in our bathroom while tornadoes touched down all over the metroplex (the closest one less than 10 miles away).  If tragedy struck our home, I feel I would be well prepared to use items that are easily found (t-shirts, towels, blankets) as diapers.  This Challenge will give me the tools I need, so that diapering my child is one less thing to worry about in a terrible situation. 

So that's it!  The many reasons I want to participate in this Challenge.  E was actually dry all morning long in his first flat (though he wouldn't pee on the potty, despite several attempts)!  I finally changed him around 1:30, when he welcomed this Challenge with a BANG!  Oh, what fun it is to change nasty stinky diapers in the car....

Are you throwing money away?

Real Diaper Week is here!! The DFW Cloth Diaper Group is so excited to be participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change again this year! For those of you who don't know, the GCDC is an event to raise awareness for cloth diapers. This year we are attempting to break last year's World Record of 5,026 babies simultaneously changed into a cloth diaper around the world.

We are participating in the Real Diaper Week Blog Hop!

This year, Real Diaper Week was introduced to help YOU advocate for cloth diapers in your local community. The theme is "Real Simple. Real Diapers." Each day this week we will focus on the daily topic, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family!

A little over 2 years ago we had 2 kids in diapers.  That was expensive.  I was hoping that our oldest would potty train before his little brother was born, but alas, that did not happen.  He was 2.5 years, and Eli was 2 months old, when a friend asked if we had considered cloth diapers. 

"Oh, hell no!" was my initial reaction.

Then I clicked on the link (to see what craziness she wanted me to take part in), and instead of old prefolds and plastic pants, I saw the most adorable things a child can poop in!  I wasn't on board just yet... after all, I hate laundry.  But after doing the math, I decided it might be worth a try. 

$40 a week - $160 a month - was going in the trash.  But only after our kids pooped on it.  For us, that was a LOT of money.  We sure could use it for other necessities.  So I started my research.  I decided to only dip my toes in, and bought 3 diapers.  I was still skeptical, so I didn't want to jump in until we were sure.

But with the first diaper, I was hooked!  I knew we could do it.  I convinced hubby, and we slowly built up a stash big enough for 2 kids.  I was thrilled the first time I went to the store and did NOT have to buy diapers! 

I was standing in line at the store one day behind a young mother, with her 2 small children.  She placed the small amount of food on the counter (we were in the 20 items or less lane), and a package of diapers.  She didn't have enough money for all of it.  I told the cashier to just put the food that the woman put back on my bill, that I would pay for it.  But the cashier ignored me each time I said something (I was getting more than annoyed with her).  I tried to quickly pay for my items, planning on adding the left-behind food, but the young mother rushed out of the store before I was done.  She was gone.  I knew cloth diapers could have helped her so she wouldn't have to make that decision between food and diapers.

Source: jenniferlabit.files.wordpress.com via Brenda on Pinterest

I couldn't help that mom, but I wanted to help others.  I reached out to a local non-profit, but was quickly shut down.  They didn't think their families would be committed.  But they didn't even give those families the chance to decide for themselves.

I wasn't going to stop there, though I did put it on the back burner as I was starting up the DFW Cloth Diaper Group.  And then there was the motorcycle accident my husband and I were in.  But last summer, we took the right steps to start the DFW Cloth Diaper Project!  We collected diapers, stripped them, organized them, and finally, in November 2011, we were open for business! 

It has been so wonderful to be able to help local families!  The cost of diapers was once a major hinderance for us.  I know what it's like to not pay a bill, or cut down on groceries, so you can buy diapers.  We were "better off" than many other families (and have a very supportive family), but we still struggled.  I don't want other families to make that choice between food and diapers.

How YOU can help:

• Donate (diapers or money) to the DFW Cloth Diaper Project, or other cloth diaper charities.
• Help lead a class on how to make your own cloth diapers (coming soon to the DFW area; see HERE if you would like to help!).
• SHARE this post to raise awareness.

DFW Great Cloth Diaper Change

University Christian Church

Fellowship Hall

2420 S. University Dr

Fort Worth, TX 76109

Vendor Expo and GCDC Event!

10:00 - 1:00

Visit our website for more information!

Keepin' it local, even when "local" isn't next door.

This is a new series about our local cloth diaper shops. Each week, we will feature two local shops! You will learn where they are located and all about their products.  For more information about our local cloth diaper community, please visit our website! 

On the Cloth Diaper Project's facebook page, someone mentioned they wanted a local shop closer to them so they didn't have to drive so far to shop for cloth diapers.  As we begin our series on shopping local, I thought it would be appropriate to share my response.

We are VERY fortunate to have so many cloth diaper shops in the area!! When I first started cloth diapering, I knew of zero local shops. I asked on online cloth diaper forums, and no one could help me. I finally found out about the Nappy Shoppe and Babies Bottoms and More, and then the others as the Group expanded. But by then, I had a full stash and didn't *need* anything else. I am not a big fan of online shopping, I prefer to see/feel the product before deciding if I want to spend my money on it. And then there is the shipping (which increases the cost of each item, imo)

When I shopped online for diapers, it was very difficult. I bought a few at a time (enough to get free shipping) before deciding if I wanted to order more of that brand, or try something else. I had to wait for them to process the order and ship it to me. It would be a week or so before knowing if I would even like the look of the diaper. I ended up spending more than I needed to on diapers, because of this trial/error with online shopping.

If I had known about local shops, it would be so much easier. Even if I had to drive 1-2 hours, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I could have seen the diapers to compare side by side to know which ones I thought would fit my LO best. I would have felt if they were as soft as I wanted against his skin. I would have had the expert help from the shop owner to answer questions about those specific diapers. I would have gone home that same day with diapers to start trying with E. I would have saved money by not buying diapers that I didn't like the look of, despite having to spend money on gas to get there/back.

Plus, I would have been supporting local wahm businesses.

So many people do not have a CD shop remotely close to them. We have 2 diaper services, 15 retailers, and many wahm shops in this area. That is unheard of! I mentioned this in a meeting with Heather M (president of the Real Diaper Association) and a few other cloth diaper advocates, they were astounded at the number of local shops.

So while I do understand your situation (we've been there so many times, and sometimes still are there -- like this week), I just want to remind you of how lucky we are to have so many shops so close to us! Even if "close" means 45 minutes or more, that is much closer than most others who use cloth diapers.

Ultimately, I think it will still be a better choice financially to make the drive to shop local. You will not spend extra money on items you may not like or on shipping. The shop owners can help you with making the best choice for your family to save you money. Shopping online, it is hard to get that personal service (while many online shops have AMAZING customer service, it is not the same as someone standing in front of you answering questions and showing you items).

I do think it would be awesome to have a shop in that direction, but the interest has to be there on that side of town, and someone needs to start it up:) Keep in mind that all of our local shops are also online, and have a lot of business that is not local. Local sales alone will not be enough to keep them  in business. There are only 2 actual storefronts in our area, with a few others with in-home stores (an area of their home that they have converted to a store). Being a store-front (brick & mortar) takes a lot more investment and on-going costs, which is why it is difficult in this economy for them to be a common thing. Most cloth diaper shops are online only because they cannot afford to open a b&m shop.  

Okay, now I'm off my soap box. Can you tell this is something I'm passionate about, too, lol? I just wanted to share a different perspective on local shops vs online shopping, from a customer's standpoint. Sharni from the Nappy Shoppe has been posting a lot recently about shopping locally from a retailer vs online from deal a day websites, so she's got my mind going there;) Anyway, let me know your thoughts on this. Feel free to disagree, but this is how I personally feel on the subject.


We went on to have a discussion about this, and while I do understand not everyone can or will shop local, I still feel that you should try to as much as possible.  You can shop online at all of our local shops!  So even if you aren't able to drive there, you can still support them from your home.  Sharni, owner of the Nappy Shoppe, has been blogging about why you should shop local.  Here is a great post that she borrowed from a fellow cloth diaper retailer, about 10 reasons why you should shop local. 

It is hard for even me to remember how it was to not know about our local shops.  I felt that online was the only place I could go for information about cloth diapers, and places to shop for them.  This is part of the reason I started the DFW CD Group, so that others can know where they can go to get a hands on cloth diaper experience.  I actually feel like I'm cheating in some way if I do not shop locally.  I have to remind myself that most people who make the choice to cloth diaper do not have such a large support group in their area, nor do they have so many choices on where to shop locally. 

While I do not expect everyone to be willing to drive several hours to visit a cloth diaper shop (many drive from surrounding areas, even from Oklahoma, to visit cloth diaper stores in this area), I do hope that there is appreciation for the amazing cloth diaper community we have in the DFW area! 

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about our amazing local cloth diaper shops! 

What reasons would you add to the top 10 reasons to shop local?