Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 1

Well day 1 of the Flats & Handwashing Challenge is almost over and not much has been different today. We did go to a playgroup for several hours today, and while I normally use pockets when we are out of the house for simplicity, I have used flats on occasion and it wasn't too big of a deal. 

I am going pretty simple for this challenge. Isn't that pretty much how I do things here at Green & Thrifty? For flats I am using my Ikea burp cloths and receiving blankets. I will be using my Snappis but hope to become a pinning expert since those are more readily available to people. As for the 5 covers that I am allowed to use per the rules, I have chosen 3 plastic pants (mine are Bummis brand but are the same thing as the Gerber pants you can pick up at places like Walmart and Target), 1 snapping Prorap, and a pair of homemade fleece pants. I realize not everyone can sew, but any fleece pants can be used as a diaper cover as long as they are polyester. 

I am using less diapers today than most as the kid is currently running around naked. Not only does that mean I do not have to fight with him for a diaper change (which isn't all the time but he can be pretty strong willed) but it also means that I can wait a little longer to wash! Though I will probably be washing every day and a half or so because I just do not have a lot of flats and really didn't want to purchase more for the challenge. Though I have been thinking about cutting up some of the old t-shirts in my upcycle box to turn into flats!

As for a wet bag I will be using my beautiful SquishyFace Baby one for the diaper bag, but at home I have decided to replace mine for the week with a pillowcase. It is about as simple and thrifty as you can get and goes right into the small/medium trash can that I currently have in the master bathroom to hold dirty diapers (though normally it is lined with a mesh laundry bag). 

I also decided to go pretty simple with my wash method this week - I am going to be washing, using only my hands, in the bathtub. There are other ways to do it such as using a washboard and making a camp style washer with a bucket and plunger. But again, I didn't want to spend any money preparing for this challenge and wanted to make my set-up as simple as possible. 

I have had zero leaks today, even when the kid has his big poop of the day this morning in a flat. I will admit that I am not one of those cloth diaper parents who can say that there kid never has leaks in cloth diapers as opposed to disposables. I am the opposite (well, almost). But I will also admit that I have never, ever had a leak in a pair of plastic pants, no matter what kind of diaper the kid was wearing or what he filled it with. They are quite possibly the ugliest choice as far as diaper covers go, but they work! I never grab them except when I run out of clean covers and am in a bind (I didn't buy them, they were handed down to me from another mom), but they never disappoint!