Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Conclusions

 

I just got done stuffing pocket diapers. Diapers that had been washed in the washing machine along with their inserts that had then been dried in the dryer. That must mean one thing: the handwashing challenge is over.

I must say that I am glad to be able to use my washing machine again, it just makes things much more convenient since there isn't much hands-on work involved. But did I hate the challenge? Not at all! Would I do it again if I needed to? Absolutely!

Actually washing the diapers was not bad at all but when it came time to rinse and wring, my sister and I both agree that a hand crank wringer like in the old days would make things much easier.

I have talked about my thoughts on the washing a few times so that is nothing new. Flats themselves were also nothing new to me. So let's talk about the real reason we took this challenge: low income families going without and reusing disposable diapers. This challenge was supposed to show that cloth diapering can be done without a lot of money or even a washer/dryer. Let's look at two aspects of this, cost and practicality.

Cost:

The cost can be as minimal as you want. You can make flats out of old clothes and sheets around the house. You can buy plastic or fleece pants as well as make your own fleece covers and pants. Or you can buy flour sack towels from Walmart for less than $1 a piece. You can buy a stash of cloth diapers for your child for less than $30, everything included. While nicer flats and covers must be bought online, those without internet access (or the means to purchase things over the internet) can still use flats.

Practicality:

Now what about the time factor? For stay-at-home parents it would seem as if this would be less of an issue. But several people wrote during the challenge about not being able to wash or having trouble because there was always someone screaming or needing something. But I think this is a problem that can be overcome by finding a more convenient time (wait? is there ever a convenient time for anything with kids?).

But what about single parents? Can you really expect a single mother working two jobs to wash diapers by hand in the little bit of time she has at home? In that case, washing diapers by hand may not be very practical. But what if it is either that or leave her child in a diaper for 12 hours during the day? What if it is wash by hand or not have money to feed her child? I would hope that if put in that situation, I would do the best thing for my child and wash cloth diapers by hand. It would not be easy or fun, but I would do it (I hope).

There are disposable diaper banks out there that thankfully help families in need, but the demand is much higher than the supply. So is there anything we can do to help? Yes, according to Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry. Read her thoughts on the conclusion of the challenge to see how she says we (cloth diaper-ers, that is) can help.

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 3

I really only have one interesting (okay, only interesting to me I am sure) thought to share on day 3 of the challenge - why have I neglected my plastic pants so much? They were given to me in a box of well loved prefolds (and I'm talking Gerber type prefolds that people hate on but I am loving!) along with a mix of homemade and halfway finished homemade fitteds. Like I have said, they are really ugly (and cute is one thing I enjoy about cloth!) and so old fashioned. I feel that as a modern cloth diaper user I must show others the advancements that have been made in this area in order to show how awesome they are...and plastic pants just don't give people the warm fuzzies about trying cloth diapers.

That being said, they are the best covers I have ever used. . I have used them before, but only in a pinch. A few months ago the kid went through an awful phase where he was having blowouts from every single diaper. Disposable, prefold, flat, fitted, all in one, pocket, you name it. Fleece and wool covers were no match and neither were any of his covers, no matter how great the gussets on them. But I never tried the plastic pants. But I think I should have. Because when he had a nasty blowout from his flat today (even when I did an awesome job rolling it in on the sides), the plastic pants held it all in perfectly. And that reminded me that it was not the first time they have done that. I think it has to do with the fit - while they are nice and tight (fitted, really) in the legs, they have a little room in them. Other covers are right next to the diaper. I will spare you the reasons behind it (as if I haven't tortured you enough), but I think the kid needs the extra room in the cover that the plastic pants give him. 

Okay, I will stop singing the praises of the plastic pants now. Except to say that they are a very affordable option as well as being very functional. They are just not attractive. 

Oh, and they are not actually plastic anymore. They are actually made from nylon, which is more breathable and not as toxic as the plastic pants of yesterday. But I still call them plastic pants  :)

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 2

dirty diapers soaking in the tub
I go to get my camera and the kid decides they need a couple toys

Today was washing day! I went by the basic instructions on Zany Zebra about how to wash in the bathtub.

• Step 1: Plug the sink or tub drain and add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of detergent.
• Step 2: Add water as hot as you can stand, being sure to leave room for the cloth diapers to move freely. I added water until it just got over the top of the diapers. 
• Step 3: Add the diapers and swish until they're all wet and soapy. At this point you could let them soak if you wish. I let them soak for probably 30-45 minutes.
• Step 4: Knead the diapers with your hands like you're kneading bread for several minutes (rubber gloves makes this less icky). 
• Step 5: Unplug the sink or tub and let the water drain out.
• Step 6: Rinse the diapers under hot or warm running water until the water is clear. This seems a little wasteful but it does not take long for the detergent to rinse out since the diapers are so thin.
• Step 7: Wring out your diapers and place in the dryer or hang to dry. Wring, wring, wring. Then wring some more.

Washing diapers this way was really not that bad at all. The biggest tip I have is to make sure that you get as much poop of the diapers as possible before doing this. If the poop doesn't just plop off when dunked, you can either scrape with a knife (set aside for this purpose) or "dunk and swish" in the toilet. A diaper sprayer also makes this job easy, but is not allowed per the rules since it is costly. Of course, you can always use the detachable shower head if you have one. The shower in the kid's bathroom just so happens to be right next to 
the toilet so this is what I do. 

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! 

  

Flat Diaper Alternatives

"flats" from Ikea

Flat diapers, while still one of the cheapest options, can get expensive depending on the type and brand you use. But they do not have to be pricy or ordered from a specialty store. You can instead walk into just about any big-box type store and buy them. Of course, they will not be labeled as "flat diapers." But since flats are really just large squares of thin fabric, there are many things that work great as flat diapers. While I am sure there are a few more things you can use, here is a list of a few different alternatives to traditional flats:

• Receiving blankets. You can buy these anywhere you would buy baby stuff and I guarantee that anyone who has a baby has at least one or ten of these around. Not all of these varieties can be snappied, but they can all be pinned or used to lay inside a cover. My favorite receiving blankets? The ones I got at the hospital that are huge enough to use with lots of doublers at night for my toddler and are easily snappied. 

• Ikea burp cloths. The store Ikea sells burp cloths with cute prints in a package of three for about $4. These are the perfect size. While they are starting to get a little small on the 37 inch, 31 pound kid, they still provide plenty of coverage and have been super trim since we bought them. There was no prep involved in these at all (other than their initial washing!) and have always been really absorbent and easy to fold.

• Flour Sack Towels. These can be found at Walmart and Target (and probably other stores) in packs of three - four. Each "diaper" will run you around $1. While I have no experience with these, I hear great things about them. 

• Homemade. Okay, so this isn't an option if you want to buy something pre-made, but you can make some out of inexpensive materials or even something you have around the house. You can buy many types of material such as birdseye, flannel, or even terry cloth to use and simply cut into a 27"x27" square and finish the edges. You can also cut up an old t-shirt to use.

Whether or not you are participating in the challenge, I hope these show you that it does NOT have to be expensive to cloth diaper. 

Flats & Handwashing Challenge

It has been over a month since I first read this article about the extreme and dangerous practices that some parents engage in in order to be able to diaper their children. We all know that the cost of disposable diapers over 2-3 years adds up, and this leaves some parents having to make the choice between diapers and other basic necessities like food. So what is a parent to do when they only have a few diapers left and it is days before they will be able to afford another pack? This decision is leading some parents to go to extreme measures to stretch their diapers - from simply leaving the child in a diaper too long to even cleaning and reusing a soiled diaper (though I can't even wrap my mind around how this would actually work). 

Though it would seem that cloth diapers would be the answer to this problem, but there are problems with this answer, too. First, cloth diapers can (notice I said "can") be very expensive up front. But even when you forget about the fancy diapers and only focus on the basic types, there is a learning curve. Cloth diapering isn't the norm like it was several decades ago so you can't just ask anybody how to do it or to trouble shoot if you are having problems. 

There is also the issue of daycare. Many daycares refuse to use cloth and even when they do, they only accept the more expensive diapers like pockets and all-in-ones. 

Then there is washing. Many low income families have no washer and dryer access other than laundromats, so then they have the added issue of hauling a large bag of stinky diapers to the laundromat and simply having enough diapers to last them between wash days. And for families working many hours and even several jobs, this added time can be hard to find. Especially for single mothers. 

With all these issues in mind, Dirty Diaper Laundry has decided to challenge herself and parents all over to only use flat diapers for a week, May 23-May 30. Participants must wash all diapers by hand as well as follow several other rules intended to make this challenge more realistic. Flat diapers are the most economical diapers there are and the easiest and fastest to wash and dry. They are also very versatile and can be used in many ways. 

Some may wonder why. What is the point? To me, this challenge is about awareness. It is showing that it is possible for almost every parent to cloth diaper their child in some way. It is showing that it is not nearly as hard or expensive as many think.

I also just like the challenge aspect of this and the learning experience it will be. I don't know what the future holds for me and do not know if one day I will be in a situation where I will need to know how to wash simple diapers by hand, either because I can't afford diapers any other way or because my washer is broken. 

I realize that this may be a little simpler for me since I am a stay-at-home mom, but I will have a very, um, adventurous and curious 2 year old underfoot and will be almost 9 months pregnant. So that counts for something, right? 

I excuse posting about this challenge so close to the date, but I urge as many of you as possible to participate. This is not an all-or-nothing deal. You can participate one day, seven days, or for just a few diaper changes a day. No matter what capacity you participate, even if it is reading about other's experiences, I hope that this challenge is beneficial to all.

Here are a few other posts relating to the challenge:

Flat Diaper Alternatives - What else can be used?
How to Fold a Flat Diaper - Origami fold