Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 7 "It's over already"

This post was originally started on Sunday..
Today is the last day of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge and I have to say that it has been a very eye opening experience. With every flat and cover we hand washed brought us closer to bringing awareness of how as parents we will do what it takes to take care of our children.  I will try and keep it brief but to sum it all up it was easier than I thought. After I purchased my supplies for my bucket washer I was ready to go as we already use flats and covers on a daily basis. And then it happened. I broke down and purchased a few more covers just in case (let me stop lying- they were cute!) We made it through the whole challenge without having any rashes or stink issues. I made sure that I stuck to the same routine as I do with a regular washer.

Surprise!

Going cover-less for the 1st time!

All in all the hard part was wringing out all the water and finding a place to hang the flats and covers to dry. We made them into window curtains, shower curtains, if there was space we used it! Looking back, I wish that I had took more pictures but I am content with the ones that I do have.

I have to say that it was business as usual for our family when it came to the challenge. My husband even got it on the fun also, lol. Don't worry, I have been doing vlogs as well. We had a blast trying new folds and I can't wait to see how the challenge will be for me when I have ONE in cloth instead of THREE!

 

Here is a recap of the challenge with some help from mommy's little helper. :)

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 6 "Lord, help me.."

I have been so out of the blog loop that it's crazy! We have been participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge where over 400 men and women are using only flat diapers and diaper covers on their little one(s). This is to bring awareness that cloth diapers are inexpensive and healthy for your children.

During this challenge I have handwashed ALL of my 3 kids diapers. Yes, you heard me 3. We have had our ups (clean poopy diapers) and downs ("What did you eat?" diapers) but looking back I would not change a thing. This challenge has brought me back to why I decided to cloth diaper, to spend more time with my kids while saving money. I love the fact that I am doing this because I spend more time with them.

 At first I was doing this to watch for when they are pooping but now it's like...cherishing the moments I have with them. Instead of thinking "Oh, I can't wait for them to potty learn." I'm thinking "They are growing up and one day they will be independent and not need mommy to change them." To me that is an eye opener. They grow up so fast and I want to enjoy every moment of it. So with every load I wash from now on will be one less load I have to do until it becomes just a memory. No more matching covers to outfits or stalking cloth diaper swaps and stores for the latest print. Wow, I'm tearing up right now. For the twins this is a chapter that is about to close but for my infant we still have time. Do me a favor y'all let's finish this challenge with memories in our hearts and blisters on our hands.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Day 3-How Do You Use Your Flats?

Today is day 3 of the flats and handwashing challenge and the topic for today is "How do you use your flats?". So far I have tried the pad, diaper bag , origami, happy anteater and airplane fold to see which one best suites my 3 kids. I love the fact that flats can be folded in 15 different ways. Right now, my favs are the pad fold (daddy friendly) and the "Happy Anteater" fold with a snappi or boingo. For my daughter who is a heavy wetter we tried the Airplane fold and needless to say it worked..until she got a hold of a large glass of tea. ;)

Airplane fold with snappi

At night, my husband uses the pad fold and we are able to get to through the night for both the twins and my infant easily. During the day I experiment with different folds while my kiddos lovingly kick and squirm with delight (just kidding). 0_0 All in all, I love the fact that I can fill my diaper bag to the max with enough flats to get through a full, yes full day. Also, I have been able to use my flats as a nursing cover, snack holder, car window shade..you name it, I have probably used a flat for it. Now that we have a bucket washer I will pack that along with our flats and covers in our vehicle just in case of an emergency.You can never be too prepared. :)

The 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge!

OK, so I have not written a post in months but now I have an awesome cause to blog about. This year I (with the help of my loving husband) will be participating in the flats challenge. It is being hosted by Kim of Dirty Diaper Laundry and it is to bring awareness of how inexpensive cloth diapers are.
Last year, there was a great uproar over the fact that parents who were washing and reusing disposable diapers because of the economy. I remember hearing about this and at the time we were looking into cloth diapers and were still using disposables. Fast forward to the present. We are going to be using only flat diapers and waterproof covers on possibly two (my son is potty learning 0_0) children. We also will handwash and line dry all of the diapers to show that even without washer and dryer you can cloth diaper. I have even gone to the lengths as to make a camp-style bucket washer so that I can handle all of the diapers that we will be going through. We have been using flats for a few months and we love them! They are absorbent and dry fast. Plus, they sun bleach well ;). I'm also a vlogger on YouTube, my channel is NapturalMommy and I am also part of the EcoCocoaMommy channel. I look forward to doing vlogs and blog posts daily so let's see how it goes. For more information regarding the challenge check out Kim's blog Dirty Diaper Laundry

Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Day 1-Why I’m Taking the Challenge?

Can I be honest? I'm so scared that I can't even pad fold my kids diapers right now. I even posted my declaration of  what some might call insanity on my Facebook page. I've had a few friends ask me "Why are you doing that?" Well, here's why. I want to show that cloth diapering  is not what everyone thinks it is. Excuse me if my grammar may not be up to par but you get my drift.

Right now, as I type this entry there are women and men across the globe that are forsaking their modern technology for the basic of the basic. We are taking the Dirty Diaper Laundry 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2012 to bring awareness that you can cloth diaper your children for less than it would be for  disposable diapers.

We started using cloth diapers once we found out that we were expecting our third child! My husband and I  realized that we would have 3 in diapers! So we did our research and we started with the hybrids, then we switched to pockets and now we are using mostly flats and fitted diapers.

Gotta love the smell of spring!

I believe that this challenge will make alot impact because everyone is or has gone through that moment of "do we have enough diapers til payday?" Well, by using flat diapers and waterproof covers that thought goes out the window! Stay tuned as I will post a link to my YouTube vlog about our first day!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Day 2-What Supplies I am Using?

Today is day two of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge and it's time to talk about the supplies. Right now I have few dozen flats, receiving blankets, 3 flour sack towels, covers, wipes, a bucket and lid from home depot, a plunger, and a drying rack. Today has been, well "crappy". Yesterday was a cake walk and I was able to wash the diapers and snap a cute picture to post on my blog. Today is a different story. But I'm not here to rant about my day, I'm here to talk about my "ammo". :) 

Flats: A flat diaper is basis of cloth diapers. It is a thin fabric, whether birdseye cotton or terry it is very absorbent and versatile. I am using a Diaper Rite Flat diaper purchased from a local diaper store. Another alternative is to use a receiving blanket. These are easy to come by as we all receive a TON of them at baby showers. If you are in a bind and you run out of diapers you can always find flour sack towels at Target.

Covers: This is what keeps your little ones cute outfit from becoming a disaster. I have a variety of covers to use for the challenge. Each meets the 

needs of my three children. 

Wipes: I am using Thirsties fab wipes and so far they are staying soft after line drying them. ;) 

Bucket/Plunger/Lid=Campstyle Washer: For under $10 I was able to make my own washer! Here is how I made it. :)

Drying Rack: Depending on how many diapers and covers you have in your load, you may be able to get by with one. Now me...I might have to get one (or two) more.... Let's see how tomorrow goes.