Flats and Hand Wash Challenge- Final Thoughts and Impressions

It's over, the Flats and Hand Wash Challenge is over.  I think I should feel relieved or something, like "OH MY GOSH THANK GOODNESS I'M DONE!!" but I strangely don't.  Its odd, I actually enjoyed those little squares of cloth!  Not only that, but I got a strange since of satisfaction from hand washing them all too.

Going into this challenge I was convinced it was going to be hard.  I thought I would strongly dislike it (trying to get out of the habit of using the word hate!).  I was convinced I would fail, at least with Karma, a few days into it  and already had my excuses lined up as to why I couldn't continue.  "I have 3 girls in diapers!" "its just too much work, I have enough to do being a stay at home mom of 4 little ones" "Karma is a super soaker, there is no way those thin little flat can contain her".  The list went on and on.

I was willing to give it a try though because I wanted to see if it was in fact doable.  I have a little grass roots project with 2 other mamas called Spreading The Fluffy Love.  Our goal is to get diapers to mamas in need who cannot afford to start cloth diapering on their own.  I figured if I was able to do this challenge then I could in good conscience ask other mamas to use flats and even hand wash if they did not have access to a washer/dryer.

Once I started my motivation shifted a bit and I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it so that I could then add some flats and covers to our 72 hr emergency kits and have a sustainable way to diaper the girls if we were ever with out electricity for an extended period of time.  We live in the sticks so its very feasible that if something happened, like a huge tornado that knocked the electricity out, we could go days before it was turned back on.

The thing is, I didn't strongly dislike it, I didn't even dislike it a little bit, I enjoyed it.  Aside from a few a hiccups along the way it was pretty uneventful.  By the third day into the challenge I felt like I had been doing it forever.  Perhaps this was because I pretty much cloth diapered like this, using prefolds and the washing machine that is, for months when we first started out.  We had a very small stash when we started cloth diapering last summer and I had to use random things from around the house to get through each day.  I already knew that hooded baby towels make the best back up diapers, but take forever to line dry.

I actually love flats!  In fact I discovered that I like them FAR MORE than I do prefolds!  Prefolds and covers were all I had for the first 7 months!  Then in March/April I started to get nicer pocket, fitted and  AIO diapers and I felt quite spoiled.  I began to shove the prefolds to the back and use only the "nice" diapers.  I technically now had a stash large enough to only have to wash every other day but I was so sick of the prefolds and covers that I still washed daily so  I could strictly use the "nice" diapers. 

That's not the case with the flats, I really enjoyed them.  If I had it all to do over again I would have bought flats to go with my covers instead of prefolds.  Not only do I plan on buying 1 package of flats for our emergency kits I plan on buying a second package just for me to use.  Not only are they great to use on their own but yesterday and today I have been using them as boosters folded inside of Blissful Booty AIO diapers and they work great! (yesterday I was using them just on Karma since I ended the challenge Sunday night with her due to an eczema flare up, today on everyone)

This challenge reaffirmed my belief that cloth diapering does not have to be expensive to start out.  I think I got sidetracked and forgot that once I finally had "nice" fluff and became spoiled.  You don't need hundreds of dollars or a full stash of pocket or AIO diapers to start cloth diapering.  You can buy a few basic things like 2-3 reasonable priced covers and a package of flats to start you on your way. 

If you have absolutely no money you can still use what you have around your house.  Use receiving blankets, hooded towels, old t-shirts for the diapers.  There is no need for covers around the house if you can't buy them right away.  When you need to go out put on a pair of fleece PJ pants over the diaper, or an old wool sweater if you have one, you could even pin a fleece blanket on top.  Fleece and wool are water proof and they will not leak.  Fleece is my night time secret weapon, its the only thing that keeps Karma dry over night.  Then, you can take the money you would normally use to buy disposables and buy 1 nicer diaper each month.  After a few months you will have a nice little stash built up for your baby.

Cloth diapering is available to all moms, no matter what their income is, we just need to think outside the box sometimes.  I think too many moms research the options, see the $20-30 diapers and think "I can never buy enough of those, heck I can't even afford ONE!" and write off the entire idea as out of reach.  Or they think to themselves, "sure I could afford to buy diapers but I have no place to wash and dry them" and again brush off the entire idea.  The idea of using flats and hand washing probably never even occurs to most.  Hand washing is not and idea that most think of, but it can be done and you know what, its not bad at all! Just watch out for poop and invest in some gloves!

If I were advising a mama in need who had little to no money and was going to start a flat stash and hand wash them I would suggest:
Blue Dawn- easily available and cheaper than any cloth diaper friendly laundry soap.  Its also great to scrub out the shower, tub, sink or wherever it is you are washing the diapers so there is nothing left behind.
Purex Crystals- to help keep stinkies away, make diapers softer and make hand washing fun.
Gerber Flats- cheaper than other flats and again easily available for purchase.  Double up though, 1 will not cut it very long.  Two will go 3-4 hrs on a baby no problem.
Econobum Covers- they are simple adn white yes, but they do their job and if you watch Cotton Babies they often put them up on their seconds sales for $4.95 each and they always have free shipping.   That's where I got mine from. For 1 baby 4-5 would be enough covers so you could get them for $20-25.

For all of the above you could start cloth diapering for under $40! ($12 for flats, $20 for covers, $2 for dawn and $4 for the Purex Crystals).

Think outside the FLUFF!  It can be done!

Love,
this flats lovin mama,
Christy

P.S. A HUGE THANK YOU to Carrie Prince Cox for loaning the flats to us so we could be a part of this challenge.  We appreciate it very much!

Confessions of a Fluffy Fashionista

Hey ya'll, its K- here (aka Smunchkin).  I wanted to jump on and share my new passion with everyone.  You see, these days I am all about the fluff!

Sure, it makes my booty a look little extra poofy but I wear that padding well.

Allow me to take you on a tour through some of my favorite fluffy wear...

This little pink owl number was sent courtesy of Tiny Heiney, mom said something about it being meant for my little sister but I didn't care, I think I rock it way better than she ever could.

As soon as mom pulled this next little number out of the bag I called dibs.  Can you blame me, that's some serious fluff right there!

DIBS!

rockin out the Tiny Heiney pocket diaper

Sometimes I like to keep it low key and old school.  There is nothing better than the comfort of a Blissful Booty diaper for lounging around the house on lazy days.  They are also great for doing your "business" in, if you know what I mean.
Even the adults around me rave about how soft and comfy these diapers feel and wish they could wear them too.  I say back up off my fluff ya'll!

I still enjoy being frugal chic with my Econobums on occasion as well.  The pink is my favorite and the only Econobum I will wear anymore.

My favorite Bummis cover is super fashionable and pink but mom says its also still in the testing phase so I can't tell you much more about it than that. (nor am I allowed to post a picture of it, bummer).
So instead I will show ya'll my newest Bummis cover, I enjoy rockin this one out when I'm feeling a little tomboyish-who says girls can't like spaceships too?

These goodmama's fit like a dream, again mom said they were meant for Monkey and not me but can you blame a girl for laying claim to these?

So there you have it, my favorite fluff.  I let mom know everyday which diapers I want to wear.  If she tries to put something on me and I am not feeling it I let her  know.  For this Fluff Fashionista it's my way or the highway. 

Look out mom, I have my own tastes when it comes to the fluff I wear!

Love,
this tiny fluffy fashionista,
K-

I HEART Econobums!

When I saw Ted walk in the door with the little white package 2 days ago I knew exactly what was inside, my Econobums covers I had ordered days earlier.  I was so excited to rip into the package, even though I had been cloth diapering for a few weeks, these were the first covers I had been able to pick out and buy new.  Everything else I had was given to me by a good friend, but these were "mine".

The first thing I thought when I saw them was how cute and teeny tiny they looked, they were set on the smallest setting.  I wanted to immediately put them on my girls but decided it was best to wash them first.  It seemed to take forever to get them clean. I couldn't believe I was this excited about anything that had to do with diapers but I was. 

Once they were clean I put 1 on Kimmy and 1 on Karma, Karma is rocking hers out in the picture to the right.  They may be plain white and not as much "fun" to those familiar with the cloth diapering world but they were min and I loved them.  I loved how they fit, the other covers I had been given were like most CD covers and added more bulk or "fluff" as they call it.  The Econobum covers fit so sleek, paired with only 1 prefold you can barely tell they have a cloth diaper on.

The other reason why I love these diapers so much is their wallet friendly prices.  The 2 I bought were on a seconds sale through cottonbabies.com and were a mere $4.95 each.  This is pennies compared to the prices of many other covers.  The regular price for an Econobums cover is $8.95.  The cover plus 1 prefold is only $9.95 and then they have great starter kits.  They have a trial pack with 1 cover and 3 prefolds for $11.95.  They have a day pack for $48.95, this comes with 3 covers, 12 prefolds and 1 wet bag and its all you would need to cloth diaper a baby for 1 day, possibly 2, depending on how often you have to change your baby.  Then they have a complete set, all you would need to cloth diaper 1 baby full time for under $100  It comes with 6 covers, 24 prefolds and 1 wet bag.  These are great prices for families like ours that may not have a lot of money to invest in CDing but want to make the switch.

I have decided from now on I will buy people either the trial pack or day pack, depending on finances at the time, to give as baby shower gifts.  I believe if people could see a cloth diaper, touch it, feel it and learn to use it they would like them.  So many people, me included, think of cloth in terms of old school cloth diapering.  The stuff our parents or grandparents used and its so much easier now. 

I am so happy I made the switch and I want to help others to learn that cloth is just as easy as disposables.  Before I switched I thought it was going to be so hard, they were going to make my whole house smell and add a lot of work onto my already overflowing plate.  In reality they were easy, added no extra work and if anything they help me because they make me think about laundry on a daily basis so that my laundry does not build up on me.

So if you are thinking about trying out some cloth, give Econobums a try.  They are so cheap that if you decide cloth is not for you you don't have to worry about some big upfront investment.  As I said before, they are kinda boring, only coming in plain white.  They have announced color trims coming soon though.  If you give them a try and decide you like cloth then you can experiment with other brands and buy the fun colorful covers they offer.
 I am perfectly happy with my plain white little bums though.

I HEART ECONOBUMS and I HEART CLOTH DIAPERING!