Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 7 (LAST DAY!)

This past week I have been participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.

As I reflect on the last week, I realize it was not nearly the challenge I thought it would be. Even though this morning I had the messiest poopy diaper of the week, it still wasn't that bad. I hadn't washed diapers since Friday, so I had quite the stack to wash this morning, but it was still not even that challenging. 

Granted, I will be glad when I can just throw diapers in the wash, but the point of this challenge was to see how feasible it is to use flats and wash them, even if you didn't have access to a washer or dryer. And I can say I would fully recommend this method to any family struggling to afford diapers. Flats are very easy to use, easy to wash by hand, dry quickly, and it's not complicated to fold them. It would be even easier if I had a snappi or two, and some more covers. 

I'm looking forward to incorporating flats into my daily diaper routine more often now, and possibly even selling some of my pockets for a little extra cash (or maybe to buy some more covers ;p). I've learned how simple and cheap it can be to diaper a baby, and especially considering this is my first baby and I will likely have more than one baby in diapers at a time, it is good to know all my options. 

I really wish I had known about flats and prefolds before I bought all my pockets. I thought they had been phased out by the newer, cooler pocket diapers. I could have save us a lot of money. Now whenever a mom approches me about cloth diapering, I always mention prefolds and flats. =)

Well, its been a fun challenge! I'm looking forward to seeing how I use flats through out this year, and to participating next year in the challenge. Will you join me? =D

Deo Volente,

Breanna 

Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 6

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Today I wanted to talk about how flats and/or prefolds could be incorporated into a crisis pregnancy setting. Because women facing a crisis pregnancy often aren't financially prepared to have a baby, offering information and access to cloth diapers could be a huge benefit for them.

Many crisis pregnancy centers offer classes for pregnant women and their partners, and have some reward system set up to win free baby gear. So flats and/or prefolds would be a good addition to the "baby store." For this to work, crisis pregnancy centers would have to rely on donations from churches and others of money to purchase diapers, or of the different types of cloth diapers: pockets, prefolds, flats (or anything that can be used as a flat, such as flour sack or tea towels, receiving blankets, or even old t-shirts to be cut up). Other items for the store could include covers, snappis, diaper pins, diaper sprayers, and wet bags.

While it would be nice to have flats/prefolds in the store area, unless the moms know about them and how to use them, it might be pretty useless. So I was also thinking that offering a cloth diapering class would be a good way to introduce moms to the ease and benefits of cloth. Classes would consist of an introduction to the different types of cloth diapers and how to make them themselves (such as with the t-shirt flat), how to use them on baby, and how to wash and care for them. This could include a practice wash cycle with hand washing or with the bucket style camp washer for those who have to use laundromats or have no access to washing machines. They could also learn how to make the washer themselves, and even have a quick segment on how easy and cheap it could be to make their own laundry detergent! Once the class was completed, participants could be given a list of places to purchase diaper items, both local and online, and a set amount of "store cash" to use in the cloth diaper store.

Obviously, it would take a lot to get a whole class like this started. So perhaps a better starting place is to follow the KISS method: Keep It Simple, Stupid. The class could focus only on flats and covers, hand washing, and homemade detergent. It only needs to be one evening, really. Once the class generated enough interest from both participants and donators, it could expand to include more diaper types and topics.

I truly believe that if classes like this could be incorporated into crisis pregnancy centers, it could be a huge benefit to moms worried about the cost of caring for their beautiful children, especially because diapers can be such a big cost. Supporting moms during crisis pregnancy is such an important aspect of preventing abortion, and that is a responsibility we all have.

Deo Volente
Breanna

Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 5

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Today we were asked to share about what's working, and what isn't. Well, one thing that for sure is NOT working is one of the waterproof covers. If I leave it on Squishy to long, well...lets just say we used 3 different outfits today. 

Overall, I would say that everything has been going really well. Hand washing is working fine for me, and instead of the hatred some of the other participants feel, I'm almost hesitant about going back to my pocket diapers and washing machine. Seriously, these flats are just that easy. I'm not sure if I will give up my pockets entirely, but I honestly don't know what I will do for a diaper on Monday morning. I guess we will just have to find out. 

Last night/this morning I didn't do so well with my "wash as we go" routine, which left me with a pile of 6 dirty flats. I had to break into my t-shirt stash (they worked great, by the way). So I decided to ditch the sink and use the bathtub. It was kind of fun, swishing and squashing the diapers with my feet. It took about 20 or so minutes to wash, rinse, wring, and hang all 6 diapers and 3 wipes. Not bad really.  Now they just need to be folded.....

I think at the moment that is the hardest part for me, keeping the clean diapers folded so they are ready for instant use. I pretty much only use the Jo fold, then stick a cover over it. His clothes still fit (though we haven't been using pants, thanks to this warm weather). Flats are a lot slimmer than I had originally thought. 

So, that's pretty much it. I think the challenge has been RIDICULOUSLY easy for me, especially compared to how freaked out about it I was last week. Most everything I've tried has worked for me, and if it hasn't, I've been able to easily adapt to it. And since it's late and I'm exhausted, I'll leave it at that. =)

Deo Volente

Breanna

Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 4

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. 

Today's topic: Hand Washing!

"Say WHAT?!" 

More like, "say yuck!!"

Actually, it hasn't been so bad. But let's face it, my career choice involves the extensive handling of other people's feces, so I'm kinda used to it. But at least when I handled poop at work I had gloves....

Since I wanted to be as cheap and frugal as possible with this challenge, I opted out of making a sweet camp-style bucket washer, and decided to just wash in the tub. Then, one of the other moms in the challenge mentioned that she washes as she goes in the sink. This seemed like a much better option. So here's my routine:

Once I take off a dirty diaper, I bring it to the bathroom where I will hopefully be able to wash it right away. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But once I do get around to washing, I rinse a pee pee diaper in the sink with some cold water. If it's a poop diaper, I swish it in the toilet till the solid pieces fall off. Yes, its a little gross, but I don't actually have to touch a wet or poopy part of the diaper, I can hold a dry, clean corner. Then it goes in the sink under the cold water just like the other diaper. If necessary I will rub the diaper against itself to scrub off a few remaining little pieces of turd. That's the grossest part, because you are kind of touching poopy water. But you get over it, because you know there's soap and you can wash your hands, and besides you get gross stuff on your hands all the time because hey, you're a mom!

After I have thoroughly rinsed the diapers in cold water, I switch to hot water and let it get as hot as it will, which is about as hot as I can handle. Ideally, I would plug the sink and let it fill with hot water. I say ideally because my plug is broke, so I have to clog it with a wipe or something to get it to semi-fill and drain really slow. While it's semi-filling with hot water, I add just a few drops of 7th Generation Free & Clear detergent, depending on how many diapers I'm using. Swish the diapers in the hot soapy water, squeeze water through them, scrub them against each other, whatever you feel like doing to get them clean. Then drain.

Fill (or attempt to fill) the sink with water again, and rinse. Again, squeeze water through the flats, swish around in the clean water, anything to get the soapy water out. I usually do about two rinses until the diapers smell like nothing and leave no soap bubbles when rung out. 

Then, you squeeeeeeeeze out as much water as you can. The less water in the flat, the less time it will take to dry. Once it's properly wrung out, I will hang it on the front porch, or the garden fence, or over the shower curtain, depending on the time of day. In direct sunlight, the flats dry in less than an hour. They are really stiff and rough after line drying, so you have to give them a few snaps, wring them again, rough 'em up a bit till they soften back up. Then, you're ready to fold and re-use. 

Because the flats dry so fast, and I'm washing right after he uses them, I haven't even touched my t-shirt diapers. So I'm really only using only 9 diapers for the challenge. But it's nice to know if something happened and I couldn't wash, I'd have a back-up stash. 

I haven't left the house much this week, but there was one day I was out for several hours. I simply put the diapers in a plastic bag (I know....so UN-crunchy) and washed them once I got home. He didn't have too many, since we were only gone a few hours. So it was still very doable.

Another thing that makes hand washing easier is that we're doing a form of elimination communication (EC), where if I sense Squishy needs to go to the bathroom, I will set him on his little Cars potty and say, "Go pee pee! Psssssssssssssss." And he looks at me with this giant grin and pees. It's super adorable, and it saves me from having to wash a diaper!! I usually take him right after he wakes up from a nap, since I've notice he doesn't pee while asleep and won't pee until a few minutes after waking. Also, if I notice him straining to have a bowel movement, I will rush him to the potty and let him finish it in there.  Usually I can get him to the potty before the poop gets on the diaper. It's a super diaper saver, and its helping Squishy get adjusted to doing his business NOT in his pants. Hopefully it will make potty training easier.  

Apparently shaking out diapers is hilarious.

So there you have it! How I wash diapers by hand. It's really simple, and honestly, I think I almost prefer it to the pockets. Especially since we have a community laundry room, I hate having to haul my dipes down there and then remember not to leave them in there all day. This way the diapers can be washed on my terms, and I don't have a big pile of laundry waiting for me. I really wish I had known about this before I bought all my expensive pocket diapers. I'm sure DH would have been so much more on board with the whole cloth thing if he had known it would only cost $2. :p

Until tomorrow!

Deo Volente

Breanna

Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 3

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Today is open topic day, and I'm really struggling with what to blog about. I think this is why I don't update my blog very often, I never know WHAT to blog about. I know I want to talk about how to integrate flats and hand washing in crisis pregnancy centers, but I will save that for the open topic day later in the week. I was thinking of doing a blog about Elimination Communication (EC), which I just started doing with Squishy. But then I noticed Dirty Diaper Laundry did their post on EC too, and I didn't want to be a copy cat. :p

Maybe I'll talk about why I do cloth diapers in the first place. Yes, lets talk about why cloth diapers are a million times better than disposables, IMHO.

Have you seen the ingredients list on disposable diapers? Yuck!! Some of those ingredients are known carcinogens, and have been linked with diseases of the skin, liver, reproductive organs, as well as birth defects. They are associated with fatigue, female organ damage, and weight loss. Some of the ingredients used in diapers have been banned from use in tampons because they were associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome. Disposables have also been linked with male infertility, decreased sperm counts, and asthema. {source}

Whew. Every time I read that list it makes me so upset, even though I've read it 100 times. I hate that I ever put anything like that on my son's precious body!!! A body that was made in the image of God, and that has been entrusted to me to provide and care for to the best of my ability.

As if that wasn't enough, there's also the environmental impact. God gave us this Earth and gave us dominion over it. We ought to be doing everything we can to care for this wonderful piece of creation. Disposable diapers are just another non-biodegradable land filler. They do not break down easily. They sit for years and years and years. Isn't it amazing to consider that we pay tons of money to put our child in this chemical filled diaper for a few hours, then throw it away to sit for decades?? I mean, really?? 

Some might argue that using cloth also impacts the environment by using water and electricity and detergent. Again, really?? Sure, it effects the environment. But we can do so responsibly. We can use eco-friendly detergents, wash only full loads, or even hand wash. But I still say its better than filling the ground with 'sposies. 

Then there's cost. As I've already shown, cloth diapering can be very cheap. For less than $50 you can diaper you kid till he's potty trained. Even if you go fancy and get super nice pocket diapers, it's still cheaper than 'sposies. Even with the cost of washing??? Yes. Still cheaper.

Cloth diapers are also cuter than 'sposies. There are SO many adorable prints to choose from. It can get rather addicting, :p 

Well, that's all the reasons I can think of right now. Also, the squirmy baby on my lap is making it exceedingly hard to type. What's your favorite reason for using cloth diapers???

Tune in tomorrow for details on hand washing and how that's going. 

Deo Volente

Breanna

Flats and Hand-Washing Challenge: Day 2

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Today I'm going to share with you guys about how I prepped for the challenge. Actually, I should say "prepped" for the challenge, because I did almost nothing to prepare and I was completely freaking out about it. 

Flats:

I began slowly gathering supplies when I heard about the challenge, even though I wasn't sure I was going to participate. I found a stack of old receiving blankets at the thrift store for 0.25c each, I got old t-shirts from my mother-in-law, and a couple hemp flats from my neighbor. All together, I have 7 receiving blankets, 6 t-shirt flats, and 2 hemp flats. It cost me $2. However, it would have cost me more had I actually bought the hemp flats and t-shirts instead of borrowing them.

The t-shirt flats are made by cutting off the sleeves, then cutting down the sides to make 2 almost rectangular pieces. They are then folded down to a square, and folded into a diaper. Like so:

  Covers, snaps, snappis, etc:

I only have two covers, both borrowed from my beautiful neighbor {Update: On day 3 my neighbor gave me two more covers, so for about half the challenge I used a total of 4 covers}. One is an EcoBum snap cover, the other is a hook and loop cover (not sure of the brand). If I use the snap cover, I like to use diaper pins to hold the flat in place. I only have two of these as well, also from my beautiful neighbor. I do not have any snappis or any other form of clasp, but it sure would be nice! My cost for this section is, obviously, $0. But covers run about $8-12 each, and having more than two is probably better. So if you're interested in price, you can guesstimate. I could also use any of my pocket diapers as covers, but then I'd have to hand wash those as well, and I'm not too keen on that idea... ;) 

Wipes:

I found at the thrift store a couple blankets that were jersey material instead of flannel. I had grand plans to cut them up into wipes. I paid $0.50 for two of them, but I never cut them. Instead, I decided to use the 22 unused wash cloths I had stashed in a drawer. I never use wash cloths with my DS, but I was given a lot. So I decided to finally put them to good use. I also made a wipe solution using water, coconut oil, and baby wash. I put it in an old glasses cleaner spray bottle, so I can just spray his bum, then use one of the wipes. I wash them with the flats. Works great! 

Extras:

I use my sink to wash, and 7th Generation Free and Gentle detergent. I hang my flats on the shower rod, or the front porch during the day as it gets a lot of sun. In this way I've been able to keep my costs at pretty much nothing. I also use the toilet to let Squishy go pee or poop if I notice he needed to go, or to rinse out a poopy diaper.

I think that pretty much does it for supplies!! So my total cost is just about $2. BAM. I have never been able to diaper my child for cheaper than that. I doubt anyone can... ;p

There is SO much more you can do with flats, you don't have to be quite as frugal as I have been.  You can buy more flats, more covers, make a "camp style" washer, buy supplies for clothes lines, etc. Click here to read about what one mom did, and then scroll to the bottom to see what other bloggers have done. 

I'll be back again tomorrow to talk more about the challenge. Anything in particular you want me to cover?

Deo Volente,

Breanna

Flats and Hand Washing Challenge: Day 1

This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. I also decided to be clever and sign up to be a blogger. Since I use this blog SO much. :p

You may ask, "Why did you decide to take the challenge?" And in the famous words of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof: 

"I'll tell you........................ I don't know." 

Maybe it was the the tantalizing idea of washing soiled diapers in my sink/bathtub, or the calling of DH not help with a diaper for an entire week.  Actually, he doesn't help with diapers much anyways, so I guess it wasn't that. ;) 

Honestly, when I read the purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness of how some families really struggle with affording diapers, and how affordable and easy flat diapers are, I knew I had to participate. As someone who is strongly pro-life, I recognize that we must provide resources for those who are saved from the horror of abortion, which is why I am a huge fan of crisis pregnancy centers. They provide education, training, resources etc to parents in the face of unplanned pregnancy. Having this kind of "training" could be of great benefit to some of the families seeking assistance from these centers. Diapers can be expensive, but they don't have to be. I wanted to take this challenge so I can tell others "Hey, I've done it. I put my kid in diapers made of old t-shirts and receiving blankets. I washed them by hand. And it wasn't bad at all."  

I also took the challenge because frankly I had never used flats before and I wanted to explore more of the cloth diapering world. Sure, pocket diapers are fun, but can you really call yourself a cloth diaper enthusiast without ever having pad-folded a flat? :p

Finally, I took the challenge to prove I could do it. Its fun to try something new and different, and to stand out a little. For me, the process of deciding to participate was slow and subtle. I started collecting receiving blankets, old shirts, etc without really knowing what I was collecting them for. The challenge was in the back of my mind, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. Then one day I just decided I needed to take the plunge and sign up. So I did. And I've been freaking out every day since, until today. Just washed a few of the flats from this morning, and it wasn't so bad. I think I can do this after all. =D

Come back tomorrow, and I'll let you guys know more about how I prepped for the challenge, what supplies I bought/made, etc. 

Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the day goes!

Deo Volente,

Breanna

Coconut Oil and Flaxseed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I realize my only posts so far have been re-makes of somebody else's, but you gotta start somewhere!!

 I recently came across this recipe on Pinterest using coconut oil in cookies instead of butter or vegetable oil. Although I hate the taste of coconut, I wanted to try a "healthier" version of cookies. I also added my own little twists.

First I creamed the coconut oil and brown sugar.

Actually first I preheated the oven. Wonder why no one takes pictures of that...? Anyways, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

Then I mixed 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6  Tbsp water and let it sit for two minutes while I creamed the  oil and sugar. 

Then I added in the flaxseed egg substitute and vanilla extract. 

Now, the directions tell you next to mix all the dry ingredients in the a separate bowl. I say phooey!! Why make yet ANOTHER dirty bowl??? Instead, I gently mix all the dry ingredients on top of the wet ones, then mix it all together. Voila! I just saved you a dirty bowl. :p

Finally, add the chocolate chips. I added a whole bag, but it seemed like maybe there was a bit too much chocolate (Gasp! Yes it's possible. Even my chocoholic mother agreed there was perhaps just a bit to much chocolate. It overwhelmed the cookie). So you may want to add half or 3/4 of a bag. 

I use a tablespoon to scoop out the cookies and drop them on a cookie sheet. Or you could just eat the dough. Hey, its eggless!!! 

Bake for 8-9 min. As you can see, the cookies didn't spread out too much. But I am at high altitude so it may be related to that. Or it could be related to the fact that I totally forgot to add the baking soda. You decide. The cookies were pretty crispy on the bottom, but soft in the center. There may have been a mild coconut flavor, but it was barely noticeable, especially with the overabundance of chocolate. Pretty yummy!! 

Mind you, these are not totally healthy for you, because they still have refined flour and sugar. I'm not quite ready to start using spelt or coconut flour, and I wasn't sure how honey would turn out in cookies. Guess I'll have to do some experimenting! But I'd say this was a good start, and a delicious way to get some fiber!

Coconut Oil and Flaxseed Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup + 1 TBS brown sugar, packed

2 TBS. flaxseed meal + 6 TBS water, let sit for 2 min. 

1 TBS. pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (more or less, to taste)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream coconut oil and sugar, then add the flaxseed egg replacement and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, salt, and baking powder on top of liquid ingredients, stir gently to incorporate dry ingredients, then mix with liquids. Add chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 min until edges are just brown. Let cool on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!