Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Made It! Flats Challenge

So, we only had to use flats through Sunday night.  And I was kind of glad after my son had dirtied 3 of the four covers we were using.  So, yesterday morning we used pockets.  Plus, I had to finish a product trial (I am a tester for a company), so I didn't feel bad about switching at all.

But, I had to finish with hand washing all the diapers used on Sunday.  Luckily the washing int he sink wasn't terrible.  It wasn't fun, and it isn't something I would want to do on a regular basis, but it wasn't the end of the world.  It is definitely something I could do in a pinch.  Maybe if we travel again for a short period of time I might wash in a hotel sink.  But, I don't see myself handwashing on a regular basis, that is for sure.

I think if a low-income family had an adult at home at least half of the time, using cloth would definitely be doable this way.  But, many low income families have all of the adults working more than 40 hours a week.  I really don't see families in this situation using cloth to save money.  The time with the kids is more important than using something reusable in my opinion.  Also, day cares won't accept flats and covers a lot of times since they are a little more work than disposables to put on.  So, they would only use them at home.

With that being said, the families that are reusing disposables might find using a fw flats and a cover possible.  If you only used 2-3 flats a day, you could easily wash in a sink every other day to every third day.  It wouldn't cost much (you can get cheap covers for under $10 each, and they would only need one or two), and they would be more sanitary.  There are even wasy to go without official cloth diapers.  Some people use old t-shirts with fleece as a cover.  Some people use old receiving blankets.  It could be done for under $10 total if one had to.I am just glad I don't have to!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Flat Challenge Update

So, I knew the using flats would be easy.  I also knew the drying rules would be easy.  I already do those two most of the time, so it wasn't a big stretch for me at all.  But the washing - oh the washing!

I first tried to wash in the bathtub on Tuesday.  It wasn't a huge success.  I found it hard to agitate them enough, possibly because I had too much water in there, possibly because of the smaller number of diapers in such a large tub.  They were okay, but I wasn't 100% happy with the results.  Plus, I did it later in the day so I didn't get to let the dry int he sun (which helps make the smell better).  So, Wednesday morning I washed 4 diapers as my son took his morning bath.  I washed in the sink where I could easily access the diapers and watch for them to be clean enough.  And it seems to have worked.  I am using Tide because everyone can find it, and I empty the sink 3-5 times each time I wash.  But, since the sink holds around 1 gallon, it isn't a HUGE amount of water really.  And since I am washing in the morning, I get to dry in the sun.  Luckily my son only goes through 4-6 diapers a day (depending on his nap schedule and milk consumption).  So, I can just wash daily in the sink until Sunday or Monday.

Now, if I was doing this long term, I would probably buy a hand-powered machine.  There is one on the market for around $50 that would fit 10-12 diapers.  If I didn't have the money up front, I would probably take the diapers to the laundromat at least once or twice a month to get a "good" cleaning in.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Flats Challenge

Kim over at the DirtyDiaperLaundry.com is having a flats challenge next week.  Basically, for a week you only use flats and covers and you have to hand wash and air dry everything.  The goal is to show that cloth diapering can be done without a lot of money and without having a washer and dryer (which most low-income people don't have).  I am really considering giving it a try.

We already use a good number of flats.  I would just have to not use my hemp/pocket combination during the day, which I only do some of the time anyways.  The big thing I am worried about is the washing.  First, my husband isn't too kean on the cloth diapers anyways.  So, the thought of me washing them by hand might not be cool with him.  But, I already have bleach in a spray bottle (with water)That I use to sanitize the sink in the bathorom when I have to rinse out a particularly dirty diaper, so I don't think it would be any different.  It is the time that worries me.  Luckily flats and covers are fairly easy to wash because flats are only 1 layer of material and covers are normally just a plasticy layer.  And I already dry my diapers outside 99% of the time. so that isn't an issue.  So, I guess it won't hurt to try it!

I will be deviating from the 5 covers rule a tiny bit though.  I am going to use 4 covers (2 GroBaby and 2 Econobum probably) and a pocket.  The pocket is for three occasions - when I leave my son with a friend as a backup diaper (he will only be there without me for under an hour, so he most likely won't need changed), when I leave my son with my husband Wednesday night (I change him before I go into his night time combination, but occasionally he dirties his diaper and needs a change before going to sleep), and his 18 month doctor's appointment.  I will stuff the pocket with a flat, so I don't think it is really breaking the rule.  The pocket can be a little harder to wash, but since I probably will only use it those 3 times, it should be a problem.

I will post on how the week goes and if I succeed or fail...

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/tag/flatschallenge/

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Preparing for a Newborn

I knew that a third child was on the way, so I had been keeping my eyes and ears out for good options for newborns since I really got into cloth diapering.  When we found out we were pregnant at the beginning of the year, my search intensified.  Since I have no issues with prefolds (and now flats) with covers, I knew we would probably go that direction.  It is just cheaper than AIOs and pockets!

I started to be drawn to the Thirsties Duo system.  The idea of having something that will probably fit for almost a year with the size of my children really sounded like a great plan.  The only downside of the covers is there is no umbilical cut out or snap down, so you have to be careful using them before the stump falls off and heals.  But, I am planning on using the covers as a primary diapering system.

The next question was what to put in them.  I ordered one cover and flats when I had to order more detergent (to get me to the free diaper and shipping amount).  I have folded the flat to fit into the cover, and I agree with things I read finally that it can be a little bulky.  I don't think it will be TOO bulky for around the house, but I don't know if all of the cute outfits we have/will get will work great with that combination.  So, now I am taking the suggestion of others and getting another brand.

I plan on buying one or two Bummis Super Brite covers (these do have the umbilical cut out) and one package (of 6) preemie prefolds.  These should give me a trim look when I want it without spending a lot of money.  I don't love the patterns of the Bummis only because we don't know the gender of this baby (we have waited until birth with our other two children too).  I think there are only two without pink in them OR that are all blue...  So, I will probably only buy one of them.

Now, if I wasn't cloth diapering on a budget (it is the only reason my husband is okay with it), I would love to get some GroVia AIOs and FuzziBunz size XS in hook and loop.  There are some cute GroVia prints, but like the Bummis they tend to be fairly gender specific unfortunately.  The FuzziBunz (like all FuzziBunz) are just solid colors, so I would have a few more options there.  But, again the budget is keeping me from buying them anyways.

As a splurge after the ababy is born, I might buy a new GroVia snap shell though.  Those and our FuzziBunz (which I have 4 of now thanks to being a product tester a few times) should fit earlier than other One-Sized options out there.  And, if this one is a boy, I don't think I can resist the GroVia planes shell (that I have been eyeing since it came out since the uncles all love planes).  But, if it is a girl, I don't know what my splurge item will be...  Suggestions?

New Laundry Routine

I have given up on Rockin Green.  It just wasn't getting our diapers 100% clean/stink free.  Plus, I am not a huge fan of the "rock and roll" theme of that company, so I didn't mind switching.  So, I tried Tiny Bubbles.  This seemed to work a tiny bit better, but it still wasn't perfect.  We have hard water, and I think that is part of the problem.  So, I decided to try a little Tide with the Tiny Bubbles, and it seems to be working well.  So, here is the new routine:

Cold short cycle wash with about 1/2 teaspoon to Tide Liquid
Regular hot wash cycle with 1 scoop of Tiny Bubbles
2-4 Warm Rinses to get all the soap out

It seems to be working well.  There is a slight smell of Tide on a few diaeprs out of the wash, but that is the only smell I can detect.  All smells are gone after line drying.  I will probably keep these wash routine up, as it seems to get everything clean and smell free.

I also added a pail to store my diapers in.  I had just been using a bag, but I was tired of having the bag hang on the door and slowly releasing a smell to the top of our stairs.  I got a plastic laundry basket, and now I clothes pin the bag to that and it works great.  It has a lid, and even with 3 days between washes, the ammonia smell was very minimal when I dumped it into the wash this morning.  So, I think between the new wash routine and the newway of storing dirty diapers, the smell inthe house is going down!

Where we are now

Over the past few months I have only made one cloth diaper purchase, but our diapering sure has changed!  First, I realized my son doesn't need hemp at night.  This happened when I realized I needed to strip my hemp inserts because they were starting to stink.  So, I decided to put hemp in his pockets instead of the standard microfiber (since daytime diapers aren't as prone to stink anyways).  This makes for a trimmer diaper, which I like.  Then, I bought flat diapers.  I bought these for the baby on the way mainly, but I knew I would use them on my son until then.  I loved how trim they were, so I replaced most of my prefolds with flats.  I still used the Econobum prefolds at night for a while because a single flat isn't as absorbent as the prefold by a long shot!  But, thent he Econobum prefolds started to stink.  I bleach stripped them, which worked, but I also learned that with so many layers sown together that I was going to see the stink back soon.  So, I decided I wanted to use flats at night.  But, I knew it would take 2-3 flats to match the absorbency of one prefold!  I only had 12, and I didn't want to give up flats during the day.  So, I bought 4 flour sack towels from Target.  Two towels wasn't quite enough.  So, I tried one flat and one towel.  This seems to work pretty good.  If I am not on top of it in the morning, we can have a slight leak, but it isn't a mess at all.  His fleece pajamas keep the moisture inside, so the only way I know is when I take them off for his bath. 

So here is our currently used stash:
3 GroBaby Shells - used with flats during the day, but since they are hook and loop, he must be wearing pants!
3 Econobum Covers - used during the day with flats and any (or no) pants/bottoms because they are snap.  Also used at night with a flat and flour sack towel.
12 flats
4 FuzziBunz pockets - used with Thirsties Duo hemp inserts or FB microfiber inserts during the day
3 Kawaii pockets - used with Thirsties Duo hemp inserts or the single JoeyBunz insert during the day
1 BG 4.0 pocket - used with the flat/flour sack towel combination at night.
1 TweedleBug pocket - used with a flat or Gerber DSQ prefold during the day.
4 MotherEase Fitteds - used with a prefold or flat inside for more air circulation.  Only used at home since it isn't a waterproof combination (but great for hwen he is a little red or I am doing laundry).
3 Econobum and 3 Gerber DSQ prefolds - back-ups, etc in covers, pockets, and the fitteds.
4 flour sack towels

I could easily go with just the flats and pockets with hemp, but I still used the prefolds and fitteds some.  It is nice to give my hook and loop diapers a break occasionally, and using the fitteds is one way to do that!