[This is a part of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge Series. To read more of my posts on this, see a list here. To see the Dirty Diaper Laundry Flats and Handwashing Challenge series, go here.]
Things are going pretty well with the Flats and Handwashing challenge, but it hasn’t been without a few bumps. The night went pretty well. No leaks in the middle of the night, but man those kids were fussy all night (totally unrelated to their fluff). I had washed my diapers last night and hung them to dry, but they STILL weren’t done in the morning! I was so bummed! I think it is because of the drying rack I have. It prevents everything from laying flat…instead they look like a bunch of ghosts!
So anyway, I busted into my pretty receiving blankets and I was {this close} to having to bust into my Grandma’s Hand embroidered days of the week flour sack towels (I have lots of these and one set got a burn on one towels…so I would use that, but still, it would feel wrong!). I took the diapers that were on my drying rack and put them outside in the sun. I could go throughout the day and pick some dry ones, but they weren’t all dry until about 3pm. I felt like I was picking fruit off of a tree throughout the day (is it wrong to use food metaphors on things your kids poop in? If so, sorry)
For most of the day the kids were in receiving blankets, but I was so excited when my Swaddlebees were ready. Both kids were in Thirsties covers. My daughter was in a Happy Heiny’s cover, but the velcro was scratching her tummy so I took it off.
Today I tried to use the padfold for most of the day. I am not too sure I like this fold. It seemed to leak every time with my toddler. My little one did OK with this one.
I also experienced my first poop with the little one. He is supplemented with formula, so his poop was NOT, BY ANY STRETCH, dissolvable. It looks like clay, but fortunately it only happens once every several days. It took at least 10 minutes to clean out the diaper. But I gotta say, I bet dunk and swishers have CLEAN toilets. I know I can now see my reflection in mine! (I’ll spare you a picture).
When I washed the diapers, I decided this time to use two pins on the drying rack per diaper. I hope this works! I also had no room for everything, so covers I don’t need right away are draped over the tub. I hung receiving blankets on clothes hangers, but since they don’t fit flat across, I know they won’t dry in time. I also washed a few straggler diapers from before the challenge, so I have my beloved sposoeasys and Ragababes laid out on the bottom of the tub (but I won’t use these, I promise!).
See how two pins are holding one diaper?
Still looks like a bunch of ghosts!
One thing I LOVE about this challenge is that I don’t have unfolded diapers hanging around! In fact, they are out of sight in a wetbag, folded in a basket, or drying in the bathroom or outside.
I am loving my basket method (heck, I am loving that ONE diaper fits both!). So I assembled this little on the go basket so I can take it to whatever room I am in. I have:
* 2 Flats with the diaper bag fold stuffed with a cheap factory reject Orange GMD for naps for the older baby. If I had enough flats, I could have used a padfolded flats, but today it was slim pickins because of the drying. So I had to cave in and use a cheap “doubler".”
* Flats with the diaper bag fold, no insert
* 2 Snappys, if not in use
* Padfolded flats
* 2 covers for each child (I have more as backup!)
* 1 tube of CJ’s
(That isn’t a day’s supply, I just plan to fill it about twice a day as diapers are ready).
I bust through this in the middle of the night with the little one, and then when the older one wakes up I just grab a diaper and go. So easy! Then this goes with me in the living room in the daytime as I am folding laundry, playing with the kids, or chatting with you on facebook working on school.
Lessons Learned Today – Day 2
* Make sure diapers can really spread apart when drying
* Padfold works well for little baby, but diaper bag fold works better for older baby
* Have a stash basket so you can easily transport diapers between rooms
* I should probably have a bigger stash if I were to do this full time. I LOVE this post from Milk Bubbles Blog about someone doing all of this for free. If I did this full time I would probably use some of her great tips like using sheets! It would at least be nice to have a few backups for instances like this where stuff isn’t dried in time. OK and I will confess, my back is KILLING ME from wringing out diapers for (what felt like) an hour tonight. I would love to just do this every other day!
Did you read how one mama was speeding up the drying of her covers by rolling them in a towel and squishing some of the excess water out? I think you could do that with your flats too.
ReplyDeleteP.S. One thing I don't like about the pad fold is that it risks getting my covers pooped on and thus into the hamper for the day. That's why I'm striving for some type of gusset as you and I were chatting about on FB this evening. (Trisha Rebhuhn W.)
ReplyDeleteI woke up with a stiff neck and giant headache probably from the plunging and wringing. UGH!
ReplyDeleteI also happen to LOVE the pad fold b/c I can fold the front down for instant 24 layers of absorbency. The Kite fold did not work for me. But maybe I'll try the origami - although that seems like a lot of folding work! :)
Julie, actually the origami fold is fun to do. My flats are just a bit small, so I'm trying something else as part of my 'playing around' with flats. If you try the origami, I suggest prefolding a stack of them so they are all ready to go at diaper changing time.
ReplyDelete