Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 5: Wash Routine

Wash routine is the biggest part of the challenge for me this week. I've used flats before, although never full time, and I like them.  But hand washing diapers? It wasn't something I'd ever done before.
Luckily, Kimberly Rosas at Dirty Diaper Laundry, who started the challenge, did a great video on creating and using a camp washer.  I followed her directions and worked on finding a wash routine that worked for me.  She also inspired me to make my first ever (edited) video.

In case you are currently nursing or otherwise unable to watch a video, here's the rundown. 

1) I soak my diapers throughout the day, in a bucket with a firmly attached lid.  To save water, I use the leftover rinse water from the night before.  This is the old school way of dealing with dirty diapers.  (The rest of the time, I use a dry pail lined with a wet bag).  Before putting the diapers in the pail, I give them a quick rinse (even the ones with just pee).  

2) Agitate the rinse water for a couple of minutes. 

3) Drain out the water as completely as possible. 

4) Add hot water and about a tablespoon of castile soap. Use enough water to make a "soup." 

5) Use the plunger to agitate for another 5-10 minutes.  I find that I went back and forth on using the lid.  6) Pour off the dirty wash water. 

7) Use cold water to rinse the diapers, both in the bucket and with running water for each diaper. 

8) Wring and hang to dry. 

Flats Challenge Day 4: On the Go

I actually looked forward to posting about being out and about with flats for this challenge.  Although I don't use flats full time, they are one of my favorites for the diaper bag.  

I wrote a little bit about this in my comparison of Ju-Ju-Be diaper bags. I can fit everything for one diaper change in my Ju-Ju-Be Quick if I use flats, which take up about the same room as dry disposables.  With my big mommy wallet, flats are the only cloth diaper that fit well in this bag.

This is my favorite diaper bag for running errands or going out for a couple of hours.  It's called the Ju-Ju-Be Light, and here it is, all ready to go. It's a nice lightweight bag and super cute to boot.  With flats, I have plenty of room for everything that I need. I can fit three (or more) diaper changes, along with everything I need for the toddler and my own personal items.  It looks a little bit different depending on my needs for that day.  But no matter what's inside, I always feel a little more classy when I carry this bag.  

 On Monday, I headed out for a morning appointment and lunch date.  Little girl was sick and so was her daddy, so I left them at home recuperating and watching Disney movies.  With just baby boy, I was able to travel quite lightly.

• Change of clothes
• Wetbag
• Wipe solution
• Cloth wipes
• Diaper cream
• Hand sanitizer
• Two clean covers
• Three flats

In the outer pockets of the diaper bag, I was able to stuff my wallet, phone, keys, and a Moleskin notebook.  The flats are folded in the well-named "diaper bag fold," which happens to be my favorite. 

While I was out, I needed to change baby boy in the back of our car--somewhat dirty from hauling plants.  No problem! I shook out one of the diapers and laid it flat--instant changing mat.  Need to wipe baby boy's runny nose?  Spare flat to the rescue.  We're largely beyond the spit-up phase, but, flats work great as burp cloths too.  They are the most versatile option for your diaper bag.  

  

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3: Open Prompt, or A Historian's Thoughts

Welp, it's day 3 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge, and for us in the blogosphere, that means we had a choice on our blog topic for the day.  Some people are writing about using flats in daycare and others are writing about the reaction of other caregivers. But, my mind keeps going around the idea that flats are THE diaper of history (at least Western history).  A discussion popped on on Facebook about how the challenge reminded some of us of scenes from "Call the Midwife," the British show about mid-20th century midwives in working class London.  On top of that, I've been thinking about Kimberly Rosas' recent post about vintage diapers.

"There was a clear and obvious disdain for the waterproof covers; it was inferred that parents using them full time were lazy and cared more for their own convenience than their child’s." 

In images of diapered children from the time before disposables, few are wearing any sort of cover over their diapers.  In "Call the Midwife," the babies wear "terry squares," which are the flats still common in the UK today.  In fact, Princess Charlotte will be wearing terry squares folded origami style.

In my own life as a historian, I've done a bit of reading about 18th century cloth diapering.  And although I did find the use of wool "flannel squares" to be worn over the diaper, these were not shaped diaper covers such as we would use today.  Nor were they used universally, as some deemed covering diapers an unsanitary practice.

Although I'm well acquainted with the waterproofing properties of wool, when I imagined leaving baby completely coverless, I have to admit that I imagined pee everywhere.  Then, during this challenge, I enjoyed seeing the cute flats that I had bought, and thought--what the heck? I have hardwood floors, I'm already potty-training a toddler, and it's 80 degrees.  Let's go coverless and see what happens.

Cuteness.  That's what happens.  I've been using the diaper bag fold (more on folds in a future post) with the excess fabric around the legs rolled in.  The rolling creates a tighter seal, hopefully preventing any escapes of less than solid waste.  So far, it's been doing an excellent job--even better than my prefolds.  He hasn't let loose while coverless, but none of my covers have gotten dirty yet.

But what about the pee?

Well, they are surprisingly absorbent.  I do need to be mindful and check frequently.  But we have had no crazy leaks.  As soon as there is the slightest hint of dampness, he gets a diaper change.  And really, that's probably a good thing!  With something thicker, like a terry square, you'd have even longer between changes.

Thinking back to how babies spent their time through history--Western babies have spent a lot of time in cradles and then prams.  This means that compression leaks were less likely, and a waterproof cover (wool or rubber) would be primarily used when baby was on furniture or being held, to protect from inadvertent leaks.

How about for the modern lifestyle?  Modern life is frequently hectic.  It might not always be easy to check regularly before the fabric soaks through.  As a babywearer, I'm not going to wrap my baby without some kind of cover.  Well, I take that back, I did put him up on my back in a buckle carrier for a few minutes yesterday. I did keep reaching back to feel the diaper though.  Still, when I'm at home, especially when it's warm, I think I might keep going coverless. It's definitely better for his skin.

Photo notes: Little Boy is wearing a modern wool cover in both photographs, both because of my previous fear of going cover free and because his diaper was fastened with a Snappi instead of straight pins.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2: The Stash

The Washer

In the spirit of the challenge, I tried not to buy much, but ended up “splurging” a little bit.

First of all, I wanted to make the camp washer.  My husband already had the drill bit that he needed, so I just had to buy the plunger, bucket, and lid.  

Camp Washer:

Plunger: $2.98 (Wal-Mart)

5 Gallon Bucket: $2.97 (Home Depot)

Lid: $1.68 (Home Depot)

Total: $7.63

The Stash

The Diapers:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m a host site for Share the Love, a cloth diaper donation bank.  Our recipients receive the equivalent of 15 diapers changes. One cover and three inserts is equivalent to 3 changes. That means, if I were handing out flats, my recipient would receive 15 flats and 5 covers for each child in diapers.  I wanted to try to stick to this fairly closely, keeping in mind how a recipient might be able to supplement if they needed to.  

I already had 6 Osocozy flats, 1 Hemp Babies flat (I think I paid $8 for it), and 7 cotton flannel receiving blankets (four were baby shower gifts and three were picked up for a quarter each at a yard sale when I was pregnant).  I made one more flat out of some flannel that I had leftover from a sewing project.  For the challenge, I bought one 5-pack of flour sack towels for $4.88 and splurged on two “pretty” flour sack towels at Wal-Mart for $2.78 each. That brings my total “stash” to 22 diapers for my two kiddos. My daughter will be using four of the receiving blankets for naps and nighttime use.    

As for the covers, I previously picked up three Thirsties covers for $10 at a consignment sale, and one Econobum cover came in a mystery pack with my OsoCozy flats for a total of $18.95.  And to round it out for my son, I have two Flip covers that I bought used for $9 each.  I also have a Blueberry cover that I bought for $0.25 at a cloth diaper swap and two WAHM covers that were $12 total. I’ll be using those for my daughter, since she is only in diapers for naps and nighttime.  Finally, for nighttime, I’ll be using two wool covers for my son the heavy wetter. I bought them when my daughter was a newborn.  I think I paid about $29 each for them, making them the most expensive part of this venture.

Changing Station at the Ready

Total Diaper Cost for Two Kiddos: $136.39 ($78.39 without the price of the wool covers). It sounds like a lot, but it's been purchased over two and a half years. That means the cost comes to $4.50/month.

(The only things I purchased specifically for the challenge were the flour sack cloths and the materials for the camp washer.  I purchased the flour sack cloths so I could share my experiences with them).  

Are Cloth Diapers Bad for the Environment?

The Washington Post recently published an opinion piece entitled "Why Cloth Diapers Might Not Be the Greener Choice, After All." Given the subject and that one of the people quoted shares my name, several people have sent me the piece and asked my opinion.

"Although there is a growing market for all-in-one reusable diapers made from synthetics, most cloth diapers are still cotton prefolds — rectangles of fabric that fit into waterproof liners."

The piece mainly focuses on cotton prefolds, which make up only part of a vast universe of cloth diaper options.  The author spoke to Stephanie Hanson (not me), who was researching her diaper service options and wanted to be sure her diaper service used fuel efficient vehicles.  It's true that diaper services do generally use cotton prefolds.  However, the majority of parents that I know do not use a diaper service, instead laundering diapers at home and using the diapers that work best for their families.  The author, Kendyl Salcito, focuses on the environmental and social impact of conventional cotton production.

"Then there’s the water that cotton pollutes, as one of the world’s most pesticide-heavy crops. In India, cotton covers 5 percent of cropland, but it’s doused with 54 percent of the nation’s annual pesticide use."

The environmental impact of conventional cotton production cannot be debated.  However, this argument leaves out several factors.  Many cloth diaper users make a choice to use organic cotton instead, mitigating this concern.  And, some eschew cotton altogether in favor of other textiles, such as bamboo, hemp, and synthetic fibers.  While bamboo may or may not be better for the environment (bamboo rayon to be more accurate), hemp is a very ecologically friendly crop as well as being fabulously absorbent.

"Roughly 30 cloth diapers serve the function of 4,000 disposables."

This is true, for those who have a single child and then throw the diapers away.  However, we are currently using some diapers that are on their fourth child (hand-me-downs from a friend).  That means these diapers are on their way to replacing 16,000 disposables. When prefolds are no longer worn by the child, they are often repurposed as rags.  I remember my dad polishing furniture with the prefolds I'd worn as a baby. I had to be at least six or seven years old.  While cloth diapers can be repurposed, sold, or given away, a disposable diaper used for a couple of hours ends up in a landfill, where it will sit emitting methane gas in near perpetuity.

She also doesn't take into account that diaper "upcycling" isn't a one-way process.  Families repurpose flour sack cloths, flannel receiving blankets, and t-shirts into flat diapers (like I'm doing this week!). Washing machines are increasingly efficient (and when we were on city water, we did not notice an increase in our water bill when we started doing diaper laundry, even without an HE machine).

Salcito does mention the effort of Cotton Babies, Inc. to make cloth diapers a more ethical option, but Cotton Babies is not alone. As with any purchase, there are always choices that are more or less ethical. Parents who prioritize the environment may opt for organic cotton or hemp. Caregivers who are worried about labor practices may support companies that manufacture diapers domestically or in Canada.  By limiting the argument to cotton prefolds and a single manufacturer, she misses the greater picture.

One final thought: if Salcito is so against the evils of cotton production, does she always opt for other fibers over cotton?

For more on the environmental decision between disposables and cloth diapers, as well as other reasons that parents opt for cloth diapers, visit this page by the Real Diaper Association.

Roasted Radish Soup

It's about halfway through spring here at our little homestead, which means things are popping up in the garden.  Tonight, we were able to make our first meal using ingredients from the garden.

Back story:
Last year, I taught fifth grade.  I started a garden with my students. I needed crops that would mature quickly, so we would be able to harvest before the end of the year.  Besides green leafy crops, radishes are one of the fastest crops to grow.  We planted radishes, even though I don't particularly care for them.

Back to the Present:
I planted just about all the seeds that I had on hand, including radishes.  They've been flourishing in the garden, and I needed to find a way to eat them. Plus, I heard that you could eat the greens. I'm a sucker for plants that are completely edible, so off I went to google "eating radish greens."  I found this recipe for Rustic Radish Soup.  I looked over the recipe, and adapted it to our needs.  My two year-old daughter asked for seconds and my ten month-old son gobbled it down on his crackers.

Roasted Radish Soup
Ingredients
One bunch radishes with greens attached
Olive oil
2 tbsp butter
One leek, sliced
One onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped (with or without skin)
4 cups chicken stock*
1/4 cup parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Sour cream for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash the radish bunch thoroughly and cut away the greens, chopping them roughly then setting them aside.  Trim the radish ends, if necessary, and cut the radishes into halves or quarters so that they are all roughly the same size. Toss in olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the radishes are tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium stock pot.  Saute the leek and onion until soft and translucent.
Add the potatoes and chicken stock. If necessary, add more stock or water to cover the vegetables by about an inch. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the roasted radishes, radish greens, and parsley, simmering for about five more minutes until the greens are wilted.
Using a stick blender, or (carefully) transferring the soup to a blender, puree until smooth.  Return to the pot, if necessary, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour in the heavy cream and cook until warmed through.
Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.  Serve with crusty bread and a seasonal salad.

Notes
I supplemented the parsley with the tops of carrots I thinned from the garden, as the taste is very similar.  This would be an excellent salad to make in the fall, when potatoes, leeks, and onions from the garden would all be ready for harvest.

*Can substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian option.

The Flats and Handwashing Challenge

What is the Flats and Handwashing Challenge?  All the details are on Dirty Diaper Laundry's website, but basically, participants commit to using only flat cloth diapers and covers for one week, and agree to only hand wash and line-dry the diapers.  Kim Rosas of Dirty Diaper Laundry was inspired to start this challenge by families that were in such dire financial straits that they were washing and reusing disposable diapers.  There are cloth diaper banks, such as Giving Diapers, Giving Hope and Share the Love (which I volunteer for) that provide cloth diaper loans to families in need.  However, many families don't own a washer and dryer, and the expense of washing diapers at a laundromat can be cost prohibitive.  Flats, however, are very economical to purchase and easy to hand wash.  They're easy to find and many other cotton items can be repurposed as flat diapers (flannel receiving blankets, t-shirts, and flour sack towels, to name a few).

Why am I doing the challenge?

As a host site for Share the Love, I want to speak from personal experience when offering solutions in cloth diapering.  As a Diaper Parties consultant, I also want to be able to provide economical options for families on a tight budget, even if they aren't eligible for a cloth diaper loan.  Recently, a family asked me for advice on how to handle cloth diapering when traveling or on vacation.  I feel like this challenge is a great way to practice what to do when camping, on vacation, or during a power outage.

Sometimes, in the world of cloth diapers, we get super excited about cool new diapers or adorable prints. Limited releases crash websites and sometimes, cloth diapers become an investment game. There's nothing wrong with any of that, and it's great for getting people excited about modern cloth diapers.  It's also great that families can make their money back in a way that's totally impossible with disposable diapers.  But at the same time, it can be intimidating or off-putting for those who can't participate in that market. I want to help raise awareness that cloth diapering can truly be for everyone.  Simplicity can be just as good.

I have some hand me down flats and some OsoCozy flats, and I'll be spending the next two weeks figuring out just how many flats I'm going to need. I'm planning on supplementing with some of our old receiving blankets and possibly t-shirts, to get a true idea of what I can recommend.  My son will be eleven months during the challenge, and is a heavy wetter at night.  My daughter is currently in the process of potty training, and may or may not be in diapers during the day but will likely be diapered at night during the challenge.  We're also going to make a camp washer before the challenge starts.

This will be my first year participating, and I just can't wait!