Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

3 Things I Learned After Hand-Washing Cloth Diapers

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The Flats and Handwashing Challenge ends tonight and the big question is – what did I learn?

Basically, these three things:

  • How to hand wash diapers – Or anything else, for that matter. It’s a good skill to have and it just goes to show that cleaning doesn’t require a degree in rocket science. It takes time, common sense and a little bit of trial and error. Our wash routine took about 45 minutes total plus 5+ hours for drying on the line. I have to admit it would be difficult to do this 45 minute chore every other day, with everything else I have going right now in my life (seven children, housework, homeschooling, the blog, etc.), but I know that it CAN be done. It’s just a matter of setting aside time.
  • What it’s like to use flats exclusively – It took some getting used to, not reaching for my bamboo prefolds or fitteds at night, or grabbing a pre-stuffed pocket diaper for a quick change. All-in-One diapers with velcro closure are my oldest daughter’s top choice when she’s helping me out, so it was an adjustment for her, too. It’s not that we don’t use flats; we have – for years. But only as part of a bigger rotation. It’s easy to get spoiled with all the different styles of diapers out there. I had to learn to think differently in various situations because we had to make the flats work ALL the time, whether that was naps, car trips or night time. Not all all flats are created equal when it comes to absorbency, so we had to make adjustments there, too.
  • How cloth diapering is different when you’re on a tight budget – Your style choices are much more limited, and you have to cut corners and make sacrifices. When we first started diapering 7 years ago I would have loved to have some AIO diapers for convenience but simply could not afford them. Being on a limited budget means you might have to scrounge around and make your own doublers, accept whatever prints/colors are available in the covers you can afford, and maybe even forego conveniences like pail liners and wet bags, diaper sprayers, and flushable liners.

If you did the challenge, let me know what you learned. Or maybe you’re thinking ahead to next year and your first try?

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Why I’m Handwashing Our Cloth Diapers This Week

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In my 7 years of blogging, I’ve encouraged people to give cloth diapers a try even if their budget is tight, or there’s no washer or dryer. This year, I figured it was high time I put my money where my mouth is.

So I’m taking Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Flats and Handwashing Challenge this week. Six years strong, this is a week-long event that aims to prove that pretty much anyone can cloth diaper. After all, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had no choice in most situations, and they rolled right along with their boiling pots, washboards and trusty lye soap.

To take Kim’s challenge, families commit to using flat diapers (cheap and easy to launder) for one week, to launder the diapers by hand and air dry them. Simple, “old fashioned” diapering like this is a great testament to the fact that most any hurdle can be overcome.

In other words, I don’t want to advise a family to try something that I haven’t done myself. Period.

So here goes!

Stay with me this week as I share our experience with flat diapers and handwashing with a bucket and plunger. It’s bound to be interesting! Tomorrow we’ll take a peak at the diapers and supplies I’m using. There will also be a giveaway mixed in one day this week, so look out for that, too.

Are any of you taking the challenge? Have you joined in the past? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in a comment below!

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