If you saw yesterday’s blog post, then you’ll know I’m taking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge this year. We’re diapering Ingrid in flats-only this week and laundering/drying them by hand.

Today I want to show you the stash I put together. My goal was to use the most affordable options I could find, without having to make or sew anything, or buy costly accessories. In this way, I felt that I could more strongly make a case for cloth diapering even if you have a tight budget.

Here are the supplies I chose for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge:

• Six waterproof diaper covers – a mix of Kawaii covers from Nicki’s ($7.95 each), Diaper Safari and Imagine/Nicki’s brand covers ($9.95 each). No, Kawaii is not a favorite, but they fit decently and get the job done. They’ve also added a few new prints (like the insect one below).
• Fourteen flat diapers – a mix of 10 flour sack towels ($5 for a 5-pack at Walmart) and 4 bamboo flat diapers (you can buy them individually at Nicki’s for $3.85 each). I sprung for bamboo to hopefully ensure nighttime success. We’ll see….
• Eighteen assorted cloth wipes (cut up flannel receiving blankets, old wash clothes, etc.)
• Plastic trash can ($4)
• 5-gallon bucket ($3 at Lowe’s)
• Plunger (already have)
• Detergent (already have) and Calgon water softener ($5.61 from Walmart.com)

TOTAL:$98.30 to diaper a 22-month-old, and washing every other day

I’m really glad to have kept my “test stash” under $100, as I think this helps make investing cloth less formidable. The truth is, you can start for even less than this, as little as $50, if you were committed to washing every day and bought the diaper covers used.

Initial thoughts on our experience so far:

• The regular “flour sack” kitchen towels don’t work for overnight, even when doubled, which I anticipated. Tonight I will try the bamboo/cotton flats instead.
• I’m planning to launder every two days, so Wednesday (tomorrow) will be washing day.
• To make sure everything is going to be easier to wash, I’m making sure that I “shake out” the saturated flats when I remove them (padfolded) from the cover. Otherwise, all those layers aren’t going to get very clean.
• Mild surprise that Ingrid hasn’t had any rash or redness from the saturated cotton fibers after naps and nighttime. I’m not using any type of liner.

If you’re taking the challenge, or have any questions at this stage, let me know!