Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 7

This is was it, the final day of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge!  The challenge officially ends at midnight tonight, so of course Addisyn will still be in her flat/prefold combination until I change her in the morning.

All week we only had 4 leaks, half of those were from the nighttime diapers, and I feel that all can be attributed to user error.  I didn't find using flats to be any more difficult than when we first started using our normal diapers, there was just that adjustment period to go through to see what worked best for us since we were trying something new.  I didn't find handwashing to be difficult, and I didn't mind doing it.  I do prefer using our washer only because it is less time consuming for me, and more convenient (and it doesn't cause me to sweat!).  But if I didn't have access to, or couldn't afford to use a laundry facility, I would not let handwashing be the end of our cloth diapering.  Of course I can only say this because I have actually done it.  Cloth diapering can be a very intimidating idea to someone who has never used cloth, and to tack on handwahsing - I can see why someone might be turned off by the idea.

Giving Diapers, Giving Hope is an organization that is working to help low income families switch over to cloth diapers to save them from spending what money they do have on disposable diapers.  Giving Diapers, Giving Hope accepts donations of diapers, diaper accessories, and money (to buy more diapers) and then lends out those diapers to low income families.  The families are only responsible for paying the cost of shipping to get the diapers to them, and then back to the organization once they are finished with them.  (I know, some of you are thinking, "second-hand diapers, gross!" Lots of families purchase used cloth diapers, and once you're finished with your diapers, if they're in good condition and well-taken care of, resale rates are pretty good!)  Giving Diapers, Giving Hope does suggest a $10 per month donation from those families using their diapers, but that is not required.  Should a diaper be damaged or ruined they also strongly encourage that families make a donation in the amount of the diaper's cost, but again, it is not mandatory.  Once we're done with our flats and I give them a good wash (in our washing machine!) I will be donating them.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 6

We had two small leaks today, and I just want to say that I firmly believe that *most* cloth diaper leaks are a result of user error, not because of the diaper itself.  Sure, you can get leaks from diapers that don't fit well, have not been completely prepped, or have detergent build up, two of which could probably be classified as human error.  Our first leak happened sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 this morning and was our overnight diaper.  Addisyn woke up at 6am to nurse, and then I put her back down.  Sometime after that (probably when she woke up again and started moving) a small edge of the flat worked its way out of a small gap between the front of the cover and Addisyn's leg.  The second leak came this afternoon and I'm pretty sure can be blamed on me not readjusting the rise on the cover.  I am use a higher rise setting at night to better accommodate the bulkiness of the flat/prefold, and instead of moving the rise back down I just left it as it - making the diaper a bit looser around her legs.

Today was another washing day in our house, and I did 3 loads - 1 for covers and wet bags, 2 for flats, prefolds, and the AIO we used Thursday night.  Earlier this week I said I wouldn't wash four of my five covers at once again, but I did.  But the weather was much better today - well, hot, but good for hanging diapers - so they dried quickly.  The water looked especially murky after pre-rinsing the first load of diapers, so I figured I should do an extra do an extra one.  I only filled the bucket half way for the second pre-rinse, and the water was incredibly clear - a testament to just how much is taken out of the diapers in the pre-rinse!  I was a bit nervous about how clean the AIO would be being washed by hand, but I think it came out okay.

I know lots of other participants absolutely HATE the washing portion of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge, but the actual washing doesn't really bother me.  It is time consuming, and I do work up a bit of a sweat, but it's not that bad.  The part that I dislike is wringing them out after they're washed.  The more water you can wring out of flats after the wash, the quicker they will dry, but it makes my hands feel like I would have blisters if I did many more when washing.

I am looking forward to the challenge being over though so that I can start using the new Kiwi Pie fitted bamboo diaper that we got in the mail today!  I have been wanting to try bamboo, and with all of the talk on the GroVia Facebook page lately about Kiwi Pie diapers (they're made in Montana by one of GroVia's seamstresses) I decided to order one.

Breastfeeding and Proud of It!

Before the last couple of months I never realized how much hostility there is between people who breastfeed and people who formula-feed their babies.  I can understand mothers being touchy or offended when someone is critical of the way they choose to feed their baby, or if they feel they are being pushed to change the way they provide their baby with nourishment, but such things apply to BOTH sides of the feeding aisle.  I have heard of people catching flack for using formula, and that shouldn't be happening.  But I (personally) know that formula is also pushed onto breastfeeding mothers too, or their choice questioned.

Breastfeeding Addisyn has always been a priority to me, and I believe that it is what is best for her, and for me, too.  My dedication to breastfeeding my own child though does not extend to others.  Of course I believe that breastmilk is the absolute best thing that a mother can feed their baby, that's what is was designed for after all, and that's why it was is so important to me to breastfeed.  But I don't push that opinion on others or think that others are making the wrong choices for their children because they don't breastfeed, no way!  But I WILL NOT hide my pride in breastfeeding my daughter!

In the beginning breastfeeding was EXTREMELY painful!  The nurses at the hospital had me using a nipple shield - they weren't putting it on correctly, and I didn't know the difference.  Since the shield wasn't on as far as it should have been, Addisyn's latch wasn't deep enough when she nursed, and that resulted in weeks of pain, even though we didn't even use the shield for 2 days.  For the first 2 weeks every time Addisyn latched it felt like she had a mouth full of glass shards.  But I persevered and I AM PROUD OF IT!

When Addisyn was 5 weeks old I noticed mucous and a very small amount of blood in one of her poopy diapers.  I immediately called the pediatrician and was instructed to take Addisyn to urgent care (it was a Sunday, so our pediatrician's office was closed) - we found out that she had an intolerance to dairy.  We could have put her on special formula, but I didn't want to stop breastfeeding, so I chose to go on a dairy-free, soy-free diet so that I could continue to breastfeed Addisyn.  We are just now beginning to reintroduce dairy into my diet to see if Addisyn has outgrown her intolerance.  I ate completely dairy-free for almost 11 months so that I could continue to breastfeed my daughter and I AM PROUD OF IT!

When I was pregnant I bought a few baby bottles thinking that once "breastfeeding was well established" and it would be okay to use a bottle that it might be nice for my husband to help with the feedings.  Those bottles have never been opened.  I enjoy BREASTfeeding my baby.  In many ways it may be more work, but I don't have to pump, I don't have to clean bottles, I don't have to pack anything extra in the diaper bag, and I didn't have to wean her off of a bottle.  My baby has never had a bottle, and I AM PROUD OF IT!

The inspiration for this blog post came from reading the comments to this article about the Nestle company making a formula equivalent to the Keurig coffee machine to attract people to their formula.  "Mad as Hell" comments that "it's people like [the auther] who make my wife feel like a failure for not being able to breastfeed."  The author clearly states at the beginning of the article that "formula is a wonderful thing" for "those who are unable to breastfeed their infants".  Her beef with Nestle, and other formula companies, is that they try to persuade those families who have a choice between breastfeeding and formula formula feeding to go with the formula.  Let's face it - they wouldn't have nearly as much business if their only consumers were mothers/babies who couldn't breastfeed.

I have seen these kinds of comments before when looking over breastfeeding articles and discussions online, and I do feel for those who want to breastfeed but can't.  But for everything in life that we would celebrate, there is someone who couldn't do it or chose not to.  Pregnancy and the birth of a baby is a momentous occasion, yet there are families who cannot get pregnant, or who lose a child, or choose not to have any. But we do not stifle our joy because of this, we announce it to the world.  College is a big step for many young adults, and graduation something to be celebrated, even though some cannot go to college, choose not to go to college, or drop or fail out of college.  The list goes on and on.  Nobody would expect people to forego celebration and pride in these areas, why should breastfeeding be any different?

I am proud to be a breastfeeding mother, to have persevered through some difficult times, and in a society where breastfeeding is not exactly the norm.  I do not rub my ability to breastfeed in anyone's face, I do not criticize or think less of those who choose not to breastfeed, but I will not apologize to anyone, or feel guilty for my pride in my decision to breastfeed or for my steadfastness in that endeavor.  I own my decision, my dedication, and my success.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 5

Today was a pretty low-key flats day, no problems or revelations, and I didn't do any washing.  So I guess I'll just discuss some thoughts I've had about using flats this week.

I definitely think that flats are the best option for families who will be washing by hand and hanging to dry.  The thinness of flats means that they wash and dry quickly and easily.  I don't think I would trust the cleanliness of my normal, thicker soaker pads if I had to hand wash them, and I'm not too sure about the prefolds that I have washed by hand either (though they do smell clean).  I think flats, handwashing, and handing to dry is also a GREAT option for families who will be away from home for a while, don't have access to laundry facilities and don't want to switch over to disposables or disposable inserts.

I routinely hang our regular diapers to dry, and then follow that up with a 5-10 minute spin through the dryer to soften them up again as they get really stiff when hung to dry.  I don't feel like I have to do anything with the flats to soften them up after they have been hung to try, possibly their thinness is what helps to prevent stiffness, or maybe because they're lighter and blow around more in the wind.  The prefolds that I have been using overnight dry stiff too, but after a little research I've found that they can be softened up, without the use of a dryer, by rubbing the diapers together.  I'm sure I could do this with our soaker pads too.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 4

What a day...  Actually it was a pretty good day with a few hiccups here and there.  We were leak-free overnight, and the little bit of rashiness/redness we had at the end of the day yesterday was completely gone this morning.  Thank you GroVia Magic Stick!  We continued using the pad fold today.

I washed diapers again today and broke them up into two loads to wash this time - 5 flats, 2 prefolds, and 2 cloth wipes in the first load; 6 flats and 5 or 6 wipes in the second load.  The smaller load size definitely made agitating the load easier.  Since I messed up my camp washer lid pretty good last time I washed I just used the bucket and plunger without the lid this time, and it was just fine.  There was some splashing out of the bucket, but since it was sitting down in the bathtub and I was pouring the water into the tub anyway at the end of washing it really didn't matter.  (Note: we rarely use the tub in our master bathroom, and it WILL be thoroughly cleaned after the challenge is over).  I hung the diapers to dry outside once I was done, and was nearly eaten alive by thrips!  Thrips are those teeny tiny yellow bugs (and I mean you almost can't see them even when you're looking closely) that you may feel biting from time to time when you're outside in grassy areas.  They are apparently pretty prolific around here because we had a lot of them last year too.  Last year I took Addisyn out into the backyard when she was a few months old to take some pictures, laid her down in the grass, and when I picked her up her white onesie was covered in them!  Had I known about them before then I wouldn't have laid her down.  They also get all over her diapers when I hang them to dry, but a quick trip through the dryer to soften the soakers takes care of them quickly, or in this case I'll just shake her flats out really well.

Every Thursday night my husband meets up with a bunch of guys at a park not too far from our house to play a few pickup basketball games, and Addisyn and I got with him and walk around the park with a friend while they play.  I changed Addisyn a little while before we left for basketball, and completely forgot to change her until I had pee all over me!  She had had that diaper on for at least 4 hours, so the leak was completely my fault.  The wagon she had been sitting in wasn't wet at all, and it wasn't a slow leak onto my shirt and shorts, so the diaper must have been completely saturated and then she peed while I was holding her and everything just ran right out of the diaper.  She's 12 months old now, and this is the first time I've really ended up being leaked on - that's a pretty good run!

On Thursday nights Addisyn usually ends up being put to bed about 2 hours past her normal bedtime (she does sleep a little in the car on the way home) because of basketball, so she is understandably a little cranky once we get home.  Well, with the added time and steps of trying to put on a prefold and flat it was just too much for us both tonight.  I put on the flat and prefold tonight, but with her having a meltdown I didn't get the diaper on well and couldn't get the cover to fit correctly because of it.  Instead of trying again I just went ahead and put on one of our regular nighttime diapers, a GroVia AIO with an extra booster.  I had every intention of using nothing buy flats and prefolds ALL week, but the challenge rules do allow participants to use their regular nighttime diapers, and given the circumstances I felt it would be best for tonight.

Not a bad day, but it certainly ended up being a bit long at the end.  Tomorrow is another day though!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 3

Well, we had our first leak of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge this morning.  It was a small leak around one of Addisyn's legs this morning, it could have been that I didn't get the cover fitted quite right around that leg (it was our overnight flat/prefold combination, so quite bulky), or that she was in the diaper a little longer than usual (she slept about an hour later than she usually does).  It wasn't a big leak, and I'm actually a little surprised that we didn't have one sooner since using flats and prefolds is new to us.

The GroVia shells that I washed yesterday afternoon were STILL wet this morning, so obviously I didn't do a very good job of wringing them out, and they were drying inside since we had bad weather last night. I put them outside for an hour or so and presto, dry!  Once I was able to change her into a clean, dry cover I hand washed the one she had been wearing and put it on the fence (like the others pictured from this morning).  When I went to retrieve it later it was gone!  I was pretty sure where it had ended up though... in our neighbor's yard.  Fortunately their 4 dogs hadn't come outside and found the shell (they have a doggy door), and I was able to retrieve it using a fishing pole.

We switched folds for the day to the pad fold - much easier to use than the kite and origami folds!  A pad -folded flat doesn't need to be pinned on, it just lays inside the cover (like our regular soaker pads), and when changing doesn't need to be unpinned and removed by hand, just dumped out of the shell.  Addisyn went to bed tonight with the normal flat/prefold combination tonight.  We had a little bit of diaper rash today, so I will be keeping an eye on that, but I'm sure that our GroVia Magic Stick will remedy it quickly, as it has on the other occasions she has gotten rashy.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 2 - Washing

Another leak-free challenge day here!  I put my diaper pins in a bar of soap and am amazed by how much difference it makes in getting them into the diaper!  We continue to use the origami fold during the day and the kite-folded flat with a prefold at night.

The washing went pretty well today.  I washed my shells and wet bag by themselves because I didn't want to wash them in hot water with the flats.  I should have washed the diapers in smaller loads though (I did 9 flats, 2 prefolds, and half a dozen cloth wipes in 1 load).  Fortunately everything seemed to come out clean.  There was a little staining to the 2 poopy diapers we had, but no more than we would have had on our regular soaker pads, and everything smelled clean (those who use cloth diapers will know that if you don't use enough soap when machine washing your diapers, they may smell funky after you take them out).  I did an extra rinse of the prefolds and cloth wipes since they're much thicker than the flats.  One issue I did have though was that my camp washer lid didn't hold up to the washing, it cracked in several places.  I know others have used the same lid, so I'm curious to see if anyone else broke theirs.

One other mistake I made today is that I washed 4 of my 5 shells at the same time, so that the only dry diaper cover I have available for use is the one that Addisyn is wearing.  Somehow that one shell also made it through her first spaghetti dinner (I know, we were really temping fate!).  For the rest of the week I think I will be washing the shells by hand as they need it instead of waiting until I was diapers.

I was hoping to line dry my diaper today, but we have been having some pretty nasty storms this evening (read: golf ball-sized hail, funnel clouds, and tornadoes not too far from us).  I'm also waiting to replace our clothes line.  My husband kindly hung one for me last year, but the line has weathered and now leaves blue marks on anything I hang on it (only made that mistake once).  I picked up a drying rack a few months ago so that I could dry diapers inside or out, but every time I put it outside it gets blown over!  

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - Day 1

Our first day of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge was a big success!  As I mentioned in my previous post we actually started using flats the night before the challenge began so that I could get all of our regular diaper laundry washed before the challenge began today.  Last night I diapered Addisyn with a prefold wrapped in a flat (kite fold), covered with a GroVia AI2 shell, and I was pleasantly surprised to find absolutely no leaks this morning after 12 hours in the same diaper - not bad for my very first attempt at flats!  Throughout the day I used origami-folded flats with a Grovia shell, and again, no leaks!

So to elaborate a little more on the supplies I'm using this week:

21 Flats (30x30 flour sack towels from Walmart and Target)
5 GroVia AI2 shells
Diaper Pins
Prefolds (using as extra absorbency at nighttime only)
Homemade camp washer (made of 5 gallon bucket and plunger)

The only things I purchased specifically for this challenge were the flour sack towels, bucket, and plunger.

I am really enjoying this challenge!  I decided early on in my pregnancy that I wanted to use cloth diapers but had absolutely no idea that modern cloth diapers existed, so I was anticipating using prefolds/flats.  I think what brought my attention to modern cloth diapers was a search for cloth diaper covers that would fit my baby as the only covers I was seeing in stores were the traditional waterproof pants, and they only seemed to be available in toddler sizes.

I am glad to be gaining additional cloth diapering knowledge and experience.  The thought of folding flats can be a bit intimidating, but really (like so many things in life) it's all about repetition and figuring out what works for me.  I need to work on getting a tighter wrap around the legs, but so far it has not been an issue as my GroVia shells keep everything contained.  Tomorrow I'll have to put a bar of soap on our changing table to keep the diaper pins in.  I have had a tough time today trying to get the pins through all of the layers of cloth once the diapers are on, but I've heard that pushing the pins into a bar of soap will make them easier to use.  Tomorrow will also be the first day of using the camp washer!

Look Whooo's 1!

I tried to post this entry last night, but was having trouble getting my pictures to load, so here goes...

Addisyn is officially 1 year old!  It's hard to believe that this time last year we were in the hospital with a brand new baby girl who only wanted to eat and sleep.  Mostly sleep.  Her first year has been a blessing.  I was fortunate to have a very fast labor and delivery (5.5 hours total, only 20 minutes pushing).  Despite some obstacles we persevered and had a wonderful first year of breastfeeding - never even used a bottle.  We began using cloth diapers when Addisyn was 2 months, I'm loving every minute of it and I will NEVER go back to disposables.  Addisyn has been a good sleeper and good eater from the beginning.  

We had an early birthday celebration with family and friends in Virginia, and then just spent her actual birthday (May 22nd) doing things together as a family here in Texas.   For the Virginia party I made Addisyn an applesauce banana cake (think banana nut bread in density) and cut and decorated it to look like an owl (the party theme).  She ended up with lots of loot from that party - books, puzzles, clothes, a few toys, and some contributions to her college fund.  Here at home I made her a "fruit cake" - layers of kiwi, banana, some diced cantaloupe and watermelon, and a strawberry on top.  Matt and I got her a Little Tikes "Spiralin' Seas Waterpark" water table, which she loves (and will hopefully find more appealing than the dog's water bowl).  We also got her a some tub crayons and (this was my idea) a tadpole/frog habitat.  Yes, the latter is a little old for her, but we'll have a good time watching a tadpole grow into a frog - never too young (or old) for nature!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge - All Ready!

Over the last several weeks I've seen several Facebook posts from other cloth diapering moms and various cloth diapering groups about the Flats and Handwashing Challenge, but until yesterday I didn't really pay much attention to it.  The purpose of the challenge is to show that it is possible to cloth diaper babies on an extremely limited budget and without the use of laundry facilities.  We are all feeling the pinch of difficult economic times,  there are families out there who cannot afford diapers, and disposable diapers are not covered by government assistance, food stamps, or WIC.  Parents stretch the amount of time that their babies go without diaper changes, and in some cases scrape out and reuse diapers - both very unhealthy practices - to try to conserve their disposable diapers.  Using modern cloth diapers is far less expensive than using disposables through the diaper years (a few hundred dollars versus a couple thousand), but an even less expensive option is available - flats.

Flat diapers are large pieces of cloth that can be folded and pinned onto baby in a variety of ways, and require a waterproof cover.  The flats I'm using for the challenge are actually 30"x30" flour sack towels that I bought from Target for about $1.00 each - cheap receiving blankets would also work.  I will be using our GroVia AI2 shells as waterproof covers for the week, they retail for $16, but I recently bought some seconds quality ones for $8 each.

The washing is the fun part... I can honestly say I've never handwashed any diapers, but I will be this week!  Like many families participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge I have made a camp washer using a 5 gallon bucket and a plunger.  I also prepped my flats the old fashioned way, by boiling them.  I will also be hang-drying all diapers this week, so I've got to  be sure that I keep enough diapers clean and dry because throwing them in the dryer is not an option.

The Flats and Handwashing Challenge is due to begin tomorrow morning (Monday, May 23rd), and end on Friday, May 30th.  We started a bit early though so that I could go ahead and wash Addisyn's normal diapers tonight.  Using our normal overnight diapers was allowed by the challenge rules, but I've decided to use flats ALL week, so tonight I put Addisyn in a flat diaper with a prefolded diaper inside for extra absorbency.  The diaper is MUCH more bulky than the GroVia AIOs that we typically use at night, but that's okay.  Fingers crossed that we won't wake up with any leaks! :D

Changing Diapers to Change the World!

On April 23rd, Addisyn and I participated in The Great Cloth Diaper Change, a worldwide event to educate, and to promote the use of cloth diapers.  Thousands of parents and their cloth diaper-clad babies joined together at hundreds of locations around the world to change their babies' cloth diapers simultaneously.  I changed Addisyn in Lewisville, TX (along with 65 other parents and their babies) at 10:30am CST, while families in Malaysia were changing their babies at 12:30am in their time zone.



Of course I have to put a plug in for our favorite diapers, GroVia!  I changed Addisyn out of a GroBaby (their name before rebranding) sunset stripes pattern diaper, and into a GroVia kiwi color diaper.



Results from the event have not yet been finalized, but at the time of this posting 221 locations have reported 6,363 participants from Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  This event was in the running for a position in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most cloth diapers changed at one time, which is why nothing is official yet - the hosts at each changing location are busy submitting evidence to Guinness Book  to verify that all rules and stipulations were followed.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change did get lots of attention from local media sources, unfortunately our local news station's coverage wasn't what we had hoped it would be.  The anchors presenting the story got a good laugh, asked "who uses cloth diapers anymore?" and stated that "they were popular in the 60's and 70's".   The station also left out the interview with the host of the local change that explained what the event was all about.  Other locations did receive better coverage though and hopefully did get the word out about cloth diapers: they're not what they used to be, they're better for babies, better for the environment, better for your wallet, and just as easy to use as disposables.  

Catching Up...

Yikes, I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I last posted an entry!  Looking back on it though, I'm not surprised as my last entry was at about the same time that Addisyn started crawling - I've been busy!  But, I do have a backlog of things to blog about, so stay tuned...