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!