Flats and Handwashing Day 1

Here is our first diaper of the morning! It's two flat diapers layered then folded like a prefold. This is my 'fold of the day'.

Here's how I did it: Lay two flat diapers down. If there is a picture on one, put that one on the bottom, pic side down. The top diaper gets folded into thirds/fourths etc depending on size of diaper and baby.

Fold top down just enough to have a nice neat edge. Totally optional. Fold the bottom down to fit the baby. If you want extra absorption you want to put more material in the front for boys, and in the middle for girls.

Now, roll in the sides. This creates a wall to contain poop. It also makes a trimmer crotch and seems more comfortable.

Snappy or pin:) I have noticed that snappi's are a little different on flats than on prefolds. There's a bit of extra material to tuck in. If you see where all the serged edging is that's what I"m talking about. I'm a little afraid that with out tucking it in just right it may not stay on.

See how cute his little Vancouver butt is? That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

I tried the origami fold. It was interesting, but my t-shirt flats just aren't big enough. Anyway, the idea I'm proposing in this picture is have your next diaper folded and ready to go! No matter how you decide to fold it. This way it's easy access!

You can even pre fold the diapers a little and stack them in the drawer. This is the drawer I use for fitteds, which are not being used at the moment! Yes, that's a Fuzzi Bunz Mama Cloth, thank you very much. THEY WORK AWESOME!!!

Here is my washing routine. When doing a full day's load of diapers rather than just two, this will be done in a basin or the tub. I don't like the idea of the tub as you'd have to use more water. However if you washed every other day it might be ok. . . .

Fill with cool water. Rinse any solids off first (in fact do that before tossing the diaper in your pail/wetbag etc) then fill w/ cool water. Agitate for several minutes. I agitate each diaper, completely unfolded/untwisted for 1-2 minutes. Drain water. Make sure the diapers look clean.

Next get your tap as hot as it will go (I think I may actually start boiling water on the stove for this. I just like water to be HOT!!!) and add a little soap. It must be cloth diaper friendly. That doesn't mean marketed for cloth diapers. Check this detergent chart.

I use Allens. I like it. Mostly because I don't have to buy as often. I opened our gallon on 1/24/11 and I"m just about a quarter of the way down from the top. Use just a very little. What I do is dip my pinky in to the knuckle and then stick it in the water. So my pinky is covered with a thin film of the soap, which then gets put in the water as I swirl it around. Agitate each diaper for 3+ minutes.
Next, rinse the diapers. Agitate each daiper until no more soap is coming out.

Hang to dry:) Line drying can make clothing stiffer than using a dryer. But really once that diaper is folded you may notice a difference, but baby wont. If it really bothers you, let the m play with it for a bit before folding to put away/on baby. Take pictures! It's fun to watch them play with laundry! Perfect line drying weather is a cool, sunny day with a good breeze. This can be replicated indoors with a fan, but isn't the same.

Here is a recieving blanket used in a pinch. It woudl make a great night time diaper, but alas. . .it's drying. After the cranky baby went to bed and woke happily we ran some errands. First we dropped off my serger that was so badly in need of cleaning and blade replacement that it wouldn't let me thread it. :(

After leaving the repair shop we headed down to a thrift store to donate clothing and buy sweaters. We sat at this intersection for 20 minutes waiting for this truck to be filled and sent on his way. Yeah.

Later we went to target where we changed a flat diaper:) It was only disastrous because I had to change this poopy diaper with no wipes while coaching Dizzy to change into his new clothes due to an accident.

Here is the night time diaper I'm trying tonight. It's composed of three different flats. Two are folded as discussed earlier, the third was folded origami style (but only bcs that's the way it was, otherwise it would have been folded into thirds and tucked inside with the other one). There is also a stay dry liner.

Fold as such and put on baby just like any other prefold!  Hopefully it works well!

Overall I"d say, yes, there was a little more work involved.  Mostly bcs I hadn't been on my game with making enough flats.  I have four more shirts to turn into flats and will do that tonight, so hopefully tomorrow just the one diaper laundry session will do!  Plus, there is one more set of flats in the diaper wash with the diaper laundry used yesterday, so that will help.

Washing them was super easy and way faster.  For me it was even less work than running the washing machine.  Normally I take all my diapers downstairs and into the machine.  Then set it for a cold rinse and go upstairs.  10 minutes later I head back down put it on a hot/cold wash with Allen's and go back up the stairs.  Then go back down the stairs for a rinse cycle and again for two runs through the dryer.  Too much up and down for me and it winds up being an all day/night process.

Line drying was nice and fast!  I'm hoping the set I have on the line dries in the next 1/2 hour so I can put them away.  If not, I"ll take them inside and hang them up on chair backs.

Not as hard as I was picturing!  Tomorrow will be the easiest fold ever.  I"ll use a PUL wrap and fold the flat(s) into thirds and line the PUL wrap with it.  I chose to do that tomorrow because I have an unavoidable appointment and my sitter is a firm 'pocket's only' user.  So we'll see if she can handle this. . . .

Ok, that's all for tonight folks!