Updates! {May 2014}

I think these two are the most alike looking of all my kids.

WOW! I know I'm always saying I'm busy, but this last week has really been something. I had 4 sick kids for part of the week. Nothing major luckily, Owen ran a fever for two days, but Owen is well known for spiking high fevers for no apparent reason. Duncan also had a little bit of a fever and the 4 younger kids all had cold type symptoms. The two little ones still have drippy noses, but I think we're on the mend.
Connor had 3 drives last week in addition to his two driver's ed classes. so we had to take him back and forth all week instead of just two days like usual. His next drive is actually just at the end of class, so I won't have to make extra trips.
With the weather finally drying out, we've been busy getting the garden up and running. I've had my raised beds planted for a while, but the main garden areas were too wet to till until now. We've also been fencing in the rest of the pasture. With the alpacas joining the goats, we need a little more space.

Brenna NOT cooperating for pictures

Last week was the 4th annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. I did actually finish the challenge, I just didn't manage to blog about it the last two days. I had a much easier time of it this year, which I attribute to only having one child in diapers and having nice enough weather to hang the diapers outside to dry. I'm still not planning to wash diapers by hand unless it is absolutely necessary, but I am planning on using flat diapers more often. Brenna has very sensitive skin and we have very hard water. I've had a horrible time finding a washing routine that keeps her from getting rashes ( she breaks out from disposables too, so that's not really a better option). The rash she had going into this week has cleared up entirely. Since I really don't want to hand wash all the time, I'm trying to use flats more to see if they just get cleaner easier since they are only one layer. I'm hoping to get the benefits of the last week while still enjoying my washing machine. I already hang dry my diapers whenever the weather cooperates, so that won't be a change.

Last night I got to attend the Helping Parents Night Out put on by Parent to Parent. Back before Owen's seizures stated up again( he had a few just after birth, then didn't have any for over two years) I attended the training to be a Helping Parent. Helping Parents are parents of special needs kids who agree to be a resource person for other parents with children who have similar diagnosis or needs. I haven't been able to make the Night Out event before due to Brenna's birth and Owen's medical issues, but this year I really needed a break, so I decided Brenna could go to bed without nursing for one night. It was just exactly what I needed! I got a mini massage and paraffin hand and foot treatments. I got to make a beaded bracelet and most importantly, I got to talk to other parents of children with special needs. Everyone brought appetizers and beverages and we nibbled and chatted all night (well until 10:30). Then I got to bring home a bag of goodies! It was so much fun, I think I'm putting this event at the top of my priority list for next year.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 5

Today's topic is folding techniques. Well, I'm really tired tonight and I don't really feel like blogging, so it's a good thing that I don't have any fancy folding techniques to show you. About 90% of the time, I just fold the diaper into a rectangle and lay it in the diaper cover. I've seen something like this called the "pad fold", but I don't have any special way I fold mine, so I'm not sure if that's really what mine would be called. I have a pretty wide variety of shapes among my diapers (and receiving blankets) so I just fold them to about the right width and then fold in half, or thereabouts lengthwise and put them in the cover. If I'm pinning a diaper on, I do the same thing, only then I fan out the back of the diaper and pin it on. Nothing fancy. I've tried a few different folds, but the reality is I'm lazy when it comes to folding. The only fancy fold I can remember without looking at instructions is the kite fold my Mom taught me a long time ago and I don't really like that fold on moving toddlers. It works great on little babies though.

Receiving blanket in a homemade fleece cover

I did have a little blip in the challenge today. My teenage son changed a diaper and put Brenna in a prefold instead of a flat. I didn't realize it until after she'd wet, so I guess that goes down as a fail for the challenge. Then again, I don't really think a teenage boy changing a diaper voluntarily can ever be a fail!

Two birdseye flats in a cover

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 4

Today's topic is our washing routine. This year I'm doing the same thing I ended with last year. Last year I had a problem with over thinking my washing routine. I simply didn't think that I could possibly get the diapers clean enough with handwashing. I found out the exact opposite. My diaper got cleaner than they did in my machine. I was spending a lot more time though, so I started out gradually decreasing my system until I got the right amount of clean with the least effort.

Brenna helping wash diapers last year since I forgot to take pictures this year.

What I do now is put the diapers into a wet pail as soon as they are used. Poopy diapers get sprayed down with my diaper sprayer. I use a plunger to make sure the diapers are soaked all the way through.
When I'm ready to wash, I drain the pail into the toilet and then refill the pail with hot water and a little bit of liquid detergent. Then I spray the diapers down with the diaper sprayer and put them into the hot water pail. I use the plunger to agitate the diapers until I get bored then I let them soak and come back every now and then and agitate them some more.
Then when I get a chance to get back to the diapers, I drain the pail into the tub and fill it with cold water for a rinse. If I rinse in the pail, I need two rinses, but if I use the tub I only need one. I use the plunger to make sure all the soap is out and then drain the tub and wring out the diapers.
Then I hang them to dry. This year has been sunny so far, so I've been able to dry outside, but I have a drying rack in case I need to dry in the house. Once the diapers are dry, I take them off the line and crunch them up a bit before folding to soften them.
That's it. It's not as hard as I thought it would be at first. Flats are so easy to get clean. I handwashed my prefolds a few weeks ago when my washer was broken and it was a little more intensive of a process, but not too bad either.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3- Why Wool?

When I first started cloth diapering over 17 years ago, I heard about wool covers. The only ones I found were really expensive and I read mixed reviews on how well they actually worked. Some people really loved them and others absolutely hated them. Since I was on a really tight budget, I decided not to try any.

I cloth diaper my kids for many reasons. Finances are actually the deciding factor on how I diaper, but they aren't really the main reason WHY I cloth diaper. The main reasons why I use cloth are that I feel it is much more ecologically sound and that I have children with very sensitive skin who break out from disposables. For both of those reasons I remained intrigued by wool covers. While cloth diapers are pretty eco-friendly, covers can be a bit less so. I still feel that the chemicals and production costs of reusable covers is a better alternative than single use diapers, but I still thought that there must be something even better.

Then baby number four came along. He was a super wetter! One of those kids who could completely soak a diaper in one pee. During the day, I was able to add a doubler to his diaper and change him promptly. Every night we had leaks though. I started looking for different options and kept coming up with wool covers again. They were still outrageously expensive to buy, but I found tutorials on how to make my own out of thrift store sweaters. I promptly went to our local thrift store and bought up a few wool sweaters. It turned out to be my diapering solution! Unfortunately, it became very popular in my area for moms to make and sell these on the internet and I had a really hard time finding cheap sweaters. I eventually was able to buy some wool fabric from a co-op, but that wasn't a very good option. It was still pretty expensive and it's a pretty long process. I also had trouble finding the right fabric when I wanted it.

That's when I discovered patterns for knitting your own wool covers. Wool yarn can be found pretty inexpensively at stores like Joann and Michaels. There was only one problem. I didn't know how to knit. I'd been crocheting for pretty much ever, but I'd never been able to figure out knitting. I finally found some crochet soaker patterns and made up a few, but there weren't nearly as many patterns for crochet. Then, my daughter had the opportunity to take a knitting class and parents were invited along to help out. I decided that if children as young as 8 could take a knitting class that I could learn too. I spent the next year making scarves and then finally started knitting soakers!

What do I love about wool soakers besides the fact that they are so cute? First, they are incredibly easy to take care of. I didn't believe this at first, since I kept reading about handwashing and lanolizing, but the thing is you don't have to do that very often. I wash soakers fairly often now, because I have a very messy toddler and they get food and dirt on them, but on a smaller or less messy baby soakers only need washed every few weeks. Second, they really are the most leak proof covers I've ever used. Third, they can be used as outerwear, saving even more since I don't have to buy separate pants. Fourth, I feel that they are the most ecological option, especially if you are careful to buy eco-friendly, untreated wools. Finally, most importantly, my kids don't break out in them. I've always had to be super careful about which covers I use and how long they stay on, and what detergent I use to wash with. I don't have to worry about that with wool at all. If one of the kids gets a rash, using only wool covers and natural fiber diapers for a few days clears it right up.

Owen wore this pair of longies for nearly two years!

I highly recommend everyone try some wool covers. Especially since they can actually be one of the most inexpensive cover options if you (or someone you know) knits or crochets.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2 {2014}

Well, It's day two and I can already say that this year is MUCH easier than last year. First, is the fact that I'm only diapering one this year. but just as important is the fact that I already have a bit of a routine down. Last year I was experimenting, this year I already know what works or doesn't work for me. The weather here in the notoriously rainy Pacific NW has also been on it's best behavior this year. Last year it rained every day, so I only got to dry diapers outside a couple of times and had to rush them back in when the rain started both times. This year the forecast is for clear, warm weather until Friday!

Today's topic is what we are using and how much it cost. I blogged about this HERE last year and really I haven't changed much at all. The gloves I bought last year got a hole in them, but I decided that they were actually more trouble than they were worth, so I didn't get a new pair. The only new thing I bought was new twine (about $3) for my clothesline since the old one was broken and moldy, but I bought that a couple of weeks ago just for everyday use not specifically for the challenge.

For diapers I'm either using 1 receiving blanket or two birdseye flats during the day and 1 receiving blanket plus 1 birdseye flat at night. The flats I got for about a dollar each through a co-op nearly 10 years ago and the receiving blankets were mostly gifts or garage sale finds for about a quarter. Today, I washed 8 diapers and I should have a few more tomorrow since I'll have an extra night's worth. Since I'm doubling up for my 2 year old, I think I'll need at least 2 dozen diapers to be comfortable.

If I were to buy these brand new at current prices that would be about $48 plus $2-3 for a set of diaper pins.

For covers I'm using a combination of one-size snap covers (when others do the changing) and handmade wool covers (when I change since these require pins to keep the diapers snug). Most of the covers I'm using I bought for $6 through a co-op although I do have one brand name cover that was about $15. The handmade wool covers cost me between $6 and $16 dollars depending on how fancy my yarn was and whether I used a coupon or not. I'm going to assume that if I was on a really tight budget and didn't get yarn as presents, I would buy the cheap yarn. I have 6 PUL covers and 3 wool ones in rotation right now. I've only needed to use 2 of the PUL covers so far though. I have used all 3 of the wool covers since Brenna got chocolate ice cream on one pair and I had to wash them right away. I really wouldn't recommend less than 3 wool covers. One to wash, and two to rotate each change. 

So, that comes to $42 - $84 dollars for covers. This is obviously the best place to make changes if you need to keep it more inexpensive.

I am also using my diaper sprayer $50 but these can be as low as $30 and aren't really necessary, a bucket that I got for free although you can spend $3 on a brand new one, a $3 plunger, I really recommend this it makes things much easier. I guess I should also throw in the $3 for clothes line. I have a drying rack too, but I wouldn't buy one just for this purpose. If you already have one it is helpful, but I'd probably just throw them over the shower rod or string my clothes line up in the mud room rather than buying a new one.

Total cost: as low as $99 (that's assuming you don't scrounge for the actual diapers) and up to $191. You will probably need more sizes of wool covers, but the one size covers should work from birth to potty training if you don't have little, tiny newborns. So really, for  $100- 250 you could diaper one baby from birth to potty training. That's a lot cheaper than disposables!

Flats and Handwashing Challenge #4 2014

It's that time of the year again! The annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. This will be my second year participating. The first year I heard about the challenge right after it was over. The second year, I was all ready to take the challenge, then I ended up having a c-section with Brenna and decided that leaning over a bucket washing diapers wasn't going to be a good idea. Last Year, I did participate and while using flats exclusively wasn't a problem, I will admit that I wasn't thrilled with the handwashing part.
This year I almost didn't participate at all. Why? Because I'd already proven that I could do it and I'm really pressed for time right now. Plus about two months ago, our washing machine broke and I ended up washing ALL of our laundry by hand for over a week until we realized that it was going to cost more to fix the old machine than to buy a new machine, Then we actually had to buy the new machine. I got pretty sick of washing all of our clothes (okay, not actually all of our clothes since many didn't get washed at all that week). I decided that I had done my task and didn't need to participate in the challenge this year.
So, why did I change my mind? Because I keep hearing about how many families are struggling to provide diapers for their children right now. I really think this challenge is a great way to show that cloth diapering is a legitimate option, even on a budget and even without a washing machine. I'm also expecting it to be easier this year since I'll only be diapering one toddler and not a baby and a special need pre-schooler like last year. I figure I'll be using less than half as many diapers as last year. So, here goes!

Flats Challenge- What Did I learn?

I'm participating in the flats and hand washing challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.






 
   The purpose of this challenge was to see if using flat diapers and hand washing them would be a viable alternative for families struggling to pay for diapers. There are many families struggling to provide the basic necessities for their children. Disposable diapers can be a huge added expense. I haven't ever used disposables exclusively. We used them part time at night and away from home with Devon and only on vacations of more than 2 -3 days with the other kids, so I'm not really sure how much they would cost full time. I've seen estimates of  $50 -70 per child per month. I have always felt that using cloth diapers was a great alternative and finances have always been a huge factor our using cloth. Flats are the cheapest type of cloth diaper to obtain. After doing this challenge, I can say that I would have absolutely no qualms about giving a new parent 2 dozen flat diapers and 5 or so covers and teaching them how to use them.
 On Tuesday, I was already ready to give up on the hand washing part of the challenge. I stopped and re thought out my routine, made a few changes and continued. Thursday, I discovered that I didn't really hate hand washing any more than I hate several other chores I do on a daily basis. Cleaning is really not my forte, I am much better at the creative aspects of homemaking. Cooking, sewing, knitting, are fun to me. Organizing, re-arranging, homeschooling are just fine. Dishwashing, sweeping, dusting, and hand washing diapers are much further down the list. That said, I do however think it would be very doable if necessary. I could definitely see someone supplementing disposables with handwashing flats. I could also see handwashing on a temporary basis.
 Line drying also was no problem for me. I live in the Pacific NW and it has been pretty rainy this week. I could never get by with only 10-12 diapers and line dry, but at $ .25- 1.00 per diaper having 2-3 dozen and line drying would work fine. Rod and I have lived in a very small house and several apartments during our year of marriage and I think I could have found a place to dry diapers anywhere.
 To sum up my thoughts, I'd say that flat diapers are a very workable solution. Line drying is also quite doable. Hand washing I would not really expect someone to do full time on a permanent basis, but would be useful to supplement disposables or communal washing. Now, that is also for me washing diapers for a special needs pre-schooler (almost 4) and a toddler. It might be more workable if I was only diapering Brenna.

 On a personal level I learned that fancier isn't always better. I used flats and prefolds with velcro ( and eventually snap) covers with my first 3 kids. By the time I was pregnant with Duncan pocket diapers and all in ones had become big business. Diapers were all of a sudden a fashion statement. All the ads brought up how much easier the "new" diapers were compared to the archaic flats and even prefolds. We started slowly switching over (mainly by my making diapers). Then we started having problems with smells staying in the polyester fibers. I found that the elastic wore out faster than in my old covers. Owen started breaking out from the microfleece and suedecloth lining. We have been switching back to all natural fabrics and mostly using homemade fitteds and wool covers or PUL covers with prefolds. After using flats for the last week I think I'll be working them into my regular rotation instead of just using them in emergencies. It seems a little weird to go back to what I was using 15 years ago, but they really work better and for less cost. I will, however be using my washing machine Monday (tomorrow I'll still handwash today's diapers). Brenna likes washing her diapers much more than I do!