The challenge is to use flats (flat diapers, terry squares, old fashioned nappies that your granny used) on your baby for a week instead of disposable nappies or more expensive modern cloth nappies AND (yes there’s more) wash them by hand. For one whole week.
Now if you’re a modern mum who uses modern conveniences like disposable nappies and washing machines then this would be a challenge for you. Not so much of a challenge for us because we already use cloth nappies including flats. The challenge for me this week will be the hand washing.
And why does this challenge, now in its FIFTH year, even exist? Kim Rosas, from DirtyDiaperLaundry.com was inspired when reading about families experiencing dire economic circumstances who have had to reuse disposable diapers…
“Beyond there being no money for diapers, some families also had little or no reliable access to washing machines. If reusing disposables was their only option, how could cloth diapers work for these families under the most dire of circumstances- was it possible?”
You can read more about the challenge here.
So how did day one go for us? It went OK. So far so good!
Our missy started the day in an origami-folded bamboo flat under a pair of home-made wool longies. It’s officially “winter” here in the tropics so it’s a bit nippy in the mornings and wool longies are just right for a baby that’s still commando crawling on the floor. After breakfast I changed her into a birdseye flat pad-folded in a BBH (BabyBeehinds) velcro wool cover.
One benefit of the wool cover (or PUL/fleece) is that when baby wets herself all you need to do is just replace the pad-folded flat. You can re-use the cover over and over until it gets soiled. So our girl stayed in that wool cover most of the day until a monster poop put it in to the washing pile.
And I’ll write about that washing pile TOMORROW.
I love your woolies! I have yet to invest in them but some are definitely on my ‘want’ list, especially pants! They are just too cute. Maybe I’ll have to convince my grandma to make her some. 😉
http://iffyinklings.blogspot.com
Thanks Steffani! I made them from a wool jumper I found at a charity shop. They’re really easy to make. I followed this step-by-step tutorial: http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227639