My next adventure in Cloth Diapering... The Flats and Handwashing Challenge !!!
Now, flat diapers are not very appealing to me, and I don't think that I would choose them as my main diapering choice. That being said, The recent post by Kim at dirtydiaperlaundry.com reminded me of how important it is to know what to do when in need.
We are in a crisis !!! Millions are unemployed, and struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. If that wasn't bad enough, it seems that all of the "can't live without" items are the most expensive. It is amazing how much you have to pay for healthy foods, fruits and vegetables.
Usually after finding out that your pregnant and the initial glee settles, your mind starts to race..."How am I going to pay for everything?" better yet, "How am I going to pay for all of those diapers?". For many the solution is cloth diapers, for many more cloth isn't considered or feasible. What if you can't even afford to do that? what if you don't have a washer? then what? would you go to a laundrymat? laundrymats are pretty pricey in some places.
Some parents make the decision to leave their baby in a dirty diaper a little bit longer to stretch out their diaper supply. Heck, most disposable diapers claim to keep baby dry for up to 12 hours, what's a few more. I'm sure that some parents buy these diapers and plan on using 2 to 3 a day to make sure they have enough diapers until their next pay check. Some parents find themselves forced to take part in risky practices; such as, leaving baby in the same diaper for hours, drying wet diapers with a hair dryer or scraping out soiled diapers and re-using them.
I believe that every parents wants the best for their child. I know how it feels to see your disposable diaper pile get lower and lower and lower. I am blessed to have stumbled upon modern cloth diapers and snatched up a few when I had the chance. However, if I needed to diaper my child in the most inexpensive way possible, I would greatly appreciate any information and training I could get my hands on.
The Flats and Handwashing Challenge is just that, a challenge to moms and dads everywhere. One week of diapering old school, using flat diapers and handwashing !!!! The challenge will begin on the morning of May 23rd and end the evening of May 30th.
This is going to be a radical difference for me, I have never even used prefolds. I can't believe how excited I am to do this. It's funny, I keep thinking of how excited our grandmothers must have been to STOP having to use flats, and here i am excited to use them. I know that almost everyone reading this post must think that I have gone insane. Maybe I have :-) who cares.
I hope that by participating in this challenge, I can encourage others to do what is best for their baby. Diapering your baby doesn't have to cost over $2,000 (The average cost of diapering one child frrom birth to potty training). All you need is a little determination and ingenuity.
At the end of the week I will definitely fill you in on how it went.
