Yesterday was the last day of the Flats & Handwashing Challenge, and I (barely) Survived Flats and Hand washing.

I’ve attempted to write this post several times, and each time I have been unhappy with the words I’ve typed on my iPhone screen. I’m not sure what’s causing this mental block, but thinking of my overall experience is proving to be an incredibly daunting task. 
Yesterday I was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and distracted. Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was my cranky child. Maybe it was traveling.

I feel like I just barely survived flats and hand washing. I cheated on the last day. I ran out of dry diapers and I hated ironing diapers – I ransacked my stack of clean AIO from my suitcase.

My overall experience

I’m relieved to be finished and esctatic to be washing diapers in the machine. I’m a spoiled princess mom and In finishing this challenge I feel humbled, but not enough. I still have more learn, and more to feel grateful for.

I’ll be back next year and maybe try a different approach. I need to take some time and read all the other blogger experiences and learn, and improve and create better strategies. I need to follow up with all the other parents in my online cloth diaper community and learn from them and their experiences.

Some Q&A

I asked around on social media for some questions from friends and family about this challenge… This might be an easy way to degress and maybe in a week I’ll be back to think and reflect even more.
Will I change any of my diapering ways after the challenge? 

Easy answer is No. I’m anxiously returning to my spoiled princess mom cloth diaper stash. I much prefer my AIO and I much prefer using (and recommending) pre folds.

HOWEVER, I will change the way I diaper on holidays and I will be more keen to travel with flats and covers than previously. I’m going to try to go camping this summer and perhaps a camp washer will be in my future.  I’ll definitely be bring my flats.

Was it as hard as I expected?

Yes and No? I think it’s exactly what I expected it would be. Many of the challenges I felt I faces where ones I expected to experience. The actual process of washing is easy, but getting down a rhythm is tough and learning how much detergent and how to wash and how long to dry. That’s challenging.

What challenges did I face?

• On the last day my diapers didn’t dry on time. Reviving blankets and covers take forever to dry im humid Vancouver.
• Finding time to wash was sometimes a challenge. I need it just make it a priority because washing a few diapers at once isn’t time consuming.
• Everything smelling like pee – especially covers that were being reused.
• Mastering nights, but I’m glad I found an answer to that before the challenge.
• Discovering a wash routine that works.

Would I recommend Flats?

In a heartbeat. I’m amazed at the absorbency and affordability of Flats.

Would I recommend Handwashing? 

Maybe not… It’s practical if you need it and I’m sure if you looked at other options such as hand washers it would be awesome. But from my personal experience, maybe not. Ask me next year?

What will I change for next year?

• wash every night ( so lots of time to dry and washing smaller loads)
• more flats and/or FST (dry faster than recieving blankets and in case I run low!)
• build a contraption or get a plunger (a must)
• master my wash routine (maybe a different detergent, maybe more consistency, maybe who knows)

 

  

That’s all for now.  Anything else you want to know? I’ll be updating my old posts with reflections in the next month