Flats and Handwashing Challenge, Day 1

So, being a mommy blogger has its advantages.  I have made me some friends, yo.  One took me to Myrtle Beach, and one sent me a box full of diapers.

So I first posted that I was thinking about doing the flats challenge.  Then I did a post about why I wanted to join up, despite the fact that technically I'm not supposed to, because I have a job outside the home and pay someone lots of money to care for my child, so I'm grateful that they at least let us bring pocket diapers.  Sorry for yet another run-on sentence.

I was just going to buy a couple of packages of flats at some discount store, and then donate them when done.  Then Funky Mama Bird came through, to send me a box of 30 flats that she is no longer using.

So, I washed them.  I dried them.  I folded them.

Now what?  Am I using them?

Yesterday, I wasn't sure what I was going to do.  If I can't join the linky, what's the point?  If I don't meet the narrow minded requirements of the meme, why do it?

Because using cloth diapers makes me feel superior and smug.

There, I said it.

That's not totally accurate.  I do feel like I'm going something great for my kid.  I do feel like I'm doing something great for the environment.  Those are the reasons I began cloth diapering,  Those are the reasons I continue to cloth diaper.

So, I figured, I'd do it.

At 7:30 this morning, when I dressed my kid for daycare, I put a flat on her.  Correction: I put two flats on her.  I put two flats in a Thirsties cover, because I also put an adorable outfit on her, and I didn't want a leak to lead to a clothes change first thing after getting to daycare.  That's how much faith I had.  But I did, indeed, put flats in her diaper cover, and took her to daycare.

When the wetbag came home, I investigated.  Yes, as I took diapers out of the small daily wetbag and added them to the big weekly wetbag, I paid special attention to the diapers in the cover that I sent her to daycare in.

They were wet.  Pretty wet.  But the cover wasn't soaked, and her clothes hadn't needed changing.

The flats worked.  Despite 8 ounces of chocolate milk in the car (what, she doesn't eat, she needs some kind of calcium), despite what little breakfast they report that she ate, the flats held the pee, the diaper didn't leak.

Wow.  Hmm.  Flats might work.

When she came home, I changed her into a flat in a Flip cover.  Observation: wow, that's the smallest "fluffy bum" I've seen in a while.  That diaper only stayed on about half an hour, before a hysterical meltdown occurred because "I poop".  (She hates poop now.  Good for potty training!!)

Another flat in the Flip cover.  Hey, I think I can do this Flats thing.  That one was slightly wet when we got ready for bath and bedtime.

Bedtime diaper is a Thirsties hemp insert (pre-Duo style) with a bamboo/zorb insert, wrapped in a flat, in a Thirsties cover (because nighttime needs leg gussets, amIright?).  So we'll see how nighttime goes.

I decided to pass on washing diapers tonight, and do a larger batch tomorrow.  I'm home with her all day tomorrow, so there will be plenty to report on, and plenty to wash, tomorrow evening.

So far, thumbs up for flats.