Flats Challenge Day 5: What's Working (And What's Not)

Day Five of the Dirty Diaper Laundry Flats and Handwashing Challenge is wrapping up now. I feel like I have settled in to the routine of handwashing, hang drying, and folding pretty well. I got the hand wash done today in 30 minutes and was excited that I have gotten so much faster at it! The first day I think it took me 50 minutes, but I've gotten more efficient each day, so getting down to a 30 minute time is awesome. Today the blog topic is all about what is working and what isn't.

Flats

To be honest, I love all of the flats I have been using. I was most skeptical about the Flour Sack Towels before the challenge started, but they have actually worked surprisingly well. I have several brands of birdseye cotton flats and they have all been working great too. The bamboo fleece flats from Sweet Bobbins have been great for overnight paired with a Geffen Baby hemp/cotton jersey flat. The bamboo terry squares from Orange Diaper Co have also been really great at night. I used the toddler sized one last night with the ODC bamboo fleece doublers and that combo worked great. 

Folds

I'm getting better at the Origami Fold, but I have learned not to use it if poop is imminent. 

 

I think my favorite fold is the Jo fold: it is easy to fold, goes on baby well, and has absorbency where I need it. The only issue I have had with the Jo fold is that it is trickier to use my diaper sprayer to get the poop off. All the edges of the flat end up in the middle so it takes longer to get it all off. I love using a pad folded flat in a GroVia or Flip cover. Actually the pad folded flat in a Flip cover is seriously making me reconsider my old style Bum Genius Elemental stash. Most of the other folds I have tried have been working really well. The only one that did not work was the Origami Fold for containing poop. This might be just because I didn't have it folded onto Ava snugly enough, but we had an unpleasant poop in crib experience yesterday due to an origami folded flat.

Pad Fold in a Flip - loving this combo!

Washing

Smaller loads are the key to successful hand washing in a bucket washer. The first day I washed seven flats and four covers and I really felt like that was too many for my bucket. Maybe if I had tried just washing those in the tub it would have worked better, but since then I have tried to make sure that I do no more than five flats in one bucket load. I have given up on my cracked bucket lid and have just been plunging the bucket without it. It's a little more splashy than I would like but it's been working ok. 

Overall

The Flats Challenge has been largely successful for us so far. It does take time each day to hand wash, hand dry, and fold, so some things around the house have slipped through the cracks. Sometimes hand washing your kid's diapers comes at the cost of knowing what dinner will be! I'm looking forward to the last two days of the challenge though and I am so glad I decided to take this on this year!

Episensial

Episensial Bath and Body Products

My son breaks out from almost all types of lotions, soaps and sunscreens. He has super sensitive skin and we have tried so many different things to find out what works for us. I was given the opportunity to review some of Episensial's bath and body products and I was really impressed.

We were sent Sunggly Lotion (cherry scented) Peaceful Bubbles Bath(blueberry scented) and Cheeky Salve(raspberry scented). I was a little nervous at first with the scents because that seems to be a big trigger for his skin reactions but because it is all natural, we had none! He loved that he got to have "smelly" lotions and baths because he normally cannot! What I found incredible was that the scents are not made of parfums or fragrances but actual juice extracts.

As soon as we got the lotion out, we tried it on all of us! Nyla loved that it was girly and smelled like cherries. Kynlie just loves putting lotion on but I loved that this was chemical free and made with mostly organic ingredients. When we put it on Lincoln, I tested it on a small area first and he had no reactions after an hour so he got to put some all over. At first he said it was "girlish" but he ended up loving that he got to use a scented lotion. It went on smooth and didn't leave any greasy feeling on your hands.

We use the Peaceful Bubble bath soap every bath time. It has a light blueberry scent and makes great bubbles! Again, I was really nervous to put Lincoln in it but after the lotion had good success, I figured the bubble bath had to be the same. The kids loved it! They kept commenting on how much they liked how their bath smelled and that they "felt cleaner with blueberry soap" haha! I loved that it didn't cause any redness or rash on Lincoln and that they all enjoyed it.

Even though it says unscented I think the cheeky salve smells so yummy! We used this in many different ways. For the most part, I keep it in my purse to use as a chapstick and to put on chapped cheeks. We have also tried it for diaper rashes. (I don't double dip! lol) You can also use it for cracked nipples when nursing as well as cradle cap and acne bumps. (After baby is born in November I hope to see how it works for those!)

It is a colorless butter and smooths on nicely. It is edible(just in case your two year old wants to have taste!) and can be used to prevent and protect from the elements!

Kynlie loves to put the Snuggly Lotion on her tummy... 

And her legs. 

Overall, I absolutely loved all three of these products. The best part was that Lincoln had no bad reactions to any of it. I also loved that the scents were made with juice extracts, not fragrances! How cool is that. I also think it is awesome that they make everything using solar power. This company is built on good values and their goal is to provide a safe product to families that is green and good for the environment. 

You can get your Episensial products HERE or at several different retailers nationwide!

Petit Guili KokoBaby Diaper

Petit Guili Koko baby cloth diapers

It seems like you tend to see the same diapers over and over. I recently came across Petit Guili who sells Koko baby diapers! The Kokobaby diaper (or nappy) is made from bamboo-which means it is incredibly soft! I was sent this green nappy to try out.

Here is the back. How cute is the little bird on the bum?

The Kokobaby comes in three parts: the shell (or cover), the snap in liner which is the waterproof layer, and the insert. I was sent the cloth insert but they also sell a disposable inserts which would be great for Grandma's house or a vacation!

This is the shell (or cover). It is super soft and made out of bamboo. Typically I am not a huge fan of velcro/hook and loop but this was really strong and we had no issues with it coming undone. It is also a one size and fits from birth to potty training. Kokobaby also comes in three other colors: Cool blue, Energy red and Mandarine. 

Here is a close up of the waterproof liner. It easily snaps into the cover and wipes clean for simple messes. Even though it is the waterproof layer, it is also made of bamboo and a cotton waterproof PUL. There are deep gussets to prevent any of those blow out messes and everything stays contained. The great thing is you can just simply unsnap the liner and toss into your wetbag without getting dirty!

The cloth insert also has gussets sewn in. It is made of four layers of bamboo terry and an additional layer of waterproof bamboo. This is the ultimate leak protection combo! Not only is it super absorbent but it is incredibly soft. 

This is where the liner snaps into the cover. There are two snaps in the back and two in the front. 

Because of the four snaps, it is held in place securely and doesn't move around. 

All snapped in.

Here it is all put together. Even with all the layers this diaper was very trim.

Here is the velcro (or hook/loop) It was really strong and held  securely.

The only issue we had was getting it to fold over for washing. Once we got that figured out, it worked great!

Here is a picture of the snaps for rise setting. There are three rows of snaps which makes for four different settings. The snaps held great and provided a great fit.

I just love the little bird on the bum!

Here you can see how trim it is on the booty with all the layers. It also had a good fit around the legs and there was no leaking because of the double gusset protection.

The velcro is made so that it can overlap as needed. There wasn't a lot of bunching in the wet zone either which helped to keep the bulk down.

Overall we got a great fit on this diaper. It was trim and super soft. I love that you can switch out just the insert or use disposable ones if you prefer. It is also so convenient that you can simply wipe the liner or switch it out if dirty. By doing this, you can use the cover for up to four changes! Not only does that save you time and laundry but money as well. You can get your own Kokobaby diaper at Petit Guili.

Flats Challenge Day 4: How's The Handwashing?

Well Day 4 of the Flats Challenge is done, and overall it went pretty well. One of my biggest worries before the Flats Challenge was how our overnight diapering would go with Ava being such a heavy wetter. The first three nights of the challenge I had used my Sweet Bobbins flats with another flat pad folded as an insert. This worked amazing, BUT... when I went this evening to get my Sweet Bobbins flats off the indoor drying rack I discovered something sad. They weren't dry! Even the one that I washed yesterday morning was still dampish on the line. So we are trying out a new combo for tonight and I am really nervous. I really dislike changing my overnight diapering routine because I really love waking up to dry sheets! I'll let you know tomorrow how it went! It is really interesting to me how my gut reaction to a damp diaper on a line is "oh, I'll just throw it in the dryer for a second." The Flats Challenge is really forcing me to see just how long things take to dry on a line when it is humid and rainy out!

The topic for Day 4 is "How is the Handwashing?" and I am happy to be able to tell you all about my hand washing routine that I am learning and how it is going. I'll start off by telling you that where I live we have really hard water and I have learned to add an extra wash cycle and rinse to my regular washing machine diaper loads, so when I read Kim's washing routine for her bucket washer I knew I might have to add a couple extra steps to mine.

This is my camp washer set up. I bought a plunger, 5 gallon bucket, and lid from a hardware store for about $9. Ben helped me drill a one inch hole in the center of the lid, and then he drilled 3/8" holes all around the plunger to allow water to pass through easier.

I decided to forego using my wet bags for the challenge. It would just be one extra thing to wash and wring out every day and it is easy for me to walk from Ava's bedroom, where I change her, to the bathroom, where my bucket is, and just dump the diapers in the bucket.

This picture was my first load in the camp washer. I washed seven flats and four covers the first time, and I definitely recommend smaller loads! The easiest load I have washed so far had only four flats in it and one cover. When I am ready to wash the diapers I cover them with cold water and use the plunger to agitate for a little bit. Then I dump the cold rinse water out in the tub, add my soap to the bucket, and fill it with hot water.

Once the hot water covers the diapers enough I put the lid on snugly and begin agitating the plunger. I have been setting a timer for five minutes for this step because let me tell you, five minutes feels like forever when you are hand washing. Once my time is up I drain the water again, do a quick cold rinse with agitation, drain, and do another hot wash. Lastly I do two cold rinses and make sure the water is running clear from the bucket. Once the diapers are clean and drained I take each one and twist it up and wring it out as good as I possibly can. The more water you can get out in this step the quicker they will dry. As I said above, if your water is less hard you can probably do a wash routine like Kim and do a cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse.

The first day that I washed and wrung out the diapers I really regretted not wearing the rubber gloves I had. My poor hand was red and raw from wringing out so many diapers! The second wash day I wore the gloves and it helped quite a bit with pain from wringing the diapers, although I was disappointed to find that the gloves almost immediately got water splashed in them.

Once the diapers are wrung out thoroughly, you just hang them either outside on a clothesline or inside on a drying rack. I found that my flats were completely dry from several hours outside on the clothesline on a hot day, but like I said above the flats that were drying indoors still have a ways to go.

Overall, I feel like hand washing has gone well. My camp bucket did suffer a casualty, though. During my second load in the camp washer the lid decided it had had enough of the plunging and it cracked. I think I can fix it with a shim and a couple small bolts, but there are two cracks in the lid starting at the center hole. I was pretty bummed that it didn't last as well as I had assumed it would. It still functions, but it does splash more. I have just left the lid off a few times as well, but I find that I don't agitate the diapers as well with the lid off because I am too worried about getting splashed in the face with dirty wash water! The diapers are getting nice and clean though, with no stinks at all! (Something I can't say for my washing machine in recent weeks, but that's another story.)

I won't lie to you: hand washing is not all fun and games, and it is not as easy as tossing your diapers in the washing machine and pressing start. I do have a couple small blisters on my hands from hand washing that I'm sure would turn to callouses if I continued to hand wash. I did get dirty-ish water splashed in my face this morning while agitating the diapers. It is hard to occupy my 16 month old for 35 minutes while I wash her diapers. This morning there were three diarrhea diapers in the wash so it took even longer.

BUT.

I am so happy that I have learned this skill. I feel like the ability to hand wash Ava's diapers has given me freedom from feeling tied to a washer and dryer. If we want to go on a road trip, this is a fabulous skill. If we lose power, I can still diaper Ava with this skill. If my washer breaks, if I have washing issues with the washing machine, if we ever live somewhere with no washer. It is just a very good and satisfying feeling to know that I can do cloth diapers with little to no technology. I feel like I've tapped in to a heritage of diaper washing mamas that goes back thousands of years, and I love that I now have this skill that I can pass on to mamas in need who can truly benefit from it.

Motherlove's Green Salve

Motherlove's Green Salve

It isn't often that I can find a product that I wonder how I lived without it for so long. Green Salve by Motherlove is one of those rare gems that I have found. This is my new favorite product and it has so many uses.

It comes in a 1oz jar (it seems small but a little goes a long way). I originally got this thinking it would be great for my daughter who seems to get chapped cheeks quite easily. We ended up using it for a lot more! 

Here we used it on Kynlie's cheeks. Since Kynlie hates anything being put on her face or touching her face, I knew that this would be tricky when we first started using it. Because it contains marshallow root (nothing to do with the food marshmallows) we told her it was her marshmallow cream. This seemed to make it easier for us to put it on her. haha. Now she sometimes asks for it by "mallow cream". 

Here is what it looks like. It contains all certified organic ingredients. Once you rub it onto skin, it leaves a silky smooth feeling and is not greasy. 

Here is why I will never buy anything for bug bites again...We are currently living with my in laws until we can close on our new house this Friday. They live in a very wooded area that with recent rain left a major breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you are from Michigan, there are jokes that these pests are the state bird. We quite frequently joke that the kids will be carried into the woods by them. When we get home, we make a plan to get into the house to avoid getting attacked as best we can. We also spend the drive to school killing them in the van since they seem to seep in with us when we open the door. Needless to say, these things are horrible.

My kids react horrible to these bites. Green Salve has truly been a miracle salve for us. The above picture is the back of Kynlie's leg with the green salve on it. 

Here is Lincoln. He reacts the worst to the bug bites and some of the ones on his legs have swollen to the size of a golf ball. He got three on his forehead and we put Green Salve on it right away. This is two days after the bites. He still scratched at them a little but for the most part he didn't bother them. Green Salve helps to take the sting out of the bites. When we put it on him he sighs and says "That feels so much better!" Such a funny guy but he loves it!

I have also used it on myself as well and I find that it works much better on bug bites than an over the counter itch cream or stick. I just applied it twice a day and once before bedtime. 

Green Salve is also great for bee stings, poison ivy and rashes or chapped skin. You can find Green Salve as well as the entire line of Motherlove Products HERE. Make sure to check out the Motherlove More Milk Plus if you need a boost in your milk supply! I have heard amazing things about it!

Also don't forget to check out Motherlove on Facebook!