Diapering on a Dime

For some, cloth diapering is not a choice, but a necessity. Last year, there was a call to action after an article surfaced about low-income families reusing disposable diapers. It broke many hearts, including mine. Kim from Dirty Diaper Laundry challenged the cloth diapering community to only use flats and covers and only hand wash them for a week, to simulate what things can be like for some families. For reasons I can no longer remember, I did not get to participate (but wanted to badly). I did, however, devour all the blog posts surrounding the challenge. I think it opened many eyes to the hardships some families face when raising babies. This year, I fully intend on partaking in the challenge. I'm gearing up, and I just bought my 5-gallon bucket to use as a camp-style washer. But I am trying to take the challenge to another level and will attempt to "diaper on a dime" using as many "found" items as possible. I will see how cheaply one could really get away with being when it comes to diapering.
Using flats doesn't intimidate me, I got into using them after the challenge last year. And now, I love them and use them everyday. The hand washing, however, does. I am a bit nervous about that part. But having seen the challenge last year, I learned a lot by reading the trials and errors of other bloggers. So I think I can handle it. But I will be updating throughout the week of the challenge and letting you all know how it's going. Right now, I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row to be ready. If you're up to it, feel free to jump into the challenge yourself. The challenge runs from May 21-27.