How am *I* preparing for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge?

To see other peoples' plans of attack, visit here.

As for me...

There has been a lot of chatter in the weeks leading up to the official Flats and Handwashing Challenge (Official Rules and Information) about what to buy, how to wash, where to dry, how to fold, and so on. I tried to prepare all of you by filming tutorial videos, but the practice and the decision of what to buy or make was all you. That is why this blogger Linky is about just that. -quoted from the DDL blog.

My plan is as follows-

Supplies:

My flats stash "officially" will begin when my package from ItsyBitsyBums gets here.  I ordered 12 unbleached Osocozy flats and a couple of sets of pins.  I already have 4 snappis and I've been stalking the house for anything else I can try out as a flat.  Thus far I've found 7 old recieving blankets, a towel that is the perfect size and shape from the kitchen and I'm cutting one out of an old crib sheet that I *almost* threw out yesterday.  Instead I'm going to "upcycle" it into a flat for the challenge.  As for covers, I have

• 2 Gen Y minky covers
• 2 Woollybottoms wool soakers
• 1 Pitterpat pair of custom wool shorties

ETA: I just went to visit a friend who uses cloth (or did till her little man potty-trained last month!) and my stash now consists of 12 more flats and 5 more snappis.  I think I'm more than ready!

Washing:

I'm praying that my package comes tomorrow so that I can prep my flats.  I will probably prep the stuff I found around the house, as well, just because I don't know if they have ever had fabric softener used on them. 

As far as washing during the challenge, I intend to wash in the evenings and let them dry overnight.  I *plan* to make a camp-style wash bucket as per the video I posted 2 days ago, but if that doesn't happen, I'll use the kitchen sink.

To dry I'll hang on our outdoor line.  In the event of inclement weather, I'll use my indoor clothes hanger.

Attack:

I plan to document everything very well so I will know what works best and can figure out how to make this even easier for people I suggest this method to.

Mentally:

I find myself feeling very desperate to help people who may not be able to afford to diaper their children.  I am very much doing this challenge for the experience to be able to help others in a crazy predicament.  As DDL said, I do feel spoiled and I know I will be able to go back to all my pretties after the week is done, but I hope to continue to use flats on a daily basis (albeit not full-time) and I am quite excited to learn to wash by hand.  My mom did this when I was younger for a time and I always admired her for it.  Now I will know how to do it, should I ever need to. 

Mostly, this is really pulling together my dream to offer a "Childbirth and Beyond" class to pregnant teenagers.  I would love to be a part of a movement to empower the young moms that so many shun.

After the Challenge:

Our church has a lot of people who are very youth oriented in it.  We're just starting fresh, and talking about possibilities of different ministries, but we've discussed at length reaching out to pregnant teens.  I hope to start a 13 week class for them to teach them about "alternative" methods of childbirth and parenting and to empower them to learn to be intentional parents, instead of shaming them into becoming what everyone seems to expect of young parents.   One or two of the classes would be centered around cloth diapering and how to do it for cheap (focusing on not relying on parents for everything)  I would also like to be able to offer free or reduced cloth diapering supplies to those who are interested in trying it out for their baby.

I also hope to have lost my icky feeling for flats and to include them in my daily rotation of cloth for my son.