Why Flat Diapers Are Actually Pretty Cool

Green Mountain Diapers Organic One Side Birdseye Flat w/ snappi

I did not do the flats and handwashing challenge this year, but I really want to one day! I could tell you my excuses, but that's unnecessary haha.

Instead I thought I'd just talk about flats today.

Since seeing so many others doing the challenge this year and following their journeys, I was also inspired to give flats a go. I'm so glad I did. Flats are actually pretty cool and I wanted to tell you guys why.

Room Essentials (Target) Flour Sack Towel w/ snappi

All the pros...

• Flats literally dry overnight. No wasting electricity to run the drier. And they stay pretty soft when line dried too. And you don't necessarily need a clothesline. I just hang ours over our kitchen chairs. They can also hang two to a clothes hanger on the rod in our laundry room.
• They are customize-able, depending on how you fold them, they can suit boys and girls both accordingly.
• They will grow with your baby! Truly one size fits all.
• They can be fun to fold (when you're in the mood). You don't have to wait until the moment of the diaper change to fold them. You can fold them all on laundry day and they're good to go when it's actually diaper changing time.
• It's like getting new diapers every week when you make it a point to try out a new fold each week.
• They stay on better and are easier to get nice and snug than prefolds IMO. (I just can't seem to figure out how to keep the legs from falling out of prefolds!) They are great for letting Calvin roam free without a cover, because they stay put so well!
• They are trim. They fit super well under both my Thirsties duo wraps (roomier covers) and Buttons brand (more slim fitting covers).
• They are easy to double up for nap time, add one pad folded or simply double up the entire diaper you're folding. Two flats and a Thirsties hemp insert more than cover Calvin overnight. 
• They are affordable. Because they dry overnight, if you don't mind doing daily laundry, you could totally get away with a very small stash. Side note: We bought some flour sack towels from Target for less than $1 a piece. I do however usually double up the FSTs because they are not as absorbent as the GMD flats we also own. Even GMDs are only $2-3. On the other hand, if you're going to have to double up a $1 FST anyway, might as well invest in the surefire GMD flats, right? I just wanted to have a little bit of color in our flats collection, that's why I chose the flour sack towels with simple prints, etc. from Target.

Thirsties Duo Wrap size 2 Fallen Leaves & GMD Organic One Side Birdseye Flat w/ snappi

Downsides...

• Less husband/other caregiver-friendly. They can be intimidating at first.
• Cleaning off the poo can be more of a pain because it isn't just one rectangular piece of fabric like a regular insert, you may have to unfold it a bit to rinse it all off sometimes.

If you've never tried flats before, I highly recommend giving them a go. If you've tried them before and didn't end up being a fan, maybe give them another shot! They are pretty awesome.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Alaina