Day 3: 3rd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge

I'm participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. Today  was Day 3 in the challenge and it's an open topic day for blogging. My original plan was to talk about my new favorite flat and cover combination and show off some adorable action shots of 18 month old Emmett in his flats. Unfortunately Emmett wanted nothing to do with the camera, so we're postponing that till later in the week :)

I want to talk about perhaps a more important topic. Something that's kept millions of Americans glued to their TVs and news feeds for the last couple days: severe weather. I will be the first to admit I'm slightly over-paranoid when it comes to the threat of severe weather. When the air gets humid and the trees get still, I starting breathing hard. While we're not in the middle of tornado alley here in Wisconsin, they are certainly still a threat and there are several tornado touchdowns in our state each year. Last year we decided to put together a severe weather kit and keep it in our "safe spot" in our basement. When it came to the choice of what kind of diapers to put in the kit, we chose flats and inexpensive covers.

We chose flats and covers for many of the same reasons that one who is on a restricted budget with limited or no access to a washer and dryer would. Here's why:

*Flats and one-size covers truly are one-size fits all. Just change your fold to change the size of your flat. This  means you're not sizing up to buy more diapers down the road (saving $$), and it means we don't have to worry about Emmett outgrowing the diapers in our kit.
*Flats are incredibly forgiving when it comes to washing. Whether you're hand-washing, or washing in non-ideal conditions, the natural fibers and single layer makes it very easy for flats to come clean. If we were to be without power, we'd still be able to hand wash our flats and not worry about stink.
*Flats air dry very quickly. Because their just a single layer of material (usually cotton), flats can air dry very quickly. If we didn't have access to an electric dryer, these could be draped just about anywhere to dry in a short period of time.
*Flats are multi-functional. Beyond the cloth diaper years, flats can be used for cleaning, washing your car, and much more. In a severe weather situation, they could be used for first aid, a lightweight blanket, or to provide a clean surface.

Our thoughts and hearts are with all of those affected by the tornado in Oklahoma. It's important that we make sure we're prepared for any situation in our own homes. So if you're participating in the challenge with me, it's worth considering putting your flats and covers somewhere with easy access if you were to need them in an emergency after the challenge is over. If you don't own flats, there is no better reason to add them to your stash than piece of mind.