Today is Day 5 of the Flats and Handwashing challenge and an open topic blog day. When the Challenge was announced a few months ago I knew that this was not only a perfect opportunity to see if I could handle the hand washing but also a perfect time to do my diaper trial on different kinds of flats. I have put almost every style (just need to do fitteds now) through my trial but had yet to try flats so I was excited to see how they perform.
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| Bummis Cover with a Imagine Bamboo Flat - so trim! |
As I noted in my flats and covers stash post, I wanted to include both flour sack towels (FST) and receiving blankets in the mix since I see those frequently recommended as inexpensive diapering options. I was curious how materials not meant for diapering (FSTs and blankets) would stack up against traditional cotton and bamboo flats. I started using the four types of flats I had for the challenge about a month ago so that I would have enough time to report full results of how they did. I also did something a little different this time and used the various flats I had at night. Both of my girls sleep from about 7:30pm to 7:30am, so all results are for a 12 hour period. So without further ado.....
Traditional Flats
OsoCozy Birdseye Cotton Flats
Number of day uses: 7
Number of night uses: 13
Number of night leaks: 1
Longest wear without a leak (day): 5 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time, night time doubled up, out and about
Pros:
· These are a very nice size and thickness
· Very absorbent and easy to wash
· Best "bang for your buck" at only $2 each they are a great choice for any budget
Cons:
· Stain easily (this is very common with natural fibers and specific to these flats)
These flats are amazing. For daytime they are perfect and will easily last 3 hours or longer. I would just pad fold them and they fit easily in all of the covers I had. Even pad folded they looked really trim on my girls and when I did try different folds they were even trimmer! I previously only used disposable diapers on my girls at night but since trying these out I have been using these at night (doubled up for my heavy wetter) and have less leaks than with disposables so I am one happy mom! I listed staining as a con because I honestly couldn't think of one. All natural fibers stain easily and with the OsoCozy flats they stains washed out within a few cycles.
Imagine Bamboo Flats
Number of day uses: 4
Number of night uses: 8
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours, 15 minutes
Big Booty factor : 3
Best Use: Night time use
Pros:
· These are very soft and larger than my other flats
· Nice absorbent bamboo that works well for night time
Cons:
· Larger than my other flats so I had to fold them down a bit to be able to pad fold them.
I only had 2 of these flats so I didn't get to use them as much as the other types but I had good results. I noticed that I relied on these for night time a lot so they were frequently dirty when I wanted to use them during the day. The leaks were both with my heavy wetting toddler so not very surprising (and were also not doubled). I actually really love these at night now with a "half flat" that I made. I will be buying more of these for night time for sure! The only downside for me was that since they are larger than my other flats I had to fold them more (4 layers instead of 3) to get them to fit inside my covers and I also had to fold down the back so that it wasn't too long. This made them slightly more bulky in the covers. Overall though, this is a great flat, especially for night time.
Number of day uses: 7
Number of night uses: 13
Number of night leaks: 1
Longest wear without a leak (day): 5 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time, night time doubled up, out and about
Pros:
· These are a very nice size and thickness
· Very absorbent and easy to wash
· Best "bang for your buck" at only $2 each they are a great choice for any budget
Cons:
· Stain easily (this is very common with natural fibers and specific to these flats)
These flats are amazing. For daytime they are perfect and will easily last 3 hours or longer. I would just pad fold them and they fit easily in all of the covers I had. Even pad folded they looked really trim on my girls and when I did try different folds they were even trimmer! I previously only used disposable diapers on my girls at night but since trying these out I have been using these at night (doubled up for my heavy wetter) and have less leaks than with disposables so I am one happy mom! I listed staining as a con because I honestly couldn't think of one. All natural fibers stain easily and with the OsoCozy flats they stains washed out within a few cycles.
Imagine Bamboo Flats
Number of day uses: 4
Number of night uses: 8
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours, 15 minutes
Big Booty factor : 3
Best Use: Night time use
Pros:
· These are very soft and larger than my other flats
· Nice absorbent bamboo that works well for night time
Cons:
· Larger than my other flats so I had to fold them down a bit to be able to pad fold them.
I only had 2 of these flats so I didn't get to use them as much as the other types but I had good results. I noticed that I relied on these for night time a lot so they were frequently dirty when I wanted to use them during the day. The leaks were both with my heavy wetting toddler so not very surprising (and were also not doubled). I actually really love these at night now with a "half flat" that I made. I will be buying more of these for night time for sure! The only downside for me was that since they are larger than my other flats I had to fold them more (4 layers instead of 3) to get them to fit inside my covers and I also had to fold down the back so that it wasn't too long. This made them slightly more bulky in the covers. Overall though, this is a great flat, especially for night time.
Non-Traditional Flats
Flour Sack Towels
Number of day uses: 8
Number of night uses: 4
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time, around the house
Pros:
· These are definitely the cheapest option at only $1 a piece
· The material is relatively thin so its still very trim pad folded
Cons:
· Not as absorbent
Overall FSTs were just average for me. I honestly was surprised that they lasted as long as they did averaging about 2 hours which for any cloth diaper is good. After being washed these maintained their square shape and so that are easy to pad fold and fit into any cover I have.They are the cheapest option and the easiest to find as pretty much any large store should carry something similar but in my opinion I would rather spend the $2 and get the OsoCozy birdseye flat.
Receiving Blankets
Number of day uses: 10
Number of night uses: 5
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time use, around the house
Pros:
· Readily available
· Can be more fun (with different colors and patterns) than other white flats
· Softer than other flats
Cons:
· Least absorbent of the flats I tried
· At over $2 a piece I think there are better options for the cost
I think the biggest benefit to receiving blankets is that most parents will already have them and in my experience you receive more than you can use as actual blankets. They are also available at any large store so they would be easy to find. These were my least favorite though when considering how well they worked but are perfectly suitable, especially in a pinch.
Conclusion
I honestly didn't think I would like flats at all but after using them for the past month I actually love them! My original plan was to donate all of the flats I used for the challenge to Giving Diapers Giving Hope but I have decided instead to keep them and send a check in the amount of the value to GDGH instead. These will be my current overnight solution and I am so pleased that I found not only a great daytime option but also something to finally use for night with my girls.
Flour Sack Towels
Number of day uses: 8
Number of night uses: 4
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time, around the house
Pros:
· These are definitely the cheapest option at only $1 a piece
· The material is relatively thin so its still very trim pad folded
Cons:
· Not as absorbent
Overall FSTs were just average for me. I honestly was surprised that they lasted as long as they did averaging about 2 hours which for any cloth diaper is good. After being washed these maintained their square shape and so that are easy to pad fold and fit into any cover I have.They are the cheapest option and the easiest to find as pretty much any large store should carry something similar but in my opinion I would rather spend the $2 and get the OsoCozy birdseye flat.
Receiving Blankets
Number of day uses: 10
Number of night uses: 5
Number of night leaks: 2
Longest wear without a leak (day): 3 hours
Big Booty factor : 2
Best Use: Day time use, around the house
Pros:
· Readily available
· Can be more fun (with different colors and patterns) than other white flats
· Softer than other flats
Cons:
· Least absorbent of the flats I tried
· At over $2 a piece I think there are better options for the cost
I think the biggest benefit to receiving blankets is that most parents will already have them and in my experience you receive more than you can use as actual blankets. They are also available at any large store so they would be easy to find. These were my least favorite though when considering how well they worked but are perfectly suitable, especially in a pinch.
Conclusion
I honestly didn't think I would like flats at all but after using them for the past month I actually love them! My original plan was to donate all of the flats I used for the challenge to Giving Diapers Giving Hope but I have decided instead to keep them and send a check in the amount of the value to GDGH instead. These will be my current overnight solution and I am so pleased that I found not only a great daytime option but also something to finally use for night with my girls.
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