Flats Challenge Day 4.5: The Apoocalypse

Yesterday started out like any other normal day in a flats-challenge-mama's world.  All was well until both girls fell asleep at about 1pm in the livingroom.  They NEVER take a nap together.  So of course I got all distracted doing mama things in the peace and quiet and the next thing I know I have to leave RIGHT NOW in order to get to the school on time to pick up the boys.  So I whisk the girls up and into the van, and I don't change the baby.  Usually it's not a huge deal, and I will just change her when we get home (she often naps right up until time to do school pick up) but this time it was disastrous.



See I also forgot that I needed to stop at the grocery store for some much-needed essentials.  As the boys hopped in the van, I remembered, and since we were pretty near the grocery store - off we went.  As we headed out though, I remembered I needed to stop at the bank first.  So we went to the bank and then when we finally arrived at the grocery store, it had happened.



The A-POO-calypse.

Ivy, her clothes, and her carseat were covered in something akin to watery peanut butter.

The chunky kind.



I held her at arm's length and we all high-tailed it for the bathroom.  Once we got there I gave her my famous Public-Sink-Bath (something I perfected when Mitch was a baby in disposables).  Bathing the baby wasn't all that bad, but the whirling vortex of antsy shrieking children behind me was driving me to the brink.

We all probably would have made it through relatively unscathed, but as I was drying the baby's butt under the electric dryer and Mitch was dragging Violet in circles as she lay on the bathroom floor I suddenly realized that I had not brought a diaper bag.

I had lost my sanity AND my ability to diaper my now-clean baby.



Words were said. 

Not nice words. 

And not so much said as yelled.

Put your sister down!  Get off the freaking bathroom floor!  No, actually just everyone SIT DOWN and DON'T MOVE and DON'T TALK!  Baby - STAY OUT OF THE TOILET!



Lucky for me I was wearing both a t-shirt and a hoodie so I took off my shirt, zipped up my hoodie, and got to work.  I had read about t-shirt flats, but never attempted one.  It took 5-10 minutes of experimentation to get something that stayed on securely with the one pin that we had with us, but somehow the baby ended up in something that looked very much like a diaper (albeit not waterproof).  The Lord had mercy on me and we were able to speed through the grocery store and whisk everyone home before Ivy moved her bowels or bladder again.

Back at home came another unwelcome surprise.  I had forgotten about finishing washing my diapers and we were down to one diaper and no covers.

And in that moment, as I felt several hairs turning gray, I succumbed to temptation.  I whipped out my luxurious Little Lion unbleached flat diapers and my Flip diaper covers.  One pad fold later my baby was in a trim little dipe and I was breathing a little easier.

Since I had had MORE than enough of my kids for one evening I dumped the baby in my husband's lap and locked myself in my mom's bathroom.  There, in her tub, I got all the diapers washed and 20 minutes of much needed silence.



I came out renewed and the diapers came out smelling fresh as a daisy.

They were still wet though.

Hmmm....

A little ingenuity and one hour later I had dry diapers for my baby.  Can you find the diapers in this picture?



My fleece for Violet was still wet though, so while Ivy was back on track and in Walmart products as she drifted off to sleep, Violet was still in need of something for overnight.  I grabbed another Flip and Little Lions flat and one more pad fold later everyone was tucked in bed.

In the morning everyone was dry and we got back to business, handwashing and using flat diapers from Walmart.

In a way, this was a good day though.  Up until now we had been using disposable pull-ups for Violet at night because we couldn't find a good nighttime solution for her.  None of my covers fit very well and even when I got something on her, inevitably she ended up with hardcore ammonia stink and a red tushie by morning.  Put the exact same diaper on Ivy, no problems.  But on Violet it gets nasty.  Something about that girl's pee just wasn't right.

We had never tried a Flip and a Little Lion though.  Amazingly, that worked great!  The Flips actually fit well on the second to last waist snap setting and the Little Lions held it all in overnight.  And in the morning - no stink or baboon butt!  I'm guessing that since the flats are only a single layer of fabric they get extra clean and rinsed in the wash so there is no chance for build up or anything else to react with her pee.

Gotta find the silver lining, right?

Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2011:
A Walmart Shopping Spree
Getting Prepped
It's So Campy
Bye Bye Love
Day 1: So It Begins...
Day 2: Homemade Love
Day 3: Wordless Wednesday
Day 4: Noso Glory
Day 4.5: The Apoocalypse
Day 5: TGIF!
Day 6: Sharing the Love
Day 7: Your Grandma's Diapers
Reflections in a Yellow Puddle
The Happy Anteater