Taking Cloth Diapers on the road, part 2

 

Washing 

You may be wondering how you will wash these cloth diapers if you plan to be gone for more than a couple of days.  Again, you have several options.

First, if you are staying in a hotel, most of them have a laundry center.  Be sure to bring your cloth diaper detergent as well as some quarters.  You might even forgo the initial cold rinse just this once to save the money for the extra cycle.  If your hotel does not have a laundry center, you can surely find a laundry mat in the town/city where you are vacationing.

I have also read of people who washed their diapers by hand in the bath tub and then laid them out to air dry.  I have never done this, and it sounds like a lot of work.  But, if you are desperate, it is an option.

If you will be staying with family or friends, you can probably use their washing machine to clean your diapers mid-way through your stay.  Just be sure to ask ahead of time if it is okay.  Some people have a real aversion to cloth diapers, and they may not feel comfortable having them in their washing machine.  If that is the case, just plan to use a local laundry mat.

I read last week about one other ingenious option! You could locate a local cloth diaper service in the area where you will be vacationing.  Just sign up for service during the dates of your stay.  They will deliver the clean diapers to your door, and pick up the soiled diapers.  Be advised that these diapers will likely be prefolds and not pockets!  Some services do require you to have your own covers, so be sure to ask.

Wipes

You may choose to travel with disposable wipes rather than cloth wipes.  I have done this several times.  But…if you will need to wash your diapers, you can just as easily wash your wipes. 

I prefer my wipes pre-moistened.  For traveling, I pre-moisten a bunch and keep them in my mini wet bag.  I take along a box of dry wipes for use at the destination.  You can either bring along a spray bottle of solution, just use water to wet your wipes while on this trip, or mix up some solution at your final destination.  I even use these wipes instead of wash cloths to clean up messy faces and drippy noses!

Keep it Simple!

When traveling with cloth diapers, remember to keep it simple!  You will not be in your normal environment!  I usually choose my easiest diapers for trips – FuzziBunz and Rumparooz pocket diapers!  They are easier to put on your baby, no matter where you have to change the diaper at.  They dry faster than prefolds, and they are a little more compact.  You can also throw in a few extra inserts/doublers to customize the absorption – more for in the car and overnight.

I hope these tips help.  You really can travel with cloth diapers!  We did it when Elaine was only 2 months old, and we took mostly prefolds (we didn’t have as many pocket diapers back then).  We were gone for over 10 days!  It’s not hard, it just takes a little extra planning!