It's one of the imponderables for the cloth diaper parent: travel with cloth, or use disposables? What do you do with the diapers? How can you do laundry while on the road? We've got some ideas for you! Grandma’s house? Holed up in a hotel with a distinct lack of washing machine? What to do about those stinky diapers? Do you go disposable? Eco-disposable? Or is there a cloth solution? Obviously, we like to think so!
Here’s what we’ve come up with before you make the choice to buy those expensive disposables.
What to do with a Dirty Cloth Diaper
Travelling with a bag full of smelly diapers is nobody’s cup of tea but it doesn’t have to be as bad as it sounds. There are a variety of bags on the market that will help keep the smell at bay and the rest of your luggage untouched by soiled cloth.
A zippered wetbag will help store those soiled diapers! Zippered cloth diaper bags come in a variety of great prints, possibly to match your luggage, and are super easy and convenient to store. They come in small, medium, large and extra-large sizes to accommodate any length of stay away.
Drawstring cloth diaper bags generally come in larger sizes and can easily be placed in a hotel garbage bin as an impromptu diaper pail. It may seem counter intuitive, but these can be the best for reducing smell on the road. Air flow is key.
Before placing any soiled cloth diapers rinse the debris off of the diapers. You can easily store a spray-style rinsing hose that hooks up to a faucet or even to the water line at the side of a toilet. There are a variety of companies that make them but the cheapest one I have found is one that you would use for bathing a dog -- at the local pet store!
Not interested in rinsing on the go? Grab some disposable liners, to have the best of both worlds on the go!
Washing and Drying Cloth Diapers While Travelling
If you are going to be going out on vacation for longer than 3 days, I highly recommend visiting a Laundromat. If you have access to a washing machine follow your regular care routine.
Line drying is not exactly accessible BUT if you have a balcony at your disposal try to rig a bungee cord from end to end and hang them to dry or ask the hotel if they have a drying rack to use, also a shower curtain works too. If you have to resort to tossing them in the dryer make sure you put it at the lowest heat setting possible.
What You’ll Need
I hate to say this but: more than you may think. Prepare your usual day-to-day, plus a few extra. A lot depends on access to laundry, and your length of stay. While you may think cloth diapers are bulkier than disposables, think again.
Spray Hose – compact and very useful. It attaches to faucets on sinks, tubs, showerheads, or toilets! Easily spray off debris from your diaper and place in a wet bag.
Or, opt for liners!
Wet Bags – buy some small ones for your purse, medium ones for your luggage and large ones to put in a garbage pin to use as a makeshift diaper pail .
Leaving… on a Jet Plane
Ok, so that song is oh-so-70s, just around the time the disposables reared (pun intended) their ugly little collective heads. If you are flying or travelling the tracks, and your little one is wearing cloth, double-up on the inserts for maximum absorbency. Carry a small wet bag in your carry-on with a fresh cloth diaper inside of it. Once your little needs a change (after about 2-3 hours) you have a fresh one handy and a spot to put the soiled one.
The Unbearable Cost of Baggage
Going to visit your MIL for a few weeks? Why not ship some of your diapers ahead? Vacuum-seal a stash and off they go.
Cloth vs Disposable Wipes
When travelling the extra bulk of a pile of cloth wipes can weigh you down. I suggest a small vacuum-seal Ziploc baggy full of them to maximize luggage space for your carry-on. Remember, disposables may be more convenient, but they can also get to be quite heavy!
Why AI2s are great to Cloth Diaper while travelling
No need to keep changing the entire diaper unless the cover gets soiled. Just undo the insert from the inside of the diaper shell and snap in a new one. Quick, and easy. And with tank inserts, your chances of being able to reuse the cover go way up!
What do you think? Do you have any travel tips for making cloth diapers work on the go? Share with us in the comments below!
