More Travel Advice for Cloth Diapering Families

May 22, 2017

Last year, I wrote about our tips and experiences with cloth diapering on the road. With many of us planning road trips or vacations, I thought folks may appreciate a few more ideas for using cloth diapers while traveling - this time a combination of my own tips and those from readers who were kind enough to give us their own great advice.

Can you tell I can't wait for vacation this year? ;-) I can’t be the only one. First, I’ll add a few thoughts to my suggestions from last year. Embrace the washer. We now find ourselves searching out vacation spots that allow us access to a washer, whether it’s a hotel that provides one or a rental property. Lately, we find that rental properties actually afford us lots more flexibility than a hotel (although the pool trade-off is sometimes worth it) thanks to a kitchen or kitchenette in addition to the diaper- and clothes-washing opportunities. It’s so much easier when naptime rolls around or everyone’s reached their over-stimulated-by-crowds point to head back to our own personal space where we can feel more at home, put up our feet, and provide our own quick snack options or have the flexibility to wash our diapers. And you might be surprised that most renters don’t bat an eye when you ask whether they have hard or soft water (which helps you plan for washing methods). Break your own routine. Sometimes it’s best to go with the flow when it comes to vacations. You may have to completely change your wash or general cloth diapering routine - just go with the flow. Some people actually enjoy and embrace this aspect of travel most. For example, if you’ll be camping, you may want to bring some rope to hang the diapers to dry and perhaps a bucket and plunger for a camp washer (using purified water and dumping waste water in a toilet facility or properly-spaced hole far enough from your camp and a clean water source). If this isn’t a break from normal thinking, I don’t know what is.

See this #ThirstiesLive about washing off the grid! Oh, and by far a break in my own routine would be to rely on flats/FSTs - a suggestion from some readers but also several camping in cloth web sites - since they’re so forgiving when it comes to washing and weight concerns.

Speaking of ideas from our readers, here are our favorites. "I actually prefer to use disposable wipes so I don’t have to spray off poopy wipes along with the poopy diapers. My daughter is 17 months, so not EBF anymore. I wish her poop was still washing machine friendly!" - Mary "I like using disposable liners when we travel." - Sarah "If you are staying with someone, ask before the trip about using their washer. Ask the make and model number. Be kind when borrowing a friend’s our family member’s machine, always bring your own detergent AND bring machine cleaner so you can clean their machine after. It isn’t gross to us but it may be gross to some people using a machine after washing cloth diapers." - Heather Awesome ideas, guys! We’d LOVE to hear if you have any additional ideas or tips that work well for you when it comes to traveling with cloth. And if not, let us know what your vacation plans will be this summer! I’ll be sharing my own family’s summer fun plans next week. :-)