Tips and Tricks for Traveling with Cloth Diapers

This question was presented to the Mother-ease facebook fans and these are their responses:

Alyssa Richter
Alyssa Richter Even though they are more work, I only travel with my MEOS and/or prefolds and flats (as opposed to pockets or AIOs) because I know they can get clean in just about any machine. When you are packing for a trip, allow for an extra 2-4 diapers per child per day, and wash half a day before you normally would. This summer ...I traveled 400 miles away from home and used cloth the whole week. Last summer I traveled 800 miles from home and used cloth the whole 2 weeks, we drove, too! Oh, and I have only been at home 3 weekends since the end of May and we use cloth the whole time
Wednesday at 11:47am

Mandy Patrick-Hickey
Mandy Patrick-Hickey Earlier in the summer we went to the campgrounds. I have a 5 and 10 gallon bucket that I fill with water and detergent, and clean water in the other. I use a plunger in the bucket full of diapers to agitate them clean. It literally takes just a few minutes of elbow grease. People had stopped by on their walk through th...e campgrounds trying to figure out what on earth this crazy lady was doing. They were flabbergasted when I told them I was doing laundry and even more taken aback that it was Cloth Diapers! I got to say that there is something about a tent with it's poles lined with cloth diapers drying in the sun! Wednesday at 1:36am

Jennie Greco
Jennie Greco on an extended camping trip, we used a XL pot over the campfire and boiled the diapers to clean and hung them on a rope between trees (I felt like I was a pioneer). When driving, we planned laundromat trips around down times and we used the throw away liners to make messes easier to deal with. We attached the bucket ...inside the back of our truck, but for times away from the truck, we had a large wet bag.
Tuesday at 11:19pm

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Hey Jennie, Congratulations! We wanna send you a Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bag for sharing this. Please send an email to diapers@mother-ease.com with your name, zip/postal code and this post. about an hour ago

Jen Scaggs
Jen Scaggs Thanks for the giveaway at Home-Mom
Tuesday at 10:44pm

Rachel Bryans
Rachel Bryans Our MEOS diapers go where ever Luke goes. I use the flushable liners so that the soiled diapers are less nasty. Then I throw the dirty diapers in a dry bag or a pail if we're staying overnight. So far, I have had no trouble getting the di...apers clean at anyone's house. You just need to make sure that the water is ... real hot, I think. Afterward, I like to hang the diapers out in the hot sun to kill any bacteria. I always get compliments on how nice and comfy they look. Oh, and for long trips, I make sure that he has a cloth liner in there.
Tuesday at 8:06pm

Georgina Winchcombe
Georgina Winchcombe We went to Oz at the begining of the year, found it much easier to colth diaper than i thought BUT I must say i made sure the appartment had a washing machine. Just carried on as normal, brought an extra wetbag as sometimes we could be out for hour. I think the fact that i had swim diaper helped too, they are easy to ...wash and very quick to dry being a holiday she wore it alot.
Tuesday at 6:22pm

Laura Ostrowski
Laura Ostrowski Do diaper laundry after your baby is asleep for the night before you leave. Then you won't leave any dirty diapers at home (assuming you put the night diaper in your wetbag just before hitting the road!). Flats and wraps are the way to go. They are the perfect solution for unknown laundry conditions (or even handwashing...), as they wash and dry so easily and quickly. If you will be using coin-operated machines, rinsing out each diaper before putting it in your wetbag will let you cut out the prewash step.
Tuesday at 2:46pm

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Hey Laura, Congratulations! We wanna send you a Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bag for posting this great info. Please send an email to diapers@mother-ease.com with your name, zip/postal code and this post. about an hour ago

o Laura Ostrowski Awesome, thank you!! 59 minutes ago

Julie Smith
Julie Smith We used cloth on a camping trip. I brought all the wetbags I owned, along with my soapnuts to boil up when we needed to use the campground's washing machine. Hanging up the diapers at the campsite was beautiful!
Tuesday at 1:23pm

Kate Boak
Kate Boak Any time I"ve traveled with cloth I've used prefolds or flats (b/c they wash easy in laundry mat machines or by hand if necessary). I also use a large hanging wet bag in the car, hook it to the back of the seat where the carseat is and voila! No worries about smell etc. We've used cloth on 2 week camping trips, and... while vacationing at disney. When out and about I hang a wetbag on the buggy for the dirties. I also pack my own detergent.
Tuesday at 12:41pm

Ashlea Kooman
Ashlea Kooman We use our cloth diapers every where we go! They are so easy and convenient. Some cloth diapering adventures include: weekend trips to visit my sister, camping and 15 hr road trips! (there's always somewhere to go in Canada) The biggest trip we did that included cloth diapering was 3 months in New Zealand. I packed 2 w...et bags, a decent stash of cloth diapers, cloth wipes and a few bio liners! We simply stored in our wet bag, washed when we had facilities, and dried them out on the line! It was so great to not have to worry about going out and buying diapers as we drove through different towns and cities. We used disposables on our flights, and after a 2 hour car ride upon our arrival, we were greeted with a poop that leaked everywhere! We had never had a poo blow out with our cloth- just one more reason to use cloth! Especially when travelling ;-)
Tuesday at 12:40pm

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Hey Ashlea, We wanna send you a Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bag for posting this. Please send an email to diapers@mother-ease.com with your name, zip/postal code and this post. about an hour ago



Heather Fitzgerald
Heather Fitzgerald Though I would never use anything but Sandy's when we're at home, both times I've travelled with my little guy (first at 10 weeks, then again at 10 months) we took a supply of cheap used pre-folds (we bought ours through a diaper service, b...ut I'm sure they're available other places). I find that washing the ...diapers is not such a problem, but being able to line/hang dry is almost always impossible unless you're staying in someone's house (and even then not always easy). We seriously damaged one set of Sandy's after 3 weeks of commercial laundromat dryer use with my first child. So now I save my precious Sandy's for home use where I can take care of them properly, and we use the less cherished pre-folds when we travel.
Tuesday at 12:21pm

Stephanie Piantedosi
Stephanie Piantedosi Hi! I'm a new fan and Home-Mom sent me :)
Tuesday at 11:54am

Audrey Van Til Lenger
Audrey Van Til Lenger The first time we travelled from Wales to family back in the US, we put our 4-month-old in disposables, as I assumed that travelling with cloth would be too hard. What was hard was doing so much extra laundry from all the disposable blowouts--his clothes, my clothes, bedding, seat covers, etc.! When it was time for t...he next trip, my husband and I decided that packing our cloth diapers was worth the suitcase space, and our MEOS stash crossed the ocean with our growing family every time afterward. We did use disposables for the actual bus, plane, train travelling part, as that could stretch to more than 24 hours, and carrying cloth diapers for two children, plus those children, on the plane was a bit much. For that dreaded stretch I would put an ME cover over the disposable as back-up. The first act upon arrival was always to put the boys back into lovely cloth! If you are travelling some place with washing facilities, definitely take your cloth diapers.
Tuesday at 11:22am

Cara Peltier Revait
Cara Peltier Revait We stayed at a cottage for eleven days. Since we have two in cloth diapers we could not stand the idea of using disposables for that long. We made sure that all of the diapers were washed the night before we left. We packed them in the popup hamper that we use at home. We also packed our diaper pail, and inside of ...it we packed all of our washing supplies. We were able to use the same set up that we use at home. Plus we just packed our diaperbag as we normally would with extra diapers and plenty of wet bags, and we were able to use that in the car.
Tuesday at 9:53am

Julie Howard Kieras
Julie Howard Kieras First, make sure ALL your diapers are washed before you leave - you don't want to come home to dirty diapers that sat around for a few days to a week. Second, bring pre-measured detergent for laundry (even if you don't PLAN to do laundry - you never know!). Finally, pack more diapers than you think you will need. Becau...se you WILL need them - traveling I tend to change baby more often b/c I want to make sure he's always dry in case there happens to be a long car ride stretch. Traveling with CD is totally do-able, you just need to plan ahead!
Tuesday at 9:39am

Nicole Borkowski Penberthy
Nicole Borkowski Penberthy We just went on a week long camping trip a few weeks ago. I was nervous about cd while we were gone and had second thought but I went ahead and did it anyway. I packed a suitcase just for diapers and wipes. I took my diaper champ and wet bag. We stayed in a tent and had no problems at all with odor. Every other day I w...ent done to the laundry facility they had and washed our diapers. Its was a total conversation starter and I believe I even got. a few other campers to switch to cloth. I figure that that I used cloth from a tent for a week and I do anything lol!
Tuesday at 9:34am

Jen Iwanchun
Jen Iwanchun I usually pack what I will need for 2 days or so and a sample of Rockin green so if I run low I just pop them in the washer where I am at or wash them in the tub... I also bring 2 wet bags and if my little one gets full I just transfer them to the large one and leave it in the car.... I also put disposable liners in my... diapers so clean up is a breeze!! I love traveling with cloth because there is never any stopping to buy diapers
Tuesday at 9:34am

Emily Wiggins Buck
Emily Wiggins Buck We traveled from Kansas City to Omaha this summer to see a cousin play in the College World Series. We were only planning on staying overnight, but we ended up staying the entire second day and driving back late that night. I was able to wash diapers in the tub, and lay them on the ledge by the window to dry in the s...un all morning. We returned clean diapers for the trip home! I was glad that I had thought to bring a sample of Rockin Green with me! It's no fun washing them by hand, but definitely possible!
Tuesday at 9:21am

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Hey Emily, Congratulations! We wanna send you a Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bag for posting this and showing others that washing diapers by hand IS do-able. Please send an email to diapers@mother-ease.com with your name, zip/postal code and this post. about an hour ago

o Emily Wiggins Buck Awesome!! Thanks so much! about an hour ago

Sarah Bidus
Sarah Bidus When we're out and about on a day trip or camping etc, I pack my regular diaper bag, the same way I would to go anywhere else, then I pack an extra diaper bag full of diapers and a larger wet bag and keep it in the trunk. That way I only have what I need on my person, and every time the small wet bag gets full, or I ne...ed to restock my bag with more diapers, I just tranfer stuff to and from the car.
Tuesday at 9:14am

Monica Bellous
Monica Bellous When we travel (by car), I pack all our diapers and laundry stuff in a wash basket and it sits in the back seat beside the carseat. I have easy access to diapers when driving (or when stopping I guess!!) and all of my diaper laundry stuff is kept together. (This includes wetbag, all diapers and covers and liners and wi...pes, detergent, dryer balls, coins for laundromat, etc.) I also have a tupperware container that I keep my cloth wipes in (wet) so they are ready to use. Then when we need to do laundry, I just have to take the basket into the laundromat and I am all set to go! When they're done, I just put them back in the basket!
Tuesday at 9:02am

o Monica Bellous I forgot to add that I brig along extra prefolds to turn any spot into a diaper change spot! (trunk of car, back seat-in the rain lol, bench at a rest stop...)
Tuesday at 9:04am

Melissa Breen
Melissa Breen For airlines, if you pack all of the diapers in the same suitcase, it counts as a baby item and you don't have to pay!
Tuesday at 9:01am

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Hey Melissa, Congratulations! We wanna send you a Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bag for posting this unique piece of info. Please send an email to diapers@mother-ease.com with your name, zip/postal code and this post. about an hour ago

o Melissa Breen Yay! Thanks! I've never won anything before! 45 minutes ago

Jill Andrews Shoemaker
Jill Andrews Shoemaker Bring one per every normal diaper change plus a couple more. I also keep a hybrid stash in my car/truck 'just in case'. If you forget a changing pad, just lay your baby's tush down on the wetbag.
Tuesday at 8:54am

Kandi Martynyshyn
Kandi Martynyshyn I just travel with my big diaper pail bag for dirties and have all my diapers washed and in a reusable bag. If I'm gone somewhere for a more than a few days, I'll wash them wherever I am. I've never had a problem traveling with my cloth. :)
Tuesday at 8:46am

Kelli Winkler Malueg likes this.

Mother-ease Cloth Diapers
Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Have any good tips or stories about traveling or vacationing with cloth diapers? We will send out another 5 Mother-ease Logo Reusable Shopping Bags to 5 posts that stand out. Please post on the Mother-ease Facebook Wall so people can reply with comments easier.
Tuesday at 8:42am

o Mother-ease Cloth Diapers Special thanks to aldyn who posted this conversation topic on the Mother-ease forum.
Tuesday at 8:43am

o LesLee Greene Parish If you are going to be driving a long time check diapers more often than usual, we had compression leaks from my little one sitting so long. Also, you never know what you are going to run into so OVERpack at least bring along some extra prefolds that can be washed in the tub and hung up to dry if needed. Third, show off that cute clolth bum! Those nasty denim sposie have nothing on our cloth!
Tuesday at 8:48am

o Tiffany Cosco I travelled twice this summer with colth, I'm proud of this, as I feel it is good advetising for cloth. Saddly, however, using other laundry machines may have cost me my diapers. One was not hot enough, after a few loads it was clear they would not be properly cleaned to be worn again on the trip. The 2nd trip, I'm noteven sure what went wrong, but PUL is now leaking on some and the diapers smell, even after stripping, sunning etc!
Tuesday at 9:06am

o Dejah Amber I was too afraid of the same above that tiffany mentioned and I only have enough cloth for once a week washes so I bought some disposables just for the trip... I didn't think there was any other option. I was really mad at myself when I got back and found out that there are disposable cloth ones! Next time I'm going to research more beforehand!
Tuesday at 9:11am

o Alyssa Richter Even though they are more work, I only travel with my MEOS and/or prefolds and flats (as opposed to pockets or AIOs) because I know they can get clean in just about any machine. When you are packing for a trip, allow for an extra 2-4 diape...rs per child per day, and wash half a day before you normally would. This summer I traveled 400 miles away from home and used cloth the whole week. Last summer I traveled 800 miles from home and used cloth the whole 2 weeks, we drove, too! Oh, and I have only been at home 3 weekends since the end of May and we use cloth the whole time.
Tuesday at 9:31am

o Nancy Arno Barrett Flats are a really good choice as they dry very quickly, fit any size of baby, and can be multi-tasked into things like blankets, bibs, sunshades, and loveys.
Tuesday at 10:35am

o Rachel Bryans ʚϊɞ Our MEOS diapers go where ever Luke goes. I use the flushable liners so that the soiled diapers are less nasty. Then I throw the dirty diapers in a dry bag or a pail if we're staying overnight. So far, I have had no trouble getting the di...apers clean at anyone's house. You just need to make sure that the water is real hot, I think. Afterward, I like to hang the diapers out in the hot sun to kill any bacteria. I always get compliments on how nice and comfy they look. Oh, and for long trips, I make sure that he has a cloth liner in there.
Tuesday at 11:03am

o Mamahen Jenica ‎2 words- disposable liners! dunk and swish in public toilets is not fun!
Tuesday at 11:07am

o Kathryn Onishenko I use nothing but the OS diapers and a couple years back, I had 3 still in diapers. I had my big diaper pail for diapers and took them to the bathroom to rinse them and then to the laundry facilities to wash them. I then hung them up to d...ry next to the towels and bathing suits and had a number of positive comments about dedication. It just seemed easier for me to wash and dry diapers than to have yucky, smelly disposables all over the campsite! Plus, it was a very easy way to sun the diapers out LOL It worked very well and still worked well this year's camping trip with only one in diapers!
Tuesday at 12:20pm

o Heather Gilbert One thing that helps me when away from home is to have a small wet bag for the diaper bag and then a larger one (or a bucket) in the car or wherever your home base is. I also find that talking to folks in the laundromats can help since some ...machines do a better job than others, and locals usually know.
Tuesday at 1:56pm