Alright, part three will probably get the most ooh's and yucks of all the parts in the series, but cloth diapering on the go is just as easy as it is at home. In order to have an easy and successful trip you'll need to remember to bring the following: all of your cloth diapers, a wet bag, a plastic trash bag or shopping bag, enough soap for at least two washes, wipes, changing pad, lotion for your hands and something for your baby's head (see picture above).
Places of travel are not usually very accommodating to babies, like planes, restaurants, airports, trains and so forth. So creating a comfy place to change your little ones will make things much easier on everyone. Many times I've found myself in a place that doesn't have a changing table. So I will often need to change my daughters on the floor. This is where a soft book or sweater comes in handy to put under their heads.
So to start, you'll want to pack a suitcase with just the cloth diapers. It might seem like a lot to bring all the diapers, but most airlines allow for babies to have suitcases so take advantage of it! In the end you'll want all the diapers you can get as your baby may have changes in their normal bowel movements from traveling and different foods. Don't forget a wet bag for the used diapers. I also like to bring along biodegradable plastic bags to put the dirty wipes and/or soiled diapers in. I try to lock up the smell of the soiled diapers as much as I can as a kindness to those traveling around me.
Now let's talk about washing diapers. When you arrive at your destination it's a good idea to wash whatever diapers were used during the trip there right away. That way you already have diapers clean and ready to go again. If you are staying with family or friends this won't be difficult as they will most likely have a washer and drier. However, if they do not or you are staying at a hotel this next part is for you; if you are camping or doing some other extreme travel you'll have to wait until part four for that! So let's get these diapers clean. If you are in hotel room, hopefully you'll have a sink or bath tub. If a sink is really small in the bathroom you can use the kitchen sink (like in the pictures below, from our cabin trip). I wash only seven diapers at a time, otherwise it gets unruly. First you want to do a cold soak on the wet diapers, this gets out all the urine.
So plug the sink, put your wet diapers in add your soap and fill the sink with water and let soak for thirty minutes.
Then drain and refill with really hot water. As hot as you can stand. This will cleanse the diapers. I then rinse the diapers under hot water and ring them out really well.
When you have rung out the diaper as much as you can place in the most convenient spot you can find to dry. In our cabin we had a gas fireplace so I used the decorative wood bins and our kitchen chairs to dry my laundry. Often though the shower curtain rod will do just fine. Just remember to wipe the top of the curtain rod down first; you don't want to get black gunk on your nice clean diapers. More than likely your diapers will be a bit stiff. This happens when you air dry, so just crumple them up a little before you put them on your baby and it will soften them a little; they don't really mind.
As for the soiled diapers, this is where you will just have to get over it. Get as much of the poop off by swirling the pre-fold or pocket cover in the toilet. You can also bring along a spray bottle and spray off the poop. Then rinse under running water in the bath tub to get it as clean as you can. Then you can wash as you would a wet diaper. Make sure to use lotion on your hands afterwards as washing and ringing out all the diapers can really make your hands dry.
Your toddler may really get a kick out of where you have to change their diaper! Coming up in the last part of the series, Camping and other Adventurous Things.
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