Real Diaper Week: Day 5

Happy Real Diaper Week, people! The great cloth diaper change will happen TOMORROW, April 21st, in which we will attempt to break the Guinness Book record for the largest simultaneous cloth diaper change. Check to see if there is an event being hosted in your area (chances are good!) and join in the fun. Leading up to the big event this week, many bloggers are following the themes posted at the link above. Today's theme is Real Simple Real Diapers Reuse, and the blog hop at the Eco Chic is interpreting that as traveling with cloth.

Today I'm going to talk a bit about my favorite ways to travel while still using cloth diapers, but first I will list some of my credentials in this area:

• my kid was on over 25 flights during her first year of life (I lost track after that, but I know it's more)
• we moved halfway across the country when my daughter was 4 months old
• during our move, we were in and out of hotels and without our "household goods" (that's what they call the stuff in the moving van) for about a month
• we have immediate family in 7 states and have visited 6 of them with Penny
• we have traveled by plane, train, and automobile with the baby in tow

Here are all of the ways I can think of to diaper on the go, and we have tried all of them:

• use a diaper service at your destination
• pack diapers and launder them where you're staying
• pack diapers and use a laundromat
• pack diapers and hand wash them
• pack enough diapers to use them and bring them home dirty
• use disposables 

Yes, I admit to using disposables while traveling. Once. I will never do it again. I couldn't handle that disposable diaper smell. I don't really want to bash disposables here, so I will just say that it is not for me. Even with the convenience factor considered, in my opinion, there are far better options. My preferred method of cloth diapering while traveling varies depending on the situation. Here are my recommendations:

1. Use a diaper service at your destination. This option is perfect for when you're staying with family/friends and are shy about asking to wash dipes in their laundry machines or when you're staying somewhere without laundry facilities. I bring my own covers and small wet bags (the ones that go in the diaper bag), and the diaper service provides the prefolds and the large wet bag. I've done this twice now, and it really simplifies everything. Nothing extra to pack or cart home. All the convenience of sposies with all of the clean, healthy, fresh, green benefits of cloth. It usually costs under $20 for a week (depending on how many dipes you need), which is probably what you'd spend on a pack of sposies, and diaper services are almost everywhere these days.

2. Pack diapers and wash them at your destination. This is perfect if you're staying in a rental, timeshare, or condo with a washer & dryer, or if you're staying with family members who are supportive of cloth. Remember to pack your own detergent, and it's probably a good idea to do a load of towels or other clothes with your detergent in the washer first–just to clear out any remaining buildup/residue. If there's no washer on site, you can take your dipes to a laundromat or wash them by hand (although I do think using a service is better than washing by hand). I did both of these while we were moving and staying in hotels. If you ask at the front desk of your hotel, they are usually helpful about directing you to the closest laundry facilities. Often times, there are even laundry facilities on site that you can use.

3. Pack enough diapers and bring them home dirty. This is really only practical for very short trips, but if you're headed out for just a night or two, this is totally an option. Although, I always wonder what would happen if TSA had to hand-search a bag of dirty diapers. Talk about a dirty job.

When packing diapers for travel, I prefer to bring either flats, prefolds, or a Flip/Grovia AI2 type system with inserts/covers. Pockets and AIOs don't pack well in my opinion, as they take up so much space. Also, it's a good idea to throw any dirty diapers in the wash right before you leave so that they aren't sitting dirty the whole time you're gone. If you want to completely avoid sposies, you'll always need at least a couple cloth dipes for the day of travel there and back, even if you are using a service at your destination.

Happy travels, folks! Where are you headed on your next vacation?