You’re planning a trip that is suddenly one week away and already you’re anxious about everything you need to do to get ready.
Besides getting all your household affairs in order, you must pack!
And you don’t just have to pack your own bag, you must pack all three of your children’s bags, because let’s be honest, we know spouses will throw a bag together as you’re loading the children into the car!
Don’t fret- Nicki’s Diapers has you covered for all your on-the-go family needs including lalabye baby diaper!
Why Travel with Cloth Diapers?
People frequently inquire whether they should travel with cloth diapers or just use disposables. If you decide to travel with cloth diapers, the next step is to figure out how to travel with cloth diapers.
For the same reasons that you cloth diaper at home, you are undoubtedly thinking about traveling with cloth diapers. For me, the two main reasons were that it was better for the environment and that it was less expensive. These didn't change because I was on the road.
Cloth Diapering While Traveling
I’m still deep amid cloth diapering days, so for ease of travel I pack flats and covers, enough for three days’ worth, in aSmart Bottoms Hanging Wet Bag.
When I get where I’m going, I unpack the flats and covers and use the Hanging Wet Bag for dirty diapers until I wash them (only three days in between washes).
Another option is to pack your clean diapers in aPlanet Wise Large Wet Bag or Planet wise wet dry bags and use another hanging wet bag for the dirty diapers.
If one of your travel adventures calls for camping- flats and covers are an easy option for cloth diapering without a washing machine.
You can easily hand wash the flats and hang them to air dry in no time! Covers can be wiped out and reused several times, so no need to pack a lot.
Your Mode of Transportation
Are you planning to go by airline or car? Whether you bring cloth or disposable diapers, as well as how you pack your cloth diapers, may be influenced by your mode of transportation.
Airplane Travel
- On the plane: I only used disposables on long-haul flights. I used cloth diapers on the plane on shorter flights. For shorter travels, I would bring everything I needed plus one extra cloth diaper and two disposable diapers for good measure. So, if you change diapers every two hours, start counting from the moment you leave your house until the time you arrive at your destination. If the trip is 6 hours, I'll bring 4 diapers (3 changes + 1 extra). I'd also carry some wipes and a small wet bag.
- At Your Destination:I have a special cloth diaper suitcase. Although it is not a full-sized luggage, it is larger than a carry-on. I'd bring all of my cloth diapers, wipes, and other supplies.Any extra space was filled with my son’s clothes. I checked this bag.
Car Travel
- In the Car:For long-distance car travel, I would throw my child in a disposable for the car travel portion. For the car ride, make the decision of whether to use cloth or disposables based on your child’s leakage situation. For long-distance car travel, you may have to stop a little more frequently for cloth diaper changes. Disposables do make it a little easier on-the-go with this situation. But, at the end of the day, you cloth diaper for a reason! The good will always outweigh the inconvenience when you reflect on your reason “why”.
- At Your Destination: If you are driving, then traveling with cloth diapers is a no brainer; you can be a little more flexible with how many diapers and diaper related gear you bring (than if you were flying). You could bring a diaper suitcase or you could bring your entire diaper pail. If you bring your entire diaper pail then I’d pack the diapers in the pail and put the entire thing in the car.
How to Wash and Dry Cloth Diapers While Traveling
If you're going on a short trip, such as a weekend getaway, you might be able to bring enough cloth diapers to last the entire trip without having to wash them.
If that's the case, woohoo!! You can simply pack the dirty diapers home and wash them normally!
For longer trips, the first step in preparing to cloth diaper while traveling is to think about how you will wash the diapers while on the road.
One or a combination of these methods might be available to you:
- Washing in a washing machine while renting an apartment (through something like Airbnb) This one is very convenient because you do not have to invent new ways. You can just keep your wash routine like usual.
- If you will be staying with friends or family, ask ahead of time if it will be okay to use the washing machine.
- Washing in a hotel laundry room (If you aren't sure, you can call the hotel ahead of time to find out what laundry facilities will be available and whether they are coin operated or if you can pay by card.)
- You can use GoogleMaps to search around the area you are staying to see if there is a laundromat nearby.
- Hand washing in the sink or with aScrubba wash bag (maybe just the pee diapers, if that's all you feel comfortable hand washing).
Using Wet Bags for More Than Just Diapers
The beautiful thing about wet bags is that they aren’t just for your cloth diapering days. There’s nothing a good wet bag can’t do, including:
- Small toy and book storage for the road
- Extra change of clothes in the car
- Toiletries in the suitcase
- Swimsuit/wet clothes storage
- Dirty shoe storage in the suitcase
- Pencil and crayon storage
- Hand sanitizer and lotion storage for the car
- Snack storage
Planet Wise wet bags also have a dry storage area that is separate from the wet storage area.
In addition to wet bags for packing and traveling,Planet Wise makes snack bags and sandwich bags that are FDA food safe and can hold snacks for the car/plane ride without the added guilt of throwing away another Ziplock bag.
Packing for Children Who Aren’t in Cloth Diapers | Planet Wise Packing Cubes
To keep suitcases neat and tidy,Planet Wise packing cubes are a dream come true.
You can even share a large suitcase with your child or have two children share one suitcase by giving each child their own color of packing cubes.
Small sized cubes are great for socks and cloth training underwear, medium-sized cubes are for tees and jeans, and the large sized cubes are for dresses and larger clothing items.
When you aren’t traveling, the packing cubes are perfect for storage around your house!
I use Planet Wise packing cubes for under the bed storage for seasonal clothing items, stuffed animals in my children’s room and for keeping my gym bag organized. The possibilities are endless!
Oh Lily Overnight Bags
So, you have your packing cubes ready to go. Now you need your suitcase!Oh Lily Overnight Bags are nothing short of amazing.
The long straps make it easy to carry it as a backpack or over the shoulder. It holds an impressive number of items! It’s a soft bag, easy to put in an overhead bin on a plane or under your seat.
Did I mention the adorable prints it comes in? And what’s more- you can match accessories to the print, such as an ID holder or small bags for toiletries and other items in your bag.
For smaller children,Oh Lily makes The Perfect Backpack with adjustable straps and adorable prints! The Perfect Backpack isn’t just for children, though.
I love using it as my everyday purse. It fits just enough for my day without being a huge backpack, including a wet bag with two diapers, children’s extra change of clothes, my wallet, my phone and a small wet bag with smaller items such as chapstick, hand sanitizer, etc.
Blankets for Travel? Yes, Absolutely!
There are over 800 options of blankets on the Nicki’s Diapers website, so let me break it down for you- when traveling with a baby, check out our baby swaddle blankets.
They’re thin enough to be used as a stroller cover and are stretchy enough to be the perfect swaddle for infants. In the car seat on the drive or ride on a plane, they’re perfect for toddlers to use on their laps.
If you’re looking for something a little thicker for toddlers, theNicki’s Cuddle blankets are made of dotted mink on one side and a two-layer muslin diapers/bamboo on the other side.
These blankets are the softest ones you’ll own and will sure to be a hit with your little one.
My favorite blankets for myself and for the older kids are thecuddle blanket from Smart Bottoms. These blankets are the perfect size for a twin bed or for snuggling on the couch, and the prints are adorable!
They’re made of a quilted organic cotton/polyester blend and only get softer with time without fading.
Everyday Favorite Travel Items for Day Trips and More
Klean Kanteen We all know it’s important to stay hydrated, especially when traveling!Kleen Kanteen makes it easy and sustainable to get that important H2O when you need it.
You can choose from many size bottles and lids to make the perfect option for you and your family to stay hydrated on the go!
Planet Wise Snack Bags: I’ve already mentioned them, but they’re worth repeating-Planet Wise snack and sandwich bags have changed the way we travel with snacks and meals.
Each child has their own design or color, so there’s no bickering over who has what bag. They can open the zippered bags easily on their own and help themselves to healthy snacks on the road- and there’s no waste!
The Oh Lily Everyday Bag is my go-to carry-on bag and my on-the-go bag. I use it at the grocery store when I’m not traveling, or as a beach bag, a diaper bag, a library book bag- it is literally the perfect bag for traveling 5 miles from your house or 500 miles from your house.
Oh Lily has a variety of differentbags and packs that are great for different situations!
Smart Bottoms Tote Bag: When a new print comes out in Smart Bottoms I make sure to grab it in a tote bag.
I know the day will come all too soon when I will no longer have a baby in diapers, and I can continue my love for collecting adorable prints with the popular and very useful tote bag!
These bags are made of 100% polyester and can be folded up inside the interior pocket for easy storage. I keep a stash in my car for trips to the grocery, to the library and as an easy diaper bag for on the go.
With just the right amount of stretch, they expand to hold more than you think they would without losing strength.
Stress Free Adventure Is Ahead!
It is entirely possible to travel with cloth diapers!! It only takes a little preparation and planning.
Furthermore, practice makes perfect. You just have to try it and see how it goes, just as with any other ability in life.
You'll live and learn, and you'll be able to make changes for the future!
There are hundreds of options onNicki’s Diapers website to make it easy for traveling to the store or traveling out of state.
So, the next time you find yourself a week away from a fun family vacation and you haven’t even thought about packing- don’t stress! Grab some items from Nicki’s Diapers to make your travel easy and stress free!
Find out more about saving the planet on the go at Nicki’s Diapers blog!
