Traveling with Cloth Diapers

The holiday season is now in full swing. Whether it be local family gatherings or longer car and/
or plane rides, almost everyone will be going somewhere during the holidays. With this travel
comes the decision every cloth mom or dad needs to make… “Will I be taking my cloth diapers
with us while traveling this holiday?”

At first the decision to travel with cloth diapers may be overwhelming and even a little
daunting, but don’t let the fears and worries overtake you. Cloth diapering on the road is a lot
easier than it seems. Add in a few helpful tips and you will have a fully mobile cloth diapering
experience for the holidays! Check out these suggestions to make travelling with cloth diapers a
joy this holiday season.

1) Pack what you need, don’t exceed. Now this depends on how long you will be traveling
for. If it is just overnight, then you don’t need to worry about washing until you get
home. But if this is for an extended period of time, and you will have access to a
washing machine, you will only want to pack enough diapers for 2 days at a time. If
where you are staying allows you to wash your diapers on a daily basis, you can pack
even fewer diapers. But remember, you don’t want to spend your entire holiday
washing diapers. The key is to pack enough so you won’t be doing laundry every day,
but not so many that they take up all of your luggage.

2) Don’t be afraid to supplement with disposables. It is ok and perfectly fine to
supplement with disposables. Don’t feel guilty. Using disposables may be practical for
the actual travel time itself, or maybe just at night-time. Whatever the reason may
be, don’t feel that you need to use your cloth diapers the entire time you travel. Give
yourself a break, traveling for the holidays should be fun, you shouldn’t have to worry
about the how’s, why’s, what if’s of your cloth diapers. If it causes too much stress just
supplement here and there.

3) Biodegradable flushable liners are a great option for. If you are addicted to your diaper
sprayer like me, you are totally lost when it comes to traveling with cloth diapers. I have
learned that sometimes it is easier to use a biodegradable flushable liner in your diapers
to catch the poop. Simply lay the liner over the diaper. Once baby poops simply dump in
toilet and flush away.

4) Hanging Zippered Diaper Pail is very helpful when traveling. Instead of having to set-
up an entire diaper pail, just hang the bag up, toss the diapers, zip up and you are done!
This will keep the smell of your diapers sealed while looking neat and tidy. These pails
fold up nicely too.

5) There are many options for washing your cloth diapers. Washing your cloth diapers is
probably the most challenging part of traveling with cloth diapers. You are most likely in a new place with new washing machines, or lack of washing machines. Here are some
options for washing your cloth diapers while traveling. Figure out which works the best
for your particular situation:

a. Hand Wash – This would probably be best if you only have a few diapers and
have practiced hand-washing before. Might not want to try this out for the first
time while traveling for the holidays. I was able to hand wash my cloth diapers
in the bath tub of a hotel we were staying at. It worked very well. The only thing
I recommend is bring some cleaning solution for after the wash if you intend on
using the tub or shower.

b. Ask to use a Family or Friend’s Washing Machine – If they agree, you are all set.
Just remember that the amount of detergent and the settings may differ slightly
from what you are used to depending on the type of washing machine you use
or the type of water they have.

c. Use the Laundromat – This will be similar to using a friends or family member’s
washing machine except you will have to pay for the wash. To avoid doing 3
loads of laundry (Rinse, Wash, Rinse), you might want to do a thorough rinse
with cold water where you are staying, then you only have to pay for 1 Hot wash.
If you have access to a drying rack, you could even air dry to save a few bucks on
the dryer.

d. Wait until you get home – if you will only be gone for 2-3 days, you might be
able to wait and wash when you get home. I will leave this up to your best
judgment. You can easily rinse out each diaper in the toilet or tub and do a full
wash when you get home.

I hope this article helps you to realize that traveling with cloth diapers can be done and is easier
than you might think. With a little planning and some cute fluff, your cloth diapers can travel
with you this holiday season.

Contributed by: Julie

Pollyanna talks about her diaper stash

I am always very intrigued to see what other mamas have in their stash. There is so many brands and different types of cloth diapers, and not all work for each baby. I have tried many brands of cloth diapers and my stash shows what is in my current rotation some diapers are not in the photos because they are in the wash. (It's hard to get a stash shot of everything since I wash every other day I think the only way to get a good one is when baby has a rash.) 

So here is what I started with 12 bum-genius diapers and worked my way up to 12 more. I have also worked my way up on smartipants I love these for the fact that they are super easy to use. Stuffing them is easier then any pocket diaper I have tried having to not deal with PUL exposed is amazing. I love these two different pocket diapers for the simple fact that I have used these since Ashton was 2 mths old which is when we started cloth diapering him till now at 1 yr old. We don't have diaper blowouts which is something very important not only that but also their prices are affordable for a good quality diaper. 

Another favorite are my Ragababe diapers these come in an AIO and a 2-step making it an AI2 diaper these are neat for the fact that AIO is ready to go no stuffing at all. Their 2- step are awesome because you can reuse the shell more then once if baby went #1 :) all you have to do is replace the inserts. 

I also have old fashion pre-folds and flats that I use when my son has a rash or when I want to air his bum out along with fleece covers at night time. I do have other brands of diapers that are not pictured here. Just because they are not our current rotation diapers meaning we only use them if we are out of the ones we normally use. I love my pocket diapers and AIO they are easy for me and my husband to use. 

What type of cloth diaper do you like on your baby? How many diapers do you have in your stash? 

Contributed by: Pollyanna

Importance of Choosing a Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent

When I first began researching cloth diapers, I was slightly overwhelmed with all the information and
opinions there are on the web about detergents for cloth. You will read over and over again that you
must choose a detergent that is cloth diaper safe…but what defines cloth diaper safe?

 

You should use a detergent that is free of dyes, enzymes, perfumes, softeners, whiteners and
brighteners. The detergent should be free of soaps too, such as castille soap, fels naptha, or zote soap.

 

Some of the no-no additives in detergent are for the safety of your little one’s bum. Many babies will
have negative reactions to certain additives causing diaper rash. These additives include dyes, enzymes, and perfumes. Enzymes are proteins used in detergents to remove stains, but if not thoroughly rinsed out, the enzymes can attack the proteins on baby’s skin and cause rashes. Enzymes will not harm your diapers, but they are one of the biggest contributors to skin irritation. Some recommended detergents by cloth diaper manufacturers, including Tide, use enzymes in their ingredients. If you do choose a detergent with enzymes, be sure to watch your baby for rashes. Dyes in detergent are solely used to color the liquid or powder and have no actual use for cleaning. Dyes are best to avoid since they can cause skin irritation. Fragrances, natural or artificial, are not necessary for cleaning cloth diapers. Not only because they can cause skin irritation, but because you  don’t want scented detergent masking any unpleasant odors coming from your diaper. Your  diapers should smell fresh [as I would call it] or odorless after being washed to ensure they are clean and ammonia free. Scents in detergent can mask the appearance of ammonia build up.

 

You should avoid whiteners and brighteners because these additives leave chemical residue on fabrics. This residue on your cloth diapers can cause buildup that will lead to absorbency/repelling/stink/leaking issues and/or skin irritation.

 

Soap as an ingredient should be avoided altogether, because it will cause build up on your precious
cloth resulting in leaks. If you have used soap on your diapers, you will need to do a real good strip to rid your diapers of the soap build up.

 

Please remember, the most important thing when it comes to washing your cloth diapers is to use the
CORRECT amount of detergent on your diapers. Using too much or even too little can cause issues. Too much detergent can result in buildup and repelling issues, while using too little can cause stink.
Smartipants recommends using no more than ¼ [for HE washers] to ½ [for top loaders] of the
detergent’s recommended amount per load. It is also recommended to wash no more than 16-18
diapers at a time and to use as much water as possible in the wash.

 

Choosing a cloth diaper detergent doesn’t need to be stressful. Many cloth diaper companies

recommend main stream laundry detergents for washing their diapers in. When using these detergents, or any detergent for that matter, it is essential to keep an eye out for any redness or irritation on your baby’s skin. This can be a sign that one of the additives in the detergent is bothering your child. Try your best to follow the recommendations and instructions from your cloth diaper manufacturer and washing should be a breeze!

 

 

Contributed by: Alex

 

I live in Idaho. I am a wife of 4.5 years and a mother of 2 beautiful daughers who are 2.5yrs and 2 months. I have been cloth diapering for 2.5years now. I am a stay at home mom and I will admit I am addicted to crocheting

Confessions of an Addict

Have you ever wondered what other people have in their cloth diaper stash? Curious as to whether you qualify as a complete addict? Or do you think you’re addicted and turns out that you actually have a very modest stash?

While I personally don’t think I have too many diapers, I did decide to let you see just how many we
have and what works best for our family. I tried to get all of our diapers pictured, but since we will have TWO in diapers by the time this post is live, I was only able to get about 75% pictured.

In the picture above are all of our clean OS pocket diapers. You’ll notice that we have quite a few and
that they are by a wide variety of brands. I’m not sure as to the exact number that we have, but here
are my best estimates:

4 SmartiPants
25 Rumparooz
4 Happy Heiny’s
1 BumGenius
1 FuzziBunz
5 PinkSeamstresses’ Sewing Room
14 Kawaii
4 Blueberry

As you can tell, pocket diapers are what works best for our family 95% of the time. However, there are times when other styles work well too.

In this picture you’ll see all AIO diapers. These are the easiest diapers for grandparents and babysitters since they are so similar to modern day disposables. We have 3 Swaddlebees and 4 Tots Bots.

As you can see, these are not the most popular style of diaper in our stash, but they are the most
convenient.

In this picture we have our diaper covers and our prefolds. We tend to go through a lot of prefolds in
this house, simply because my son needs a prefold and regular pads for naps/bedtime because he is
such a heavy wetter. Here’s how our diaper covers breakdown:

1 Franklin Goose
3 Wolbybug
2 Thirsties
12 Econobum prefolds

Finally a little sneak peek into my new diapers stash:

My newborn daughter is all ready with a few mini diapers just for her. Here’s what her personal stash
looks like:

8 Lil Joeys
2 Grovia
4 WAHM diapers


Ok, now that you’ve seen my entire stash, which according to my best guess consists of 65 OS diapers, 6 diaper covers, 12 prefolds and 14 newborn diapers, what do you think? For having two children under 16 months I’d say I need every last one of my diapers :)


Contributed by: Katy

Yeast Issues? Start here!

Today I am going to talk about the yuckies of the yuckies....the dreaded yeast infection.  So, instead of my normal joking manner, this is kind of serious, so it is going to be a more serious post.

Anyways, the first thing I really recommend before trying to clear up yeast on your own is to take your child to the doctor.  A yeast infection has almost the same qualities as a UTI.  You want to make sure that it is yeast.  Also, if it is a yeast infection, they will give you a prescription fungal cream.  This fungal cream is seriously amazing and rid my son of yeast in about 2 days.  We continued with it for 5 days though, just to be sure.  I highly suggest switching over for disposables for these few days just to be able to deal with sanitizing the diapers and so on.  You can also use a liner with this cream, but like I said, you are going to want to wash and deal with your diapers, so it is just easier to buy a thing of disposables.

Now that you have a diagnosis of yeast, what do you do?  Well, this is where it gets hard.  There are so many different suggestions online and it is hard to figure out which one to try and which one not to try.  I decided to use the heat and bleach route and it worked magically.  I know a lot of people like to do the less harsher treatments, but if you want to completely make sure you are done with yeast, this is what I recommend and what my son's cloth diaper friendly doctor recommended as well (yes, my doctor is the one that helped us switch and taught us most of what we know).

So, what I did is I cleaned the diapers as normal and then ran a COLD cycle with 1/2 cup bleach.  If you only have pockets and inserts, it will not make marks on your diapers.  If you have fitteds or other diapers, you might want to use color safe bleach.  It does not work as well, so I recommend doing it twice.   After doing this, wash on hot 3-4 times to make sure that you get all the bleach out and the hot will help finish sanitizing the diapers.  

After this is all done, just put everything out in the sun and your diapers should be completely sanitized and perfectly fresh!  After all this, I have not had a problem with yeast again.

 

 

Contributed by Nicole

What do you do with the poo?

One of the biggest obstacles that people have with cloth diapers is the poop! When I am out

in public or visiting with friends and family and have to change my son’s diaper, I quickly begin

to notice as eyes start to glance and then stare at what exactly I am doing. Then the questions

begin… “Cloth diapers?” “But what if they poop, what do you do with the poop.”

I have heard it all and my answer is the same…it is not as bad as you may think. Here are

some different things you can do to get rid of the poo.

• If the poop is solid, simply shake the poop out over the toilet and flush away. If the poop is breastfeeding poop, there is no need to even clean out the diaper as the poop is 100% water soluble. If you don’t feel comfortable not cleaning the breastfeeding poop out, simply follow number 2.
• Use a diaper sprayer. A diaper sprayer is an easy way to make modern day cloth diapering even easier. Simply hold the poopy diaper over your toilet and spray away the poop, then flush.
• You can use the pre-diaper sprayer method which involves taking the diaper and swishing it around in the toilet to loosen any poop remaining after you shook the diaper out. Simply swish or swirl and then into the diaper pail it goes.
• Use flushable biodegradable diaper liners. Simply place a liner over the inside of your cloth diaper and go about business as usual. When it comes time to change the diaper simply toss the liner into the toilet with the poop and flush away. Some say this is the easiest way for people who don’t like to deal with the poop. There is no swishing, swirling or spraying.

Personally, I have a diaper sprayer that is my savior! I recommend getting one as I used it on

a daily basis, even with breastfeeding poopy diapers. I prefer one with an adjustable spray to

allow for a hard or soft spray.

  So the next time someone watches you change a diaper, be sure to tell them it’s not as hard or

gross as they think! You can share from your own experiences and maybe convert a couple of

people to cloth diapers!

What do you do with the poo?

Contributed by: Julie

Family and cloth diapers

After finding out I was pregnant with my son. I started doing a lot of researching for baby things I would love to get for my soon to come baby. One of those things was cloth diapers as soon as I read about them I was intrigued and wanted to do something different, something I had not done with my daughter. After talking to my mother about it, I learned she also wanted to cloth diaper me as a baby but didn't do it because it was too expensive for her at the time after learning that from my mother knew I had her support not to mention my husband who was excited about the idea, yet not really knowing how I was going to go about it. Since this was new for us, my parents bought my son his first 12 bum genius one size pocket diapers in snaps. When we received them in the mail and having them in our hands we were just in "Aw" of them didn't really know what they felt like since ordering the online. We started off with 12 and soon branched out to other brands like Smartipants and a few others some worked some didn't on my son. My husband currently is used to pocket diapers in snaps, he doesn't change a lot of dirty diapers but when he does he does it gladly. Then again the diapers have always been stuffed for him so not sure how he would act if not being stuffed :)  The best part of cloth diapering that he loves is the fact that cloth diapers is better for our son as he does have very sensitive skin. We have saved a lot money just in one year so far. I think the least thing that he likes about cloth diapering is opening up the dirty diaper pail sometimes. Other then that he is my #1 supporter along with my mother and other family members that don't really know how it works but support me through it. Which is huge for me!! 

Who is your support system? 

Stay tuned for next month ill be showing my stash... 

 

Contributed by Pollyanna