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Do You Travel With Cloth?

Ok, so here's a confession: I've never brought my cloth diapers on a trip. By a trip, I mean a trip involving a plane. Do I have a good
image of airplane
excuse? I like to think that the fees for  bags that airlines now charge is a good one, or the fact that I usually have to pack for three children in addition to myself. But the truth is, I always feel pretty guilty about not bringing them and I cringe with every disposable I toss in trash cans on our trips. Now in my own defense, I do use cloth whenever we leave the house on local trips and when we go to outdoor music festivals. I bring them to the gym daycare--basically anywhere it won't be a problem to have a wet bag with a couple dirty diapers waiting in it. But I know that there probably many of you who are better persons than me--so dedicated to cloth diapering and being green that you've packed an extra suitcase for them or managed to stuff enough of them into any remaining crevices in an already full suitcase. In fact, I don't doubt there are a few of you who have even brought your cloth diapers on multiple-leg flights, on boats, or on trains! So go ahead and shame me and tell me how you do it.  Here is what I want to know:
  • How many cloth diapers would you pack for a long weekend trip--like from Friday to Monday?
  • How many cloth diapers would you pack for a full week trip?
  • Do you pack cloth wipes?
  • Do you pack your own detergent? How do you pack detergent?? Or do you buy whatever detergent is available where you are going?
  • Do you bring your diapers on the plane?
  • If you do bring your diapers on the plane, how on the world do you fit them into the small and precious space in your diaper bag that also needs to be reserved for snacks, books and toys--especially if you have older siblings to entertain.
Cooper and I will be traveling to visit my parents in December. We'll be traveling with my younger sister and her youngest son, Kevin, who will be about eight months by then. Both of us will be leaving two older siblings and Daddy at home to fend for themselves. Because I will only be packing for Cooper and myself, I promise that I will bring my cloth diapers and that I'll also use them on the plane. And of course, I promise to come back with a little anecdote about our adventure. Now it's your turn to share your experience and give me any tips that will help me travel efficiently with my Thirsties. PS: Here is a link to the Real Diaper Association's Travel Tip Sheet that might come in handy.
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38 comments

  • I have only traveled with cloth once – I took a few for overnights. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t great either, since I had so few diapers it wasn’t as easy to wash, had to worry about laundry detergent/washers/etc. It’s usually easier to just buy some disposables when we get to where we’re going (so we don’t have to use up precious luggage space for cloth)

    Jenn G on
  • I would bring everything!

    Jen Cagle on
  • We have yet to take our baby on a real trip, so I have no experience traveling with cloth. It seems like it could be a lot of packing and then what about washing while you are at your destination?

    Bekah Kuczenski on
  • Great post and so much to look forward to once my little one arrives next yr! Should be challenging but I’m up for it!

    Maria Albani on
  • I have never tried to fly with cloth. We did take cloth camping this summer and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was actually just for 3 days so perfect and I didn’t have to worry about washing while we were gone

    Beth Rees on

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