I have used only cloth diapers for my daughter since she turned 4 months. And while travelling also I wanted to use cloth diapers only. As we were home only last year, it was easy to manage. But I was not very sure how will I manage with cloth diapers during travelling. And at the same time, my inner voice was not ready to use any disposable diapers. But I am so glad that with proper planning and determination we managed our trips with cloth diapers. Though ours were short-duration trips, it was a great experience as this will help me in planning future trips.
Here are a few pointers which I want to share about my experience on How to travel with Cloth Diapers with parents who want to use cloth diapers only during travelling:
1) Our flight from Mumbai to Guwahati was in the morning, so the previous day I used only cotton nappies and washed, them and let them dry after each use so that I can take them with me. (if you are not planning to take them with you then one can also wash them and let them dry at some proper place in the house). For any number of days, Flats work best as they are easy to wash and dry really fast.
2) I removed the nighttime Cloth diaper and packed it in the luggage bag. (washed it at my home)
3) While travelling from Mumbai to Guwahati (6 hours), I made my daughter wear a pocket diaper with 2 inserts, assuming I would not be required to change (unless she has pooped)
Travelling with Cloth Diapers on the flight
4) Carried 2 sets of Cloth diapers in the diaper bag. One that would last for 4-5 hours- (if she poops after reaching Mumbai airport or just before boarding the plane) and the other one with pee holding capacity for 1-2 hours (if she soiled the diaper after we had landed at our destination.)
5) Wet bags to keep soiled diapers, and cloth wipes (I make my own wipes)
Wet Bags to keep soiled Cloth Diapers
6) During our road trips, we stayed at the resorts/hotels for 1 or 2 nights, so bought back the diapers and washed them at home. And according to my, Flats would work best for the day and night time when traveling, as they dry up faster than other inserts.
Travelling with Cloth Diapers
7) Allowed diaper-free time early in the morning (the time after waking up and before leaving for the day) and in the evenings (after coming back to the hotel)
8) Change the Cloth diaper after 3 to 5 hours depending on the type of inserts used and mode of transport used.
9) Training pants or cotton nappies work great as diaper-free time and they came to my rescue during these travelling times.
10) Cleaned the diaper area with my homemade solution and apply coconut before putting in a new diaper.
It has been a smooth ride till now with cloth diapers. The only mistake I did was not giving her some diaper-free time while travelling from Jorhat to Guwahati (6 hours by road). Since we left in the morning and we were in a little hurry we changed her diaper just before leaving and as a result, she did get some rashes. And this was a great learning point for me.
It is very important to allow some diaper-free time even for 5-10 mins during travelling. If you are worried about cleaning the poop, then there are biodegradable disposal liners which make poo cleaning very easy. (Luckily our daughter didn’t poop on the flight or in the car during these trips).
Till then happy travelling……
Also, Read Road trips with a baby and toddler in India
Listen to this blog here:https://anchor.fm/gopa-bezboruah/episodes/Traveling-with-Cloth-Diapers-My-Experience-esnm8h