Vacation diapering

[ShwarmaQueen]

We are going to visit my ILs this summer for about a month and a half. Currently, I'm using PFs 99% of the time. The problem lies in that I'm not going to have a washing machine or access to one. I am starting to wonder how I'm going to make it without my washer for my dipes! My MIL (who CD'd all her babies) would most likely be doing his laundry, as she's just like that, but I don't want to burden her because she has a bad back already and I want to enjoy my time with her and feel bad in that regard. Also, I wonder if she'd be using chlorox (since she'd be handwashing) and if so, that doesn't make me too happy, but then again I also don't want to deal with stinky diapers...IDK, handwashing and linedrying don't seem like they'd really clean the PFs too well. Has anyone used this method successfully?

Hmmm...so, I'm thinking about buying a box of Pampers off Amazon for $40 and just not thinking about it anymore. But then honestly I'll feel really guilty...

Talk to me...

[mesa]

yeeeah, I'd get disposables. Get them, and don't look back. Of course, this is coming from a person who uses disposables whenever she's going to be away from home for more than 2 days, LOL.

[Ruthe]

My feeling is, there is a time and a place for everything, and a long visit to the inlaws with no washing machine is the time and place for Pampers.
I used to use cloth and wash dipes (in a machine) at my relative's houses but as the babies got older, with more output and smellier output, the act of schlepping a heavy bag full of wet smelly dipes around on "vacation," until I had a crack at someone's washer, lost its allure and now I use despicables for a few days; whatev!

[cristeen]

Well, if the idea of buying sposies bothers you, you can always buy a couple dozen flats. They're much easier to handwash and be sure you get clean, and they dry a lot quicker on the line. Personally, I'd probably do that...

I take it there's no laundromat anywhere nearby you could use?

[octobermom]

having someone else wash my childs pee and poo diapers by hand would be more than I'd be comfortable with even if they were fine with it. For me this would be the time for sposies or I'd wash them myself at a coined laundry..

[lifeguard]

I agree with pp's that this is definitely a situation I'd just go with the disposables. Allow yourself to stop feeling guilty - think of all the disposables you have saved by doing all the cding you've been & will continue to do. One package of disposables is worth giving yourself & your mil a break on your vacation.

[rachelsmama]

If you are committed to cloth diapering, flats would be the easiest to handwash, and if you have any old cotton flannel sheets, or cotton t-shirts you could make a lot of your flats out of those. It's probably worth having some sposies on hand too in case it rains for a few days straight, or there are any other laundry delays.

[mumkimum]

While dd1 was still wearing dipes, we did have a week long camping trip during which I hand-washed and dried all our dipes. Any 'fancy' cloth dipes don't work out as well for this arrangement. Prefolds and flats were totally fine and the real key is washing more often than you would using a washer. That said, we did always have some disposables around for other vacations, just in case (dd ended up having problems with them previously and it would have been a pain to deal with the waste of sposies at the place we were camping, so way easier to wash the dipes instead).

[lalemma]

Flats would certainly be easiest to handwash and line-dry, so that's an option, but... to be honest? Unless you plan to keep using them, buying a whole bunch of flats just for this one time doesn't seem particularly sustainable to me.

I think I would just buy a pack of disposables (compostable or flushable may be options, depending) and be done with it.

[rightkindofme]

I am fairly hard core on using my cloth even when I travel and in my daughter's 23 months of life she has been traveling for like three months total... I would do disposables for this trip. Six weeks of handwashing? Uhhh... I'm not that dedicated.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I take it there's no laundromat anywhere nearby you could use?

No, we're going to N. Africa- there might be one in the city, but I can't see myself schlepping a bag of dirty dipes, in a taxi,...you get the point.

Thanks guys. I think I'll get the sposies and get a dozen flats to mix in.

[TheGirls]

Yeah, I'd do disposables. We've started doing disposables when we visit my IL's (in Seattle, so with washer access) just because the cloth is a pain to schlepp on the airplane. We've done cloth on those trips and it's not so bad, but with no washer access, I'd do disposables. You could do something like 7th generation if it makes you feel better. Also G-diapers have cloth covers (which are much easier to handwash) and the disposable inserts are supposed to be compostable. I haven't done any research on those though, and honestly just use target brand 'sposies now when we fly anywhere. I take cloth on road trips with good washer access.

[mntnmom]

Originally Posted by ShwarmaQueen

No, we're going to N. Africa- there might be one in the city, but I can't see myself schlepping a bag of dirty dipes, in a taxi,...you get the point.

Thanks guys. I think I'll get the sposies and get a dozen flats to mix in.

What do they do with their trash? Depending on how they handle their garbage, hand washing flats *might* actually be less trouble. Just something to consider. What does DH think?

[november]

Yep, definitely just go the sposie route.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by TheGirls

You could do something like 7th generation if it makes you feel better.

I found 7th G on sale today AND had a coupon so I bought all the packs they had (3).

Originally Posted by mntnmom

What do they do with their trash? Depending on how they handle their garbage, hand washing flats *might* actually be less trouble. Just something to consider. What does DH think?

DH says it's up to me. They have city trash pickup which comes a couple times per week.

[lifeguard]

The other thing to consider is what your baggage allowance is on the plane. Honestly I try to pack light but having to use up half a case with diapers just wouldn't work for us.

[ShwarmaQueen]

LG, that is something to think about too. We only get one checked bag each (4 total) so we're already going to be tight for space. Usually one bag is for handmedowns to give away, one bag is for gifts, so we only get 2 bags for all of our clothes...including the diapers. Hmmm...