Do you love using your cloth nappies at home, but does the thought of using cloth nappies while you’re away on holiday send you racing out to the shops to stock up on disposables? The good news is, as long you’re prepared and take everything you’ll need, and know what kind of washing and drying facilities you’ll have access to, it shouldn’t be any different to using cloth nappies at home!
Here are a few tips to help you while travelling:
- Think ahead when deciding what kind of nappies to take with you.
If you have limited luggage space, you’ll want to choose nappies that don’t take up too much space (such as pre-folds and covers, or All in Two nappies where you can reuse the covers and replace the inserts). If laundry facilities will be limited, you’ll want to take nappies that are quick and easy to wash and dry. - Make sure you pack enough nappies.
It may sound obvious, but make sure you pack enough nappies so you don’t have to wash too often. You don’t want to end up spending your holiday having to wash nappies everyday! Work out on average how many nappies you use each day, and take about four days worth – that way you can wash every second day and have enough to use while the others are being washed and dried. This also gives you a day’s worth of spare nappies in case you don’t end up washing as expected. - Don’t forget to pack wet bags and detergent.
Wet bags are so handy to have when travelling, even if you aren’t using your cloth nappies, so remember to pack a couple. This will give you somewhere to store your nappies once they’re dirty and mean you don’t have to take up valuable space with a huge nappy bucket! They’re also great for carrying around wet or dirty clothes and swimwear. If you prefer using a specific detergent to wash your nappies in, remember to pop some of that in too. - Pack two separate bags of nappies.
Pack your cloth nappies, wipes, liners and other nappy accessories together so everything is easily accessible when you need it, but also pack a separate smaller stash with all the essentials for use while travelling to your destination – enough nappies for the trip, wipes, a change mat, a wet bag and anything else you use at change time. - Don’t feel bad for taking some disposable nappies with you.
Don’t forget that it is still a holiday so you want to enjoy yourself, so if that means you need to use a few disposable nappies, don’t feel bad! Just like cloth nappying at home, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and every cloth nappy you use makes a difference.
Submitted by Haley Collier of Bubblebubs.
“My husband and I made the decision to use cloth nappies while I was pregnant with my son (now three) for environmental and economic reasons. After using them from the time he was about six weeks old, I also discovered how reliable and easy to use cloth nappies are (despite what other people out there would say when we mentioned we planned to use MCN!). Our daughter arrived in 2015, so all of our cloth nappies are getting another work out!”
