Traveling With Cloth Diapers

Posted by Marina on 6 October 2023

Let's be honest - no matter what you do, cloth diapers will inevitably take up more space in your luggage compared to the credit card you need for purchasing disposable diapers at your destination. However, if you're determined to continue using cloth diapers while traveling, there are a few things you can do to make your life easier.

This becomes especially problematic when traveling by air and being limited by the amount of luggage you can bring. Initially, we attempted to fit everything into our hand luggage, but soon realized our mistake. The key is to bring a large suitcase (or multiple ones) and check them in so you don't have to drag them through the airport. When traveling by car, unless you have a generously sized trunk, we found that having an ultra foldable stroller like the bugaboo butterfly is helpful. It leaves enough space in the trunk for your belongings, and most importantly, for your cloth diapers!

Dealing with dirty diapers

When faced with dirty diapers, you have two options: either wash them or bring them home with you. If you choose the latter, you'll be grateful that you made room in your luggage for a wet bag full of unfolded stinky diapers.

If you decide to wash the diapers at the end of your trip, I recommend using the dryer, even if it's not your usual practice. One round in the dryer won't cause any harm, and you'll spare yourself the inconvenience and added weight of traveling with wet diapers. Alternatively, you can line dry the diapers, but keep in mind that this would require washing them daily towards the end of your trip to ensure they have enough time to dry. Additionally, you'll need to acquire a dryer rack for this purpose.

You don't have to actually bring cloth dippers with you

While the title of this blog post may seem contradictory, there are alternative solutions when we are unable to bring diapers for our little ones. In such cases, using training pants can be a practical and space saving option, even if our daughter is not yet potty trained. These training pants are able to decently absorb her pee. For enhanced absorbency, consider sizing up, as more fabric allows for greater liquid absorption. To safeguard the stroller, we make use of waterproof changing pads. Of course, we do bring a few actual diapers, especially for nighttime use.

Packing wet bags

When traveling, it's practical to minimize the number of wet bags you bring. Instead of relying on multiple bags that need to be washed after each use, limit yourself to just one or two. By reusing them without washing, you not only save space but also simplify your packing. Additionally, if you encounter any odors, a simple trick is to turn the bags inside out, wipe then, and let them air overnight to freshen them up. This way, you can maintain cleanliness and convenience without compromising on space or efficiency.

inside out wet bag

Washing and drying cloth diapers during travel

When it comes to traveling with cloth diapers, one of the main challenges lies in washing and drying them. If you happen to be staying in a hotel, I would advise against using their laundry service due to exorbitant prices, which are typically charged per item. While this might be reasonable for washing a few shirts, it certainly doesn't make sense for a bag full of diapers. Fortunately, if you're traveling within the US, it's usually quite easy to locate a nearby laundromat. The cost for washing and drying the diapers there will likely be below $10.

Disposable diapers might be the cheaper option

If your main reason for using cloth diapers is to save money, keep in mind that traveling with them may not be the most practical choice. Let's think about this: instead of spending approximately $20 on disposable diapers for a week, you would now need to budget an extra $30 for checking in an additional bag or even $500 for a compact stroller to free up trunk space. On top of that, you would have to consider an additional expense of at least $5 for laundry, and potentially even more. Speaking of cloth diapers, if you decide to use a laundromat, you would need to wash them twice, which could cost around $2 per cycle – that would amount to a total of $4! Moreover, if you prefer to use a dryer, you might have to run it twice as cloth diapers are often challenging to dry. This alone would come up to $8 at a low-cost laundromat. Don't want to use the dryer? Then you would have to pay for some sort of drying rack. And let's not forget, if you wish to bring a portable diaper sprayer along with you, that's an additional expense of over $10. Considering all these factors, it's crucial to carefully weigh the costs and practicality before deciding whether to travel with cloth diapers.

Stick with your guts

Yes, traveling with disposable diapers may be easier and cheaper, but we do not want to put our daughter in disposable diapers, because we want her to be comfortable. You may have other reasons, such as less bowouts, enviromental factors or the cute patterns. Whatever your reason it, if you cant to travel with cloth diapers, you can do it, and it is not that difficult!