I store my diapers in a basket for each visit and choose AIO's and Pockets for travel

It has been almost a month since I packed my clothes, my kids, and my cloth diapers and boarded a plane to NC.  My family is going through a major transition: we have moved from Syracuse, NY and are moving to Tampa, FL.  Why then are we in Charlotte, NC?  Well…. long story short is that we are trying to buy a home and it will be a while.  In the mean time my husband is in FL living in a hotel.  I just couldn’t do that for 2 months with a Pre-schooler and a toddler (can you say, SHOOT ME!) so we are staying with my In-laws for a spell.

I’ve cloth diapered for 3.5 years now.  Over time my In-law’s have come to understand that I always use my cloth when we stay here.  Before our first trip with a baby and cloth diapers I shyly asked permission if I could use their washer/dryer on my cloth diapers.  They were perplexed as to why I would want to do such a thing but they were {surprisingly} not grossed out my the proposition!

Many years later it has become the norm that I bring a large wet bag or luggage stuffed with my cloth diapers and I wash them while I visit.  My Mother-in-Law has learned not to be “helpful” by throwing my diapers in the dryer with a dryer sheet or adding her own detergent into a load.  If I’m unavailable she will remove the dry diapers and stack the empty pocket shells in one pile and the inserts into another.  She has not once attempted to stuff my diapers; considering how anal I am about the inserts matching the pocket (even old bumGenius 3.0 inserts going into my old bumGenius 3.0′s and my new bumGenius 4.0 inserts going in my new bumGenius 4.0′s) it is a good thing.

Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind if you are planning a visit with family:

• DO ask first.  We would all like to think cloth diapers are the “norm” and “accepted” but they aren’t.  Find a way to politely ask if you are allowed to use their washer.  Don’t go into graphic detail about what kind of poop is going in unless they want more details.  In this case it might be better if your baby isn’t EBF “exlusively breast-fed” and is on solids which means you won’t be washing the poop.
• DO warn them ahead of time not to be “helpful” when you wash your diapers.  Turn your back for 1 second and dear ol’ Mom might add a dash of Downy into your wash- uh oh.  Just let them know that cloth diapers require a certain amount of “finesse” and that you will take care of things.
• DO be prepared with a few hanging wet bags.  I typically use pail liners and a pail at home but that won’t work when traveling.
• DO pack your flushable liners or start ECing in a hurry!  Without my sprayer I’m a Sad Panda.  To avoid scraping with TP during that lovely “peanut butter poop phase” I get a little more observent and try reading my son’s cues.  When I suspect a poop is coming I run him to a potty.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  If it does then Woo-hoo, no poop to spray.  If he pees too then I call that double #winning.  If a little EC isn’t your thing you might want to keep liners in your cloth diapers.
• DO be respectful of your family’s routines.  I am now in the groove of washing my diapers in a more succint schedule than at home.  I used to let my diapers sit in the dryer for 12 hours or more… Here my MIL jumps at the first “buzz” of the dryer.  No laundry sits in a basket in this house!  She also does laundry each morning so I wait until she goes to bed to start mine so as not to disrupt her.  Would she be mad if I jumped in line to wash diapers?  No!  But I’m trying to be a good guest.
• DON’T expect your family to jump at the chance to change your baby’s diaper.  Not that they are probably gung-ho to start with, but when you have to give a mini cloth diaper lesson it can be challenging for your family to want to help with this job.  If your family is willing to learn that is awesome, but take it in stride if they don’t budge first thing.  Keep it civil, be understanding, but stay firm that cloth is right for your family.  (Note: I do think we should try to educate family, and especially hired caregivers, but please pick your battles with family.)
• DON’T be hard on yourself if your vacation means sprinkling in hybrid diapers or even a few *gasp* disposables.  I’m pretty hardcore about cloth diapering but I’ve learned that there are a few moments in life when disposables come in handy.  If you fall behind on laundry and have to use a sposie or two while diapers get clean then you have to.  Remember that you are probably trying to spend quality time with family and these things happen.

I lucked out in the In-law department so our trip thus far has been easy and dare I say, pretty fun!  Our stay here could be for 1 week, 3 weeks, or 2 months.  After hearing my husband’s complaints about the hotel’s washer and dryer I am in no rush to wash diapers there!