I have to admit that when I saw Huggies was coming out with a "Pure and Natural" disposable diaper, I was almost excited. I had a big family vacation coming up and had been trying to figure out how to take my cloth stash along. Cautiously, I thought this might be the answer. Sure they cost and arm and a leg, but they would make my travels easier-and having 4 kids, the oldest being 7, easier is always good.
Well, one day I found a link to try the Huggies Pure and Natural for FREE-I signed up and got my 3 sample diapers in the mail. I was pleasantly surprised to see the outside of the package stating "organic cotton" and "hypoallergenic". I hurried to open my package and dug right in. The kit included 3 diapers and a thick, quart sized, zip top bag decorated with a blue sky and clouds (I think it was maybe a disposable version of a Wet Bag?).
The product description insert quickly brought me back to reality as I read that the 'liner includes renewable materials', it has a 'soft outer cover with organic cotton' and 'less inks'. I was disappointed to find that these diapers were not what I was hoping they would be. Sure it is nice that they are using organic cotton, but it would have been nicer had the organic material been next to my baby's bottom inside of the diaper, not on the outside. I am also happy that it includes renewable materials, but what does that really mean, how much renewable materials does it include? At the very least I am pleased that Kimberly-Clark is 'trying' to be more green, but they still have a way to go.
So...What tips do you have on traveling with cloth diapers? Have you had to fly with them (how did you pack them)? Have you taken cloth camping? Did your MIL let you wash them at her house when you visited? Do you have any experiences that you would like to share?
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Not to mention.. have you seen the price on those things?!?
I have taken cloth traveling across state (we're in TX so its quite a trip). My parents offered their machine but we didn't want to impose. We planned for it, brought our entire stash... the big pail liner and our wetbag. Had an extra suitcase that they went in. It worked, but we need to revamp it before our next trip. I don't remember how we did it for our family reunion before that... about the same way I think and that's a longer visit (although shorter trip... only 3 hours in the car!).
I flew from WI to TX with my cloth and my MIL let me wash it at her house. Thankfully, DD1 was 18 mos at the time and starting to potty train so we only needed to take 12 dipes for washing every two days. I just packed them into my carry on and went. HOWEVER This was before they charged for carry-on luggage.
We ended up using some disposables that trip, tho, because we were caught in the American Airlines cancellation fiasco and were never sure if we were heading out at 5am the next morning, without time to wash the dipes. We were delayed by 3 days in the end.
I bought a pack of these last week...dad put one on him...INSTANT diaper rash. Poor boy had his first and worst rash within hours of putting them on. Stupid Huggies...they 'infused' them with fake aloe vera and other random chemicals. I'm taking the pack back to walmart tonight. SO not worth it. I'll pay the extra money for 7th Generation for my disposable standbys.
They may not be as "green" as they claim, but I was in dire need of some 'sposies for a quick trip and I didn't have room to lug dirty cloth diapers back with me, so I picked these up. After trying nearly every other disposable diaper on the market (including Seventh Generation) and watching my son develop horrible rashes, these have worked wonders! Not a red mark on his little bum! :) Just wanted to add a positive.
We just got back from a trip to Florida, and had to use disposables. I *hated* it. We were staying with child-free friends of my husband, and felt uncomfortable asking to wash poopy diapers in their machines. But in October, I'm taking my cloth to my best friend's in Albuquerque. I'm planning to use my Bumgenius for the plane/flying part and regular prefolds while I'm there. I like that the Bumgenius holds a lot, so while we're in the plane for 4+ hours, I won't have to change her.
I have not yet flown with cloth diapers. Usually, when we drive (and we've taken LOTs of road trips), I put all the cloth diapers in a clean wetbag, already stuffed and ready to go, and keep a spare wetbag handy for the changes. We usually are staying with family when we travel so, yes, I've taken over inlaws and grandparent's washer machines without a thought! They're troopers, though!
I have to admit; I'm not die-hard when it comes to cloth. Going out of town/ not having a washer = not worth it to me. I grab some 'sposies & call it good.
We lived w/ inlaws for a while between semesters of grad school & she preferred I not use the washer, but she did buy the disposables for me. I love cloth - but when I'm out of my element, I can't be picky.
i just went on vacation and i didnt even ask about the washing. i used sposies. my son doesnt have a sensitivity to them. I just dont like spending the money. I did try the new huggies and he actually got a rash from them. Pampers dont some we got some of those. BRU has a brand of sposie that biodegratable. It is called Nature Care i believe. I have a pack in my nursery that i havet tried yet. Im curious if they work good.
krisandmeplusthree....I would love to hear what you think of the new biodegradable sposies after you get a chance to use them. We have issues with sposies too :( Pampers seem to be the only brand that doesn't cause problems. We used sposies on our (almost 2 week) vacation too. I was so happy to get home and put cloth back on her sweet little bum!
We ususally travel with cloth. If we're flying, I put my baby in an overnight diaper so I don't have to change on the plane. I make sure to carry on a couple extras just in case of a delay.
I pack them in a duffel bag that has 2 sides. I keep clean on one side and my wet bag in the other side. Having the wet bag zippered inside another bag keeps the car smelling fine. And I can keep clean and dirty all together.
I have washed at various relatives' homes without a problem. The only problem I had was washing at a hotel where the machine had some left-over detergent in the bottom. I just ran it through empty to wash it out. I figured it was worth the extra $1.50 to start with a clean machine.
The only time I don't travel with cloth is when we are camping for more than 2 days. I just don't like the diapers sitting in the heat that long. I use the g-diapers because they are biodegratable. I can just dig a hole and burry them or drop them in the port-a-potty. Nothing to pack out!
To The Morris Family-Great idea to use the g-diapers! Our trip included 6 days of camping, hence the use of disposables. I wish that I had thought of the g-diapers (sigh)-at least I now what to do next time :D.
I wrote a post about this at cafemom--how Huggies is just jumping on the green bandwagon but not actually changing their ways. My question was how much organic cotton was included??
We haven't traveled yet with cloth, but on a shorter trip we'll use them. We're flying to Colorado in Sept. and will probably use our 7th Gen. disposables. We'll be at a hotel and won't be able to wash for five days...
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