Out & About with Cloth Diapers - What the heck do you do with the dirty diapers?

Often times, people wonder, can I go out with cloth diapers? Will I need to bring a huge bag and – gasp – carry around poop?? Well, yes and no. Or no and yes is more like it. We use a fairly compact diaper bag and yes we do carry around poop, but really it’s not that bad. Just think about it like low-impact camping, you wouldn’t leave your garbage footprint in the wilderness, you would carry out your garbage…..not much different, I think.

Once you start to feel confident using the diapers at home and you have a good idea of what works for your child in terms of fit and absorbency, there is no reason that your child can’t sport a cloth diaper on those outings to the store or to a play group.

What’s in my diaper bag? I have 2-3 Pocket Diapers or All-in-ones, some pre-moistened cloth wipes in a travel wipes container (I have a “Huggies” one), a tote bag to store the wet/dirty diaper when it comes off, a lightweight change pad and an extra set of clothes. I’ve only had to use the set of clothes once when we had an especially poopy diaper and I did a really fumbling job of cleaning up. There were no leaks, just a bumbling new Mum trying to clean a poopy bum! When I get home, I take the tote out and dump the diaper in the bag. If I am working with one tote, I give it a quick wipe down or rinse and let it air dry until our next outing. If I have two totes (preferable), I toss the used one in the diaper pail with the dirty diapers.

Here at New & Green, we offer two styles of tote bags.The low profile, basic and economical Bummis Diaper Tote has a drawstring closure and can hold 3-4 diapers, depending on the size. It takes up hardly any space in your diaper bag when it's folded up ready for use.  Secondly, we have the premium Monkey Doodlez wet bag which has a zipper top and a webbing loop on the outside so that it can be attached to a stroller handle, a doorknob or hook. This bag is larger and could easily handle 6-8 diapers. This would be a good choice for daytrips, overnight trips or to use at daycare. Some families choose to use the Monkey Doodlez bag as their "bathroom diaper pail" to hold the rinsed off poopy diapers until wash day.  Of course, these waterproof totes don't have to be used for diapers - they are great at holding just about anything, espeically things that are wet or need containment like bathing suits, runners or dirty laundry while travelling.  So once your little one is out of diapers, instead of putting this away in a drawer forgotten, your tote bag can be upcycled into another function for your family.