Ask New & Green: Is it Hard to Use Cloth Diapers When I Am Out of My House?
Posted by Colleen | Posted in Babies in Cloth, Cloth Diaper Tips, Uncategorized, Workshop Questions | Posted on 27-06-2011
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So, you’ve decided to use cloth and you’ve gotten used to using them at home. But now you’re headed out to run errands or to visit friends who will inevitably comment on the fact that you’re using cloth (yay!) How easy is it to schlep cloth around and be comfortable and successful at each diaper change? Easy!Comfort is the first rule for going out and about, meaning make sure you take with you whatever diapers you’re already comfortable using. This isn’t the time to try anything you haven’t used before, unless you’re feeling especially adventurous. Regardless of how many different types of diapers you use at home (prefolds with covers, all-in-ones, a hybrid system…) choose whichever ones you enjoy using the most to throw in the diaper bag. For most parents, this is an AIO – simple to put on, simple to take off, and easy to show off to various onlookers.
Ease of use is also important when going out. You never know where you’ll be changing your baby and you need to have a diaper that can be put on quickly or one-handed according to the situation. Public washroom change tables, the back of a car, the front seat of a car, on a hill in the park, behind a row of pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, or on the floor of a store’s teeny-tiny washroom may all have to suffice as a change area – you never know!
Be prepared. As with most things, being prepared will make all the difference in having a successful, enjoyable outing. You needn’t take much, but make sure you have enough diapers for the amount of time you’ll be away from home, a wetbag to carry home the dirties, and several wipes – about two per diaper. (Remember to prewet the wipes if you like them that way.) A change pad can come in handy too.
And a word about having enough diapers – make note of how many diapers you use at home in any given period of time and translate that into the the number of diapers to take with you. Does your little one tend to be changed about every two hours? Three? Then calculate the number of diapers you’ll need accordingly.
And that’s it! When you get home, all you have to do is dump the dirty diapers from the wetbag into your diaper pail so they’re ready to wash, toss in the wetbag so it gets a wash too, and remember to restock your diaper bag with a clean wetbag so it will be ready to grab-and-go the next time you want to head out.
Running errands with cloth diapers is easy! I was nervous the first time we took our little man out but, really it’s just like disposables, except you bring the dirty diaper home with you.
I use the same calculation method for figuring out how many diapers I need to bring with me, then I add one extra just in case he has a huge poop or we are out longer than I anticipated. Oh, and I also keep a small stock of disposables in the car… just in case!
I’ve forgotten my wet bag on numerous occasions. Grocery bags or even receiving blankets will do the trick in a pinch.