Travelling anywhere with a baby means lots of stuff, whether that's going to the mall for a couple of hours or spending a few nights at the in-laws. 

When we first started cloth diapering, my hubby and I decided we would do cloth at home and disposable when we went out.  I was overwhelmed with the idea of lugging cloth diapers and wetbags with me everywhere I went.  However, I quickly realized, no matter what kind of diapers you use, there are things to lug when you have a baby! Plus, I didn't like using disposable...my baby got rashes, I hated the thought of adding more diapers to the landfills, and the more I used cloth, the more I loved it.  So, after doing the disposable thing a few times while we were out, I took the plunge one day and packed a couple of All-in-One diapers, a wet bag, some bum wipes, and a bum spray in the diaper bag and off I went.  I realized that really, this was not any more difficult than using disposables while out and about.  The wet bag contains the wet and the stink, so it's not a big deal to carry around some dirty diapers. 

After getting used to using cloth full time, we went away to a cottage (on an island, with no washing machine) in the summer.  Now came the real question...could I really do cloth for 3 days out of the house? Because the cottage is a "green" cottage, I felt like I had to give it a shot.  I packed a duffel bag full of diapers, liners, and wipes along with a couple wet bags and gave it a shot.  This long weekend was a success and since then we have done cloth diapering on over night trips and even a week-long holiday!

If you're wondering about using cloth while you're away, there are some things you need to think about. Know what your facilities are.  Will you be there long enough that you need to wash your diapers? If so, are there laundry facilities?  If not, do you have enough diapers to last for your trip or is there a laundromat near by?  I heard of one family who used only cloth diapers while traveling for months at a time (the husband was in a band).  It is definately possible!

Here is a list of what you will need for a few nights away from home. 

* Diapers & inserts/liners

* Cloth baby wipes and diaper spray or your own baby wipe solution

* Wet bags and/or pail liner

* Change Pad

Determine the quantity of diapers, etc.  you'll need according to how long you're going to be away, accessibility to laundry facilities, and the age of your child/how many diaper changes you do each day.  Pack it all up in a duffel bag, or better yet, if you're travelling by car, put it all in a laundry basket!

If you're spending some time away from home this Christmas and contemplating whether or not you will stick with cloth, I encourage you to give it a shot! You'll get the same health, financial, and environmental benefits as you do at home, plus maybe you'll convert someone else to cloth diapering when they see how darn cute cloth diapers can be!

Alright, let's be honest - diapers stink! It doesn't matter if you use cloth or disposable, IT'S POOP!! 

That being said, I"ve heard people say that cloth diapers stink more than disposables do and that is simply not true.  In my experience, used disposable diapers actually have more of an odor to them than cloth do. 

Like disposables, if cloth diapers are put into a diaper pail with a tight-fitting lid, odor should not be a problem.  I have read about some people using a wet pail for cloth diapering, which means the diapers are soaking in stagnant, dirty water and yes, I would think that would stink.  However, that is not necessary.   The dry pail method of cloth diapering is what we, and everyone I know, use.  This involves using a waterproof pail liner in your diaper pail, tossing the used diapers in the pail liner and when it's time to wash, throwing all of it (pail liner, diapers, liners, wet bags, etc.) into the washing machine.   

Cloth diapers that are washed in the proper detergent and rinsed well should not stink! If yours do, try stripping them (run them through a couple hot washess) or using vinegar in your wash cycle (if you have soft water).

I've done a few trade shows over the last few months and have had many discussions with people about cloth diapering.  Some people are so excited to see that cloth is becoming more popular and that it is easier than ever to cloth diaper.  Others are skeptical and are willing to discuss their questions, which I appreciate.  These people are often going by things they have heard about cloth diapering, or assumptions that they themselves are making.  I have come to realize that there are many false ideas out there about cloth diapering and what it entails.  These conversations have inspired me to do a blog series this week...Myth Busters: Cloth Diaper Edition! 

Myth #1: It's just so much work!
This is a very common complaint about cloth diapering.  I often hear things like, "Wow, I can't believe you have the time for that!" Thanks for the credit, but it's really not much work at all.

Whether you use cloth or disposable, you have to change diapers and wipe bums.  With disposable, you throw the diapers in the garbage, with cloth you throw them in a diaper pail.   Yes, you do need to dump the poop in the toilet (although, when a baby is solely breastfeeding, you don't even need to do that!), but really how much extra work is that?  Then there's the washing (more on that later in the week).  Many people state that this is too just too difficult.  Yes, it is a of bit extra work, but really, what is another load or two a week?  The washing machine takes care of all the dirty work, anyways.  All you're doing is throwing them in the washing machine and then switching them over to the clothes line or dryer.  At least you're not running out late at night because you're out of disposables! 

There are also many products that make cloth diapering even easier.  Pail liners are great because you can just dump the diapers into the washing machine and throw the bag right in with them.  Wet bags make dealing with dirty diapers easy when you're not at home and close to your diaper pail.  One of my hubby's favorites, flushable liners make dealing with poop even easier because you can just pick up the liner and throw it all into the toilet. 

Cloth diapering is really not much work at all!  Like many things, once it's a part of your routine, you really don't even notice or consider it work at all. 

Check back tomorrow for the truth about another cloth diapering myth!