Using cloth diapers outdoors or even while traveling presents a significant challenge for some parents. Will the cloth diaper be leak-proof, will it leak in the car seat, or what should I do with unwashed cloth diapers when I'm out?
In this article, we will address the most important questions and also offer some solutions.
Can the child go to the playground wearing cloth diapers?
Of course, you can put a cloth diaper on your child when they go outside. Most cloth diapers are even more leak-proof and fit much more securely than disposable diapers. Especially in summer, cloth diapers are the better choice, as you don't need a bodysuit to keep the diaper from slipping, and they are also more breathable.
Our experience : we only used cloth diapers from the beginning and enjoyed being able to ditch the bodysuit early on in the summer.
Do cloth diapers leak in the baby carrier or car seat?
Baby carriers and car seats place special stress on all types of diapers. The pressure can cause urine to be squeezed out of a full diaper. This depends heavily on the brand and system of cloth diapers used.
Our Lybbie diapers have been tested for this stress and will not leak even when the diaper is full.
Where to put a used cloth diaper when you're out and about?
Disposable diapers can simply be thrown away, but cloth diapers need to be carried around. This is precisely why there are small wet bags that can hold up to four diapers. Wet bags are waterproof bags with a zipper, preventing odors from escaping.
Our experience : The full wet bag has never bothered us; in an emergency, we put it at the bottom of the stroller or in the car, but it also takes up little space in a backpack or bag.
Is it possible to go on holiday with cloth diapers?
Of course it's possible – even better than you might think. You're not dependent on the availability of disposable diaper brands at your holiday destination and can always wash them as needed to have clean diapers. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Having a washing machine nearby would be ideal. Many vacation rentals and houses have their own washing machines, and some hotels (especially family hotels) are also equipped with separate washing machines. Some campsites have washrooms with washing machines, and in cities, there are often laundromats. It's important to remember to bring your own detergent and to find out what kind of washing facilities are available locally.
Depending on the type of cloth diaper, the diapers dry faster or slower, resulting in more or less laundry. Complete systems produce significantly less laundry (and therefore require less drying space), but often dry more slowly, whereas modular cloth diapers have many more individual parts, which dry faster.
Our Lybbie diaper is designed so that the absorbent core can be pulled out, allowing the diaper to dry very quickly (even within an hour at higher temperatures).
Our experience : We like to take cloth diapers on vacation, but depending on the system, they take up more or less space. Before we developed Lybbie diapers, one half of our suitcase was completely full of diapers. Lybbie diapers are significantly thinner and therefore take up less space. Initially, we also used a modular system, which generated a lot of laundry and required a lot of hanging space.
Do hotels wash cloth diapers?
Many hotels offer a laundry service (sometimes free, sometimes for a fee) and accept cloth diapers. However, it's important to note that you can't be sure how the cloth diapers were washed. Complete diaper systems, in particular, should not be washed above 60 degrees Celsius and should only be washed with a special heavy-duty detergent. It's worth checking with the hotel for specific details.
Our experience : when we had our diapers washed at the hotel (we handed over the wet bag), they came back ironed. That was very interesting, but the diapers were intact. We did, however, give the reception staff washing instructions.
Obstacles when traveling with cloth diapers
- Space : Some cloth diaper systems take up too much space in luggage; space-saving cloth diapers should be used, especially if space is limited.
- Air travel: Changing cloth diapers on a flight can be very tiring, depending on the flight duration. There's waiting time before the flight, the flight itself, and then getting from the airport to your holiday destination – you should calculate how many cloth diapers you'll need to change on average and whether you really want to carry that many wet diapers around for the entire journey. Our advice : For long flights, we would actually use disposable diapers and then switch back to cloth diapers at our holiday destination.
- Other countries : Please note: Other countries have different washing programs. In some countries, for example, washing is done entirely in cold water or the spin cycle is different. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with the public washing machines available in your area beforehand.
Libya
We love to travel and especially enjoy using cloth diapers when traveling, so we're familiar with many of the problems that can arise. Because we prefer not to use disposable diapers for this, we've made every effort to design our Lybbie diapers to be as practical for everyday use as possible, so that traveling isn't a problem.
