Traveling with Cloth Diaper - Road Trip - How to Travel with Cloth Diaper on Road Trips!

Life is too challenging.  Hubby lost his job end of January and finally has an offer and starting his job beginning of June.  It is hard to move the family especially with my parents living with me, taking care of my boys and brother is recovering from cancer.  My oldest son is so attached to his dada and we wanted him to spend every moment with his dada before he starts his new job.  Since my hubby has to bring his car there, we all went with him, so, instead of traveling on a plane with 2 boys + cloth diaper, this time, road trip + cloth diapers.  Again, I have my check list.  From my previous traveling experience, base on my lesson learnt, I remembered to bring EXTRA Diaper Inserts and laundry detergent :)

1. BubuBibi Bamboo Cloth Diapers(16)
2. Diaper Inserts (24) - Enough for more than 3 days :)
3. Remaining of my diaper liner roll
4. Large Wet bags - 3 of them
5. Lotion
6. Detergent
7. Thermometer
8. Medications

Day 1: It took us 11 hours the first day from Dallas to El Paso. We had to make several stop, milk, diaper change, snacks, lunch, etc.  We first went to to Laynce's (DS1) swim class.  It starts at 9am and ends at 9.30am.  After that, we went straight from there.  We made sure that Laynce has his DVD player, that way, he can watch all his cartoon and his favorite WWW.  I always call it world wide web :)  But it's actually Wow Wow Whubbzy :)  That is one of this favorite cartoons, of course, we won't forget about Barney, Wonder Pets, Nemo, Bug's Life (he watched twice) and etc.  As for little Laynden, he was doing great.  He wasn't that fussy except for when he was about to sleep, he was just fussing a little but he would just fell asleep himself.  Yes, I did bring another DVD player for him to watch his little Einstiens BUT.... instead of watching, it became a bouncing ball for his cute little toes and he wasn't watching.  So, we decided that he did not need to watch anything.  He did great.  We stopped by near Abilene, TX for lunch.  That was our first stop.  Perfect time for diaper change.  We ate Subway.  Unfortunately, we I went in there, there wasn't a diaper changing station and I know that he has poopy diaper, I didn't think it was appropriate to change his diaper while eating.  So, I ended up having to change his diaper in the car instead.

Before diaper change

 

During diaper change in the hot car

 

Playful little baby after diaper change in SUBWAY! Finally, after 11 hours, we made it to El Paso, TX. Since I stay in the hotel 3 nights out of a week, I had a lot of hotel points, I managed to get a free night stay at the Double Tree with some nice view, check it out.  We were too tired and lazy to drive out, so, we ordered pizza in and little Laynden held on to his food and put it in his mouth the first time :)

 

Day 2: Started our journey at about 9+, headed all the way to Phoenix.  Yes, we saw a lot of In and Out burgers on our way, we just recently had 2 In and Out in Frisco and Allen, TX, so, it was a big the Texans but as we pass by AZ, there were quite a few of them with short lines, compared to TX.  DS2 did so good until towards the end, we were about 20 miles from Chandler, he started fussing.  Had to do almost all of the diaper change in the car.  Thank goodness for the wetbags, I almost filled up wetbag 1 as I have been putting his wash cloth, dirty clothes in the bag too.  So, after a total of 18 hours in the car, we are FINALLY there in the hotel.  I was very excited because Charity is right, Chandler is a really nice place and it reminds me of Dallas.  We were just in Williamsburg, VA a few weeks ago and it seems to be very different compared to Dallas but I feel right at home when we were in Chandler.  We did not do much that night. 

Little Laynden was so happy to finally be OUT of the car.  He was tired.  We ordered Chinese to go and came back to the hotel as we were all exhausted.
So, here are the cloth diapers for the 2 days.  Not too bad.

Day 3: Since it was Memorial Day and we were exhausted from the long drive, we slept in that day.  Though, we still managed to go out in the afternoon, we went to Ikea to check out some necessities and I went to craigs to look for furniture, so, we stopped by several places, I think we even went to Mesa, Scottdale and finally ended up at a place that had floor models that wasn't too bad and best of all.... it was Tax Free! 

I wanted to share with mom that Ikea provides excellent services to mommy and babies.  They have a really nice changing area and they even provide FREE DIAPERS!  Too bad, they were the disposables but I would like to thank them for providing such clean and nice place for us mommy to help change poopy diapers.

Check it out, the nice changing table and my husband even got to rest on a nice cozy chair while I changed little Laynden.  Yes, I always use the BubuBibi  Biodegradable/ Flushable Diaper liners especially when I go out.  Check out the next pictures why I am so thankful that I did.  Though.... in order to save $$$, for those diaper liners that does not have poopy on it, I usually reuse them a couple of times, at least 2 for sure.

Yes, this is a bad bad blow out!  Even with the liners, it was pretty bad, see the flushable liners (Sorry, I know it is a little gross!)

We got back to the hotel and yet, we managed to bring the boys to the pool.  Silly me, guess what, I forgot the swim diaper for little Laynden so, I used his regular cloth diaper without the liner.

Yes, it's true, there are some people who advise not to use the cloth diaper as swim diapers.... sorry, I was very desperate and I didn't want him to not be able to go since his older brother gets to be in the pool. 

Yes, he is done with swimming!  Though... day 3 ended with everyone super exhausted, baby Laynden was fast asleep with his brother!

While the kids were knocked out, it was time for mama to make sure that we have enough diapers.  I figured out that if I do not wash them, then, we will be out of diapers.  I laid them all out to soak because some there were a couple of them had some poopy stain. Yes, thank goodness we used the BubuBibi Diaper Liners, if not, there will be even more stains.  I let it soak for a while before bringing it to the laundry room to wash and dry them. 

Yes!!! I finally remember detergents this time!

Day 4: I had to work from the hotel on day 4, but since baby Laynden and Laynce were exhausted, they continued sleeping till late but my husband had to go to the leasing office of the apartment to get the keys. 

Yes, while the boys are still sleeping, I took the opportunity to fold the laundry. 

Check out my cloth diapers - No stains because I usually like to soak them for a bit first and also thanks to the BubuBibi Diaper Liners!

Ok.... yes... they were having fun in the room after they got up. 

When their daddy came back, I had to quickly rush out.  I brought over 15 diapers as I was supposed to meet with a customer, her name is Charity, she has a pair of twin girls and I was supposed to meet her and her family in an In and Out Burger.  Yes, it is my first time.  That's why I got to take a picture and post it to show off! 

My First In and Out Burger!

Ok, I got back from meeting my customer and saw more dirty cloth diapers.  So, I decided to hand wash them, since there was just 2-3 of them and I just hung them in the room like we did with the other trip. 

Day 5:  We finally moved into the apartment. I managed to get some good deals in Ikea and furnished his apartment in about $1,000.  Yes, I have another blog that shows what I did to furnish his 1 bedroom apartment within $1,000.

BEFORE

AFTER

Day 6:  The boys are starting to get a little bored at home, so, we brought them to the mall.  We brought them to the Chandler Fashion Mall?  It reminds me a lot of the Stonebriar Mall here in Frisco, TX.  There, the boys played at the play ground and guess what, we met another cloth diaper mama.  I had some pictures of the little girl behind the background with her leggings.  So cute!

Day 8:  Time flies when you are having fun but of course, it's time to come back to the real world.  What is the real world?  Well, 3 of us were to leave Arizona while my husband will stay there going forward.  He drove us to the airport early that morning.  Yes, we were all feeling so sad and I just didn't know how Laynce would react.  He lived with his dada all his life and now, it's time to leave him and only see him once every 2 weeks?  I feel so bad :( 

He waited for our flight to head back to Texas!

The boys were sad but it was time to head back home!

Conclusion with my Road Trip with Cloth Diaper:

It really isn't that bad at all.  Yes, compared to disposables, it was a little more trouble since you don't have to bring a lot of the disposables, you can keep on buying as needed but then again, it is so much fun traveling with the cloth diapers.  There are things that is a MUST HAVE to travel with the cloth diapers.  First of all, my advise is to make sure that you find a hotel with laundry services if you are staying in a hotel, if not, check with your friend/ relatives if it is ok to do your laundry at their place.  Remember to bring your laundry detergent, yes... that was one of the thing that I forgot the last time.  The diaper liners were definitely a great help when it comes to poopy diapers and of course, the wet bags to store the diaper diapers.  Then, we still have not come out with the BubuBibi Wet/ Dry bag, therefore, we didn't get to use the wet/dry but I definitely think it is a plus since it is better for me to bring that to the mall.  Even though the cloth diaper took up more space in the luggage but since he can just wear the cloth diapers, it saved me from having to take his shorts, so, I guess it's just a wash in terms of space. Other than that, it is really a fun thing to have a road trip with cloth diapering!

Back from Arizona but headed straight to work!

 

All I can say, I LOVE IT!!! I love AZ, hubby now lives in Chandler.  I was able to help him furnish the apartment with less than $1,000.  I guess if given more time there, I'd say I would be able to do it in less than $600 but since I am just there for less than a week, I couldn't really get much stuff from craigs and moreover, we do not have a truck or SUV to haul the stuff back and coordinating with different sellers and not sure if they sold it or not was not really a good option. So, what did I get?  I managed to get floor model sectional set, a floor model memory foam bed + box spring.  That was the biggest item.  Best of all, we bought them on Memorial Day and there was no tax!  Talking about tax, the taxes here in TX is just 8.25% but in AZ, it was 8.8% and I was told that some places goes up to 9.9%?  Wow.... I am sure somebody else will be able to do better but I think I've did pretty well.  Some pictures to share below :) Anyway, managed to get the following all under $1,000: Grand Total  $961.25 Sectional  $399.00 Bed  $199.00 Side Table  $    9.99 Table Lamp  $   15.98 4 Pillows  $   39.46 7 set Comforter  $   39.99 7 Picture Frames  $   20.93 Dining Table Set  $   79.99 TV Cabinet  $   69.99 2 Decorative boxes  $   12.99 2 sets of window curtains  $   38.96 Curtain Rods  $   26.98 Floor Lamp  $     7.99

Phoenix, Arizona, Here we come.... Hubby is relocating there and this time, Cloth Diaper + Roadtrip!

God is just great... I just cannot believe it.  Tomrorow, actually, it's 2.05 am now, so, I would say today, we are driving to Phoenix, AZ.  Hubby is starting his job on 6/6 and we have decided to leave a little early to check the place out with him. 

I have been very anxious about this trip, I guess it's because I don't know what it is in in AZ and if we will like the place and someday move there.

Guess what, god made the perfect arrangement.  At midnight, he arrange for C to email me, asking if how long does it take to ship to Glendale, AZ.  I googled it and realize that it is just 45 mins away from where I will be?  So, I told her that I will be more than happy to meet with her to show her my diapers and drop them off.  We started chatting and she was so very nice, she even told me where to get my mattress, her favorite restaurant and activities like tubing?  I am no longer anxious, I am excited to see what's there. 

Who knows, we may like the place so much and move there really soon.

Thank you C once again, she has been so nice telling me everything she knows about Phoenix/ Chandler, AZ even with twins.  Only sad thing is she dropped off before I could say good night, I guess it's probably feeding time for her.

Phoenix + Road Trip + Cloth Diapers = Here we come!!!

Traveling with Cloth Diaper for a week.... are we ready? How to Travel with Cloth Diapers.

Traveling with a baby and a 4 year old is going to be challenging and now adding cloth diaper?  Hmm.... we will see how it goes.  I did read a couple of website that did mention to bring disposables (just in case).  I think will just to make sure since I have NEVER traveled with solely cloth diaper.  Though, I am excited.  This is going to be a trip (7 days) away from home.


The Day Before: (The Check List)
I will be flying back tonight, plane arrives at 8.15pm, then, by the time I get home, I need to make sure that I work on shipping for my customers.  After that, I need to ensure that I pack the boys stuff:

1. Diaper Covers = 12
2. Inserts = 14
3. Diaper Liners = 1 Roll
4. 2 Large Wet Bags
5. Baby Wipes
6. Detergent to wash cloth diapers
7. Detergent to wash milk bottles
8. Milk Powder
9. 4 Milk Bottles
10. Wash Cloth - 12
11. Lotion
12. Benedryl
13. Mylicon
14. Motrin
15. Infant Tylenol
16. Thermometer
17. Albuterol
18. Laynden's Cloths
19. Laynce's Cloths
20. Laynce's underwear
21. Boy's Socks
22. Boy's Shoes
23. Hand Sanitizer

As I was typing through this list, I found out that my flight that evening back home from work got cancelled.  It was because the weather in Dallas was bad that afternoon, so, all flights after 2pm got cancelled.  I immediately purchased a ticket with Southwest airlines, taking a chance thinking that they will not cancel their flight.  As soon as I got to the airport, the flight that I just purchased was pushed back to 10.10pm.  I was thinking that if I continued with this flight, then, I will probably arrive home at 4-5am.  So, I've decided to rent a car and drive back home.  By the time I got home, it was 2am.  I realize that I didn't complete my packing, so, I started packing and taking pictures of some new inventory.  By the time all that was done, it as 5am, I had to wake up and take a shower, so, I went straight to shower.

  


  

Day 1:

Woke my baby up at 5.45am, I changed his cloth diaper and took him to the airport. 

   


      
Security line was long and for those who are traveling, I recommended to not use the fancy diaper bags.  What I did, which I've used before is my husband's old laptop bag.  He use to carry a 17" laptop and he bought a huge laptop backpack.  That became my diaper/ travel bag because I can use it as a backpack.  I've organized it so well and I do not need to put down the bag to get anything, I would just reach for the pockets and get whatever I need.  Take a look at the picture of my bag :)  It's very huge but it is perfect because I have cloth diapers, diaper inserts, diaper liners, diaper rash cream, wash cloth, baby wipes, laptop, mouse, charger, wallet, inhaler (I'm asthmatic), Advil, ipod, phone in the each pocket/ section and I have memorized where I've placed them. Anyway, we had to tell a couple of people not to follow behind our lines because we are definitely holding up the line.  Between the 4 of us (Husband, DS1, DS2 and I), we probably scanned through about 11 buckets.  After that, the flight was very easy.  Also, I made very sure that I make 9oz of milk, the most that I can get out of the bottle and bring it with me to the plane.  As soon as the plane start backing up is when I gives him the milk.  That way, during take off, if there are pressure, he will not feel it as much if he is drinking his milk.  He did SO GOOD on the plane.  He did not cry at all and was a happy baby. 

Including getting there, flying + landing, it took us 6 hours.  I was worried because I was debating if I should change him in the plane or wait till we touch down.  Since I didn't feel any leak (because I typically change him within 2-4 hours), so, I just wondering if it will leak but since I didn't feel it, I just sat down and waiting for us to get off the plane.  So, the first thing I did for to change him.  To my surprise, it did not leak AT ALL.  Yes, we did have 2 diaper insert, if not, I think we wouldn't have lasted that long.  Advise to mom, since you will be traveling on a plane, better do 2 inserts instead of 1 to last longer.  Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the biodegradable lienr on the diaper.  It really keeps the moist away and baby's bottom feels a lot more dry then without the liners.  Each roll cones in 100 sheets, so, it's really very cheap.  So, we got there at 12.30pm EST.  I took of his shirt and saw that there was no leak.  Good job baby!  Changed our diaper and then, headed to get the rental car.  Throughout the day, we changed 4 diapers, including the night diaper.  I did not use different diaper, just been using the original solid and I think it is perfect for my baby. 


 
So proud of myself, I had everything organize, diaper changer, wet bag, Cloth Diaper, shirt and pants. 

   

Check the diaper out, we wore it at 5.45am and it was 11.30 am CST, NO LEAKS!!!! 



   
Put the dirty cloth
diaper and sleeper in the wetbag and now he is a happy baby.  We were at
IAD changing him :)

We were all tired by the
time we got to the hotel, we took naps and of course, it's about 3-4 hours
later, time for another diaper change :)




   
I have been using 2 inserts because it has been working better for me, with 2 inserts, each change is approximately 3-4 hours instead of 1.5 - 2.5 hours.

Now.... washing experience, that was not the best.  I brought 14 inserts and since I've used up 2 for 1 change, I technically only have 7 change if he does not poop. He did not poop the first day, I guess he was a little stressed with the plane ride, etc.  The first day, we had 4 change + 1 at night, so, I was only left with 2 more for the next day.  I had to wash the diapers in the hotel and guess what, even though I had laundry detergent, hmm... I forgot that.  So, I had to use whatever I have to wash the diapers.  I washed them on the sink.  I used warm water to wash them.  After that, I took the hangers and started hanging them all over the room.  I did not know where the washer and dryer is in the hotel but big lesson learn is I really should use the waster and dryer instead of hand washing and drying it in the room.



   
I forgot to bring laundry detergent, that was the only bummer.







Tried to dry the Cloth Diapers, Disposable/ Flushable Liners (oh yes, I am cheap, I reuse them if there isn't poo poo) and wet bags.

Day 2:
Good morning Everyone.... my baby is up in his Purple BubuBibi Cloth Diaper.  No
leaks!!!


We checked out the next day because after I was done with the birth certification application, we walked around DC.  

Since the weather was not the greatest, the diapers did not dry well, so, guess
what I did?  I dried them in the car.  I think people passing by might
think that I am crazy but whatever it takes to get these CDs to dry out so that
little Laynden can wear.




   
Dried the cloth diapers in the car


   
We then headed to Lincoln memorial.  Wanted to take the elevator up but it was not working.  

So, we had to leave the strollers below and walked up with the boys.  Took
some cute pictures but as soon as we got down, I smell poo poo, so, we had to
change.  Thank goodness for the viscose disposable/ flushable liners, it
was so easy, it did stain a little on the diaper but compared to nothing on the
diaper, it could be a lot worst.  Check them out.




 
          
Poo poo on the diaper liner                                  
Hardly any stain on the diaper 


   
I just wrap the CD up like my regular disposable and put straight into my wet bag.
We headed to the White house, Washington monument, Flight museum. After that, we headed to VA to meet up with my online best friend.  She is a friend of my customer and 1.5 years ago, we started talking online and have been chatting daily since then.  Anyway, since we have checked out, most diapers were damped, so, I ended up putting them all over the car, hoping that they would dry out.  I think if it was a hotter day during summer, it would but it happened to be raining and a little cold, so, it did not really dry out.

We drove from DC to Williamsburg VA at 5+pm, OMG, the traffic on I-64 is just crazy.  Initially when we put her address on the GPS, it says 141 miles, so, we thought worst case, it would take up to 3 hours.  Nope... took us 4+ hours to get there because of the traffic and of course, we needed 2 extra stop, one for feeding the baby and the next for diaper change.  By the time we got there, it was almost 10pm.  I had to quickly get ready for my business stuff.  Good thing is the boys were tired and they slept well.

Day 3:

Woke up pretty late, 9+ am EST because we were all exhausted.  We ate the to go food that we bought from a famous Malaysian restaurant called Penang in
Bethesda.  We were all so full.  My highschool good friend came from Roanoke to see me.  It was so nice of her to drive down all the way.  As soon as I got up, I immediately put the diaper, insert and wet bag into the dryer to dry them out so I managed to continue to use the cloth diaper.  I am not sure why I only managed to bring 14 inserts, I guess mom haven't wash the rest and due to my flight cancellation that day, I wasn't able to wash all of them and bring them with me.  He finally poop on day 2 and I would highly recommend to travel or even use the liners at home.  I am "cheap", I reuse the liners if there is no poopy diaper.  If there is poopy diaper, I would throw them away, if not, I would just rewash them with my cloth diapers.  I think I've counted, I used them 4 times before they look pretty worn out and started using a new liner.  It keeps the moist away from the baby's bottom and since he just got
circumcised 6 weeks ago, our doctor told us to continue to put Vaseline, so, using the liner is the best to avoid any cream on the actual diaper itself.  For those of you who are new to cloth diapers, we always say, do not use rash cream, etc on the diaper.  After that, in the evening, we were inviting to her friend's birthday and graduation party.  OMG, had the best salad and potato salad.  The lady's mom in law threw her the party and even made a story book cake about her life till today.  It was very sweet of her.  Nothing much after that, we just sat and relax and chit chat for the rest of the evening.

Day 4:We had plans to bring the kids around Jamestown/
Williamsburg.  My friend made us some nice breakfast, yes, we were so full till we were not able to eat lunch.  We ended up going to Jamestown Settlement .  The kids had lots of fun and while the adults were busy running around chasing the kids.  Luckily DS2 is so good, he was in the baby carrier all the time and only got up once to get drink milk.  We ended up changing his cloth diaper in the car.  After that, we did nothing but just relaxed at home.

Day 4:
We went to Sam's club for the first time.  I am a die hard Costco fan, I get everything from Costco but hmm.... it seems that Sam's club have a lot of goodies too.  Now I need to send my dad over to compare the prices, it looks like the items sold is pretty much the same.  After that, we headed to Newport News' Asian market called E-Mart.  Well, I have to admit that we are so very lucky here in the Dallas Fort Worth area, yes, I know nothing compared to CA nor NY but still, I want to say that our smallest asian market is bigger than their biggest one, unless my friend is still new here and is not aware of bigger ones.  After that, we bought lots of vegetables for the next day, her mom wants to make a famous dish from their hometown.  I have NEVER heard or tried that, so, looking forward for it.

Day 5:
I love, love, love Wells Fargo.  I had to do a wire to my vendor after placing an emergency order, yes, I am running low on the Original Solids and in the process of changing the original solid colors to pastels.  Since Wachovia has merged with Wells fargo, I thought they could help me here but according to them, it takes them 2 hours to set up since they have not done international wire transfer.  I called my local bank, they set it up and immediately told me that all I need to do is to go to that same branch to sign the form.  Wow... impressive.  I am so happy but unfortunately, the girl that has been helping me all the time is leaving Wells Fargo.  I do wish her all the best.  So, besides that, I was out with my girlfriend and her brother, we went to the outlet mall because her brother needed to get something and then again, to the asian groceries because we left out several important ingredients for the item that we needed.  So... what did the boys do at home?  So proud of my husband, he did well with the cloth diapers.  Good job!

Day 6 & 7:We hardly go anywhere since it was raining cats and dogs.  Of course on the final day it is bright and sunny but unfortunately, my boss called me and wanted me to help him work on something even though I am on vacation.  So, I ended up working for a few hours but we still managed to go to Colonial Williamsburg .  The boys had fun but we only managed to spend an hour there before heading to the airport.  We stop by at Apple's Bee at Richmond Airport, guess what?  Hubby ordered a Honey BBQ Chicken sandwich to share with my son.  After eating almost 2/3 of the sandwich, hubby realize that they left the plastic cheese wrapper on.  We approached the server and they ended up giving us $2.00 off.  I just was a
little upset because the manager did not even come to us to apologize. 

Anyway, we made it home and I am SO HAPPY to be back home!

Lesson learnt:

1. Bring more than 2 days worth of CDs and inserts
2. Find a hotel with washer and dryer instead of hand washing them if staying in a hotel.
3. Remember to bring laundry detergent

Next trip in 2 weeks, we are heading to Phoenix Arizona to drop my husband off.  He is starting work beginning of June.  The next time, it will be more days in the hotel and traveling alone with 2 boys on the plane back home.  Ohh... not forgetting the 15 hours drive with 2 boys + cloth diaper. 

I really felt like I was worrying for nothing.  Traveling with CDs is the same as with disposables.  So, for parents who are concern with traveling with cloth diapers.... it's a piece of cake!  LOL....