Mind your manners: Washing Cloth as a Guest

Traveling with cloth and washing at someone else's house is not as hard as you might think. You just need a couple of things in place to make it work. I recently spent a week with my two cloth-wearing kids at my parents' house. Luckily, my mom cloth-diapered my siblings and I, so she is always very supportive of my cloth diapering passion. It certainly helps when your host is open to cloth, but even if they aren't familiar with cloth, you can make them cloth-loving converts by following a few guidelines!

First, come prepared!

1. Pack: diapers/inserts, diaper covers, snappis, wipes, wetbags (for diaper bag and for bathroom), rice paper liners, cloth diaper friendly detergent
2. When you arrive: Set up a diaper changing station on each floor of the house, just as you would in your own home. Toddlers especially have little time for diaper changes in inconvenient locations.
3. Claim a bathroom! Use it for soaking dirty diapers and storing diapers in a large wetbag before washing. If you stick a little lavender oil in your bag before use, no one will mind that there's a bag of dirty diapers in the bathroom. My mom said my big wetbag was the most useful item I brought along.
4. Wash and enjoy! You're all set to go about your regular routine! Just be sure to keep your diaper bag packed with diapers and wipes for those special trips out during your visit.

Do:

• Tell your host ahead of time that you plan to cloth diaper and use their washing machine. Make sure they understand that there will NOT be poop floating around in their washing machine! Promise them that with all the money you save by using cloth, you can take them out for a fancy cup of coffee and a muffin!
• Wash often! Nobody likes a smelly diaper bag, especially if it's not your baby making the stink! You definitely don't want to turn anyone off to cloth diapering by letting dirty diapers sit too long.
• Take your cutest, easiest to use, fastest drying diapers. If you have a large stash, take the diapers you're really proud of. Not only will you be less likely to cheat and use disposables, but your host will get to see how stylin' your baby's bum can be - you might even make a convert out of them!

Don't:

• Don't let dirty diapers sit around the house. We all do it at home (or at least I do!) - leave a dirty diaper sitting on the floor while we run out the door after our toddler. Don't do that in someone else's house! You and your cloth diapers will not be welcomed back!
• Don't monopolize the washer/dryer. Make sure your loads are moving as quickly as they can, so that your host doesn't feel like they've lost access to their own appliances. You could even throw in a load of their stuff in between diaper loads to help out.
• Don't forget to thank your host! If your host is new to cloth, make sure they know how important cloth diapering is to you and your baby, and show your appreciation for letting you continue to do it during your visit. A simple note will make them feel good about their part in your quest for a better world for your baby.

-- By Katrina P.