Flipping Out – Traveling with a Hybrid System

Before my daughter was born I ran into an ad for gdiapers. Intrigued by the idea, I did some research and decided that I definitely wanted a hybrid system. (Which turned out to be a gateway drug into the addictive world of cloth diapers, but that is a topic for another day) After a couple months of research and lurking on numerous cloth diapers boards, I decided to invest in the Flip System by Cotton Babies. By the time my baby girl was born I had 6 covers, 6 newborn stay dry inserts, almost 20 one size stay dry inserts (the kind you fold down to size), and 2 packages of disposable inserts. We can generally go about 2 days or so on the cloth Flips before we have to do laundry.

Recently, when she was just about 9 weeks old, my mum and I took my little one on her first road trip. It was only about a 3 hour drive each way, but I packed my whole Flip system to get us through the 2 days. My mum packed some sposies as a back up, but the Flips were spectacular. We used the disposable inserts when we were out and about, they pack easily in the diaper bag and work just like the reusable inserts except you don’t need to lug them around, just toss out once they are wet or dirty. At night and for the driving portion I preferred to use the stay dry inserts. A one size stay dry insert folded so that the extra is in the back has been a fantastic overnight solution for my baby girl and it was easy to stick with it at the hotel.


What I love about the Flip system, especially for traveling:

Flexibility. I love that I can use the disposables while out shopping or at dinner but throw a nice absorbent cloth insert in for bed time.

Packability. Ok, so that’s not really word, but it is important anyway. Flips pack smaller than an equal amount of pocket diapers or AIOs. This is great for travel, but also for the every day diaper bag. Flips are definitely my go to for the diaper bag. I also keep a tiny tote in the trunk at all times with one extra cover, a small wet bag, 2 disposable inserts, and 3 stay dry inserts.

Fit. My little girl was a teeny thing when she was born, but the Flips started to fit well between 4 and 6 weeks and I can tell there will be a lot of room for them to grow with her as well. The fit is good enough to contain all those crazy newborn poos. You know what I am talking about. I am very grateful for only having to change the diaper and not her clothes as well. In the few weeks we were in sposies at the beginning we had way more leaks and explosions. She has just started sleeping through the night and when I change her in the morning the insert is dripping but her clothes are dry.

Trimness – The Flips fit trimmer under clothes than a lot of the pockets and AIOs we have. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fluffy bum, but sometimes you really just want the focus to be on the outfit, so I appreciate a good trim fit. The newborn inserts make for an especially trim fit and we love those for day time.

Colors – I love the color selection. I fully admit that I love to coordinate her diapers to her outfits. That’s one of those things that sposie users will just never get to do.

Whether you are on the fence about cloth diapering in general or you just need a good travel solution, I encourage you to look in to hybrid systems like Flips.

Bio: Somer Johnson is an accountant in Tulsa, OK who is lucky enough to get to work from home so she can spend time with her new baby girl. She blogs about life, knitting, and her precious little one at Knit-O-Matic.