Planes, nappies, and pregnancy: how I made cloth travel work

Clean Cloth Nappies Marisa recounts a month-long interstate visit, and how she managed to make cloth nappies work.

Ever flown with cloth nappies? I did—and just to spice things up, I found out I was pregnant the day before my flight. My brain said, ‘cancel the trip.’ My heart said, ‘you’ve got this’!

I was heading interstate to stay with my mother for 4 weeks. I’d been eagerly anticipating the trip, as I hadn’t seen her for a while.

The big news definitely threw me… it suddenly felt quite likely that my routine would be less-than-perfect. Despite this, I was determined to stay in cloth, regardless of what came up.

Once I decided this trip was happening, the reality sunk in: I was travelling solo with an 8-month-old in tow, and now with early pregnancy in the mix… so I wanted to make it as easy for myself as possible. 

How did I pull it off, you wonder? Let’s delve into the nitty gritty…

Packing light on the go

I chose not to purchase extra baggage. As a result, I had to get a little creative with my packing. Bringing cloth, space was at a premium, and I needed to bring adequate clothing and toiletries too. 

Firstly, research the baggage allowance you have to work with. If you have an infant you are often allocated extra baggage allowance, such as a car seat or pram. If you get creative, you can slip a few nappies or clothing items alongside them. Bingo, extra carrying capacity! 

We know that travelling with infants and small children requires a lot of gear, so we let you carry the following items as checked baggage for free, regardless of fare and in addition to any checked-baggage allowance: a pram or stroller; a portable cot; a highchair; a car seat, baby capsule or booster seat.

~ Jetstar

Be intentional with the number of nappies you bring… this may mean you’re on a shorter rotation than usual. Figure out how many you need per day, and how often you’ll be washing. Make sure to take drying time into account too. Don’t stress about loading, it doesn’t need to be perfect— this setup is only temporary.

I chose not to stuff my nappies. When kept loose, they fit better into every crevice I could manage. Even the drink bottle pocket on my backpack had 3 facecloths (my ‘inserts’) shoved in there!

Finally, I opted for trimmer styles. For me, this meant nappy shells and white facecloths, as they took up minimal room.

As a bonus, facecloths were hardy enough to boil or bleach to my heart’s content if things didn’t work out. That took a huge weight off my shoulders! A foolproof option was exactly what I needed, as I had no clue how the trip was going to play out.

A savvy setup 

Planning my setup, I had to get super real with what I needed versus didn’t. I found my “needs” to be my shells, inserts, and wipes… so they travelled with me.

The “grey area” items were detergent, and a dry pail. Both were necessary to me, except I didn’t want to bring anything bulky or heavy. 

As a solution for my dry pail, seeing as I was staying for a longer period of time, it seemed worth having an airy flexi basket delivered to my mother’s house in advance. I picked one that she liked, so she could keep it for herself after we left. 

As for the detergent… a few days prior to the trip, I placed an online grocery order to arrive at my mother’s house shortly after we did. This included some boxes of Biozet. It beats heavy powders chewing up my baggage allowance! 

I decided that while it would be nice to have, I didn’t need to bring my change mat…  I planned to use one of my mother’s towels instead. On the bed, on the floor, wherever suited at the time! 

Not having to take these items on the flight made it all that much easier.

A little prep goes a long way 

Before the trip, I chatted with my mother about her machine, and googled the manual to figure out a routine beforehand. 

This was important for me to set up for success… I didn’t fancy rocking up exhausted and ready to crash, only to find I’m unable to figure out the machine! I just didn’t need that stress on top.

I made a sticky note with my cycle choices, settings, and detergent dosages for both first and main wash. I also used the “bleach in first wash” calculator to figure out my dilution for her machine in advance. I didn’t regularly use bleach, but I wanted it ready in case I decided I needed it.

Once I got there, I tacked the sticky note onto the wall next to the machine. Having all that info ready to go was a total lifesaver when I felt nauseous and just wanted to lay back down in bed. 

Of course however, even a well-planned trip can go sideways…

When things go off track…

Unfortunately, my mother had a 10kg machine. Combined with a reduced stash, it meant my washes were severely underloaded. This translated to reduced agitation (therefore cleaning power), and it was difficult to find a sweet spot with my detergent dosage.

Being a larger family, I also struggled with other people in the house washing their things at inconvenient times, so I frequently had to delay my first wash longer than I’d like. 

Then to top it off, early pregnancy nausea set in hard and fast… I had moments where I couldn’t even walk past the laundry where a poo nappy sat without running to throw up. I had to tie those nappies up in plastic bags… not ideal, since airy is best storage-wise.

It doesn’t need to be perfect

Despite all the extra hurdles, you know what the best part is? We got through it, and my nappies are fine! 

I sort of anticipated all these things, so the aforementioned grocery delivery included a trusty bottle of bleach. It’s a terrific tool for cutting corners in your routine… I leaned on it a LOT for this trip. It meant that despite the slack routine, my nappies still came out lovely and fresh! 

If that doesn’t work for you however, you can hold out and sanitise once you’re back at home, no biggie. It’s a terrific “reset” button after the odd period of neglect. 

Reflections

I realised that being flexible and adaptable was key to making cloth work on the go. Thanks to Clean Cloth Nappies, being equipped with knowledge made me super confident in dealing with the hiccups. I knew exactly how to pivot when needed. 

What reduced my stress further was knowing that pretty much any problem I encountered would be fixable with the right laundry techniques. A poor short-term routine won’t do heaps of harm as a once-off.

In the absence of your typical comforts, you’re lucky if you manage to keep a perfect routine while away. Seriously… don’t stress it. It defeats the purpose of going away to begin with. 

Enjoy your trip! 

P.S. Cloth bums make for stunning photos… take advantage! 😉