I want to avoid sposies - Help please

MJ has been in Cloth EVERY day of her life, she has never had a sposie on EVER (woo hoo for me, excuse me while i blow my own trumpet lol)

Anyway, so we are going away camping from 27th Dec-3rd Jan and unlike last time we were away, i doubt there will be a toilet block etc that i will be able to wash (nor will i hav my Mum with me who helped me with washing them all out).

I would desperately LOVE to keep her in cloth, but washing BBH and AIO's and getting them dry doesnt seem to do-able to me when i will be trying to actually have a HOLIDAY and running around after the crawling Miss MJ

I have enough for at least 3 full days, but figure i should take smaller amounts and wash more frquently... maybe???

Anyone got any advice or suggestions PLEASE

what about using flats and covers? quick drying

yeah i was going to say that too - stock up on flats.

I can lend you some covers to help get you through if you like?

Do you only have fitteds and AIOs, or do you have some pockets?

Got 6 or 8 covers so should be OK with that, thanks anyway Mel

I have 4 pockets, forgot about those, that should help too.

What are the best (dont want to spend too much) flats to use??? the only ones that i used were ones that "fell" into my hossy bag when i was bringing MJ home and really they are terrible and i only use them as spew towels.

thanks guys

flannu flats are probably the best if you sew you could buy some nappy flannel and just edge them, would be cheaper than buying, if i had some you could borrow them!

where you going camping?

I got heaps of flanno flats here that Sarah H sent me - and i'm not using them at the moment (got enough nappies) so can send them to you if you like?

SJ where do you live?

Im in Clayton...
Thanks heaps guys, you are lovely :)

Still not sure where actually we are going to head... somewhere near water, either sea, lake or river (the last one is probably out thou as there isnt much around :rolleyes:) and somewhere that there are not going to be heaps of other people...

I assume your driving? I would take all the nappies you have and all the flats you have, then when your getting to the end wash only those you know will dry.
I would do everything to keep out of plastic toxic sposies... I hate them THAT much :lol:

Actually SJ, at 9 months I would definitely be using towelling flats, she'll wee through the flannies too quickly. You can always give them a go, but I'd be surprised if they lasted for more than an hour. And you want a holiday, not to be changing her bum every 45 minutes! But yeah, otherwise I agree with the others, flats and covers would be the best way to go.

Good on you for doing it, I'd SO be just taking sposies LOL.

Can I be a real downer and suggest you take some emergency sposies? (Unless you're going to be near shops where you can buy them). If it rains and you can't dry your nappies (I'm tipping there's no dryer there :lol:) then you might be grateful to have something to put on her bum!

Ok guys,

this is what i have, that would be good for camping (i think)...
7 pockets
8 bambino mio prefolds (that i can stuff into the pockets)
loads of AIO's, but 2 of whch would be quick drying
BBH inserts

Am i being realistic, can i do this (i really want to)
So to those that have camped before, how did you do it...
ALSO how do i wash them - we are proper camping (not in a park - so no washer either)

Should i just cut my losses and buy sposies??? (please tell me it can be done :pray:)

Oh we are going for 7 days

I dont have anything constructive to say except i really admire your determination not to use sposies! We use cloth but I'd be way to daunted to use cloth while camping! Hope you have a great holiday!

We use an old Esky with water and soap powder in it. You just chuck the clothes (nappies in your case) in every morning and drive around with it in the boot of the car which creates a swishing motion just like a washing machine would. By they time we get back to camp they're clean and just need rinsing. If you're not driving just soak and hand wash them in the esky.

I would be more worried about them drying in time - as long as the weather is OK then should be fine, pockets and prefolds will dry fast too :)

Good on you for being so determined to keep her in cloth. Anything's do-able if you want it enough!!

If you do decide to have a pack of sposies as a last resort backup if it rains and you can't get anything dried (if you keep the receipt you can take them back when you've finished the trip and not used them) why not get a pack of the eco sposies - eg: nature babycare. They are photodegradable and made from sustainable materials (eg: bamboo and corn fibres) so are a better choice for those times that you do absolutely need to use sposies. And they are expensive enough to make you really think first whether or not you do actually absolutely need to use them or not LOL.

Alternatively to Suse idea would be to purchase a pack of flat nappies (as an emergency when nappies won't dry). If you didn't use them, you could take them back. And if you did have to open the pack, there are other uses for cloth flat nappies, and you won't be stuck with half a pack of disposables hanging around that you never wanted to buy!

I like Tinkerbell's washing machine in an esky trick too!

I've done it before, admittedly when DS was older and spent most of the time with no pants on. At night we used our Peapods and the night boosters took no time to dry (should have brought extra bamboo boosters, did this in NZ and worked a treat). The first time he was about 4 and a half months old and i used sposies cos of the weather forecast!
If I had my time again (and when I DO have my time again with another), I will use the camping opportunity to practice natural infant hygiene (aka elimination communication), seeing as I won't be needing to rush off anywhere, be on a train for an hour etc. Bring a potty as well as your cloths - it will be fun! If you'd like a link to a site that instructs on part time EC, let me know and I'll PM the link :) I'm researching the ins and outs of EC in advance of my next pregnancy so that it's well-entrenched in my mind and attitude by then...and have me more prepared for the comments I'll likely get ;)

The only thing I'd be concerned about is whether you have enough water with you. You can wash them altogether in the bucket or esky, but you will need to rinse all the soap out (generally 1 item at a time) and they may well take a good deal of rinsing if there are pooey ones.
Doable if you've got the water resources.

DH and I drove from Brisbane to Darwin (8 days) when DS was 6 months and I only used terry squares with a few covers. I had a nappy bucket in the tray of the ute with a lid (water and nappy soaker) and put them in the bucket each day. Every second day I rinsed them in a bath, laundry trough, shower what ever was available where we camped each night. I hung them over a bit of rope DH strung up for a line each night. The terry squares dry quick and if you need a booster pad you can always use an extra square folded over. We were lucky though as there was no rain.

Tinkerbell - great suggestion!

Kate07 - thats a great idea too - at least having the flats there would mean that i do have a backup...

Mayaness - already doing EC (well part time), I will be taking the potty. usually, if we are home i manage to get most of the poo's and several wee's it does cut down on the washing, but yeah, ikwym about the comments, i dont bother taking the potty to peoples houses as the explanation takes way too long and i cant be bothered justifying my actions just so i can have a coffee... i guess when she is a bit older it will be easier, but people had a problem with it when she was 5mths! PM me the link anyway if you could as you may have been to a different site and i could do with reading up on it again :)

Thanks guys for all your suggestions and support :)

I fished out an old Terry that i had used as a spew towel and folded it like i did when she was a newborn... i think i am going to have to have a peek in the flat nappy section as the fold didnt really suit a 9mth bum... :rofl: it fell straight of when she stood up!!! (may also be to do wit the fact that i used only the cover to fasten it) Do they come in different sizes or do you just fold differently when they are older???

Oh - we should be camping my a river, so hopefully there is a bit of fresh water for me to use

Oh, man! I think we've conversed about this in another thread...memory like a sieve! It's Charndra's site - is that the one you have? :doh:

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Oh - we should be camping my a river, so hopefully there is a bit of fresh water for me to use

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Brilliant! That's what you need. (And, luxury - you could fill up a bucket and wash your hair!)
There are some good sites around with instructions and diagrams for folding flats. Yup, there are different folds for older bubs, even for boys and girls, I think. But I haven't used flats since Natty was tiny either, so I can't shed more light on it for you I'm afraid!!! GL!

SJ, you might find that you need something other than the cover to keep it on. When DS was little we used flannies, and I didn't use pins or anything, just the cover over the top. But now he's older we use terry, and we most definitely need a snappi to hold it all in place. Snappis are the best! You could always use pins though, if that's what you've got.

there's a very good thread on Nappycino forum, called "Travelling with cloth" - people post what they do, travelling overseas for four months, camping in a caravan park, camping rough, all sorts of travelling scenarios.

i read about the "esky in the back of the car" trick there too.

at nine months, depending on your child's wee-ing capacity, i would want more absorbency than flats and cotton prefolds (for your pocket stuffers and the flats).

Hemp and bamboo trifolds hold more wee
as long as they're double layered (no more than that), drying time isn't too bad

do you have microfibre cloths//boosters/etc?
microfibre dries very fast

i would buy a travelling clothesline (from travel shops), it's two length of fat elastic, entwined around each other, so instead of needing pegs, you slip the end of the item you want to hang up, INSIDE the two bits of elastic, where they meet. There is a hook at each end of the line, you can attach some rope/string to that depending how far apart the trees are where you camp.

You can get LOCKABLE nappy bukets from Target for $16
to store pooey nappies unti you can wash

i would take with, the particular washing detergent you normally wash your mcn in at home, cos it may not be easy to get, wehre you camp.

Use the nappies that you know will dry fast FIRST
Use the nappies that you know WON"T dry fast NEXT
because, you might end up transporting the wet ones home with you, but at least you won't be using sposies.

look in the trading room for any 2nd hemp or bamboo trifolds, i would spend the money you WOULD have spent on sposies for a week, on ABSORBENT inserts.

if you're doing some EC-ing, that will cut down your nappy load heaps, but for night time, i would still take the most absorbent options - even if they dont' dry fast.

the quickest drying NIGHT option i canthink of, would be a Malden MIlls fleece pocket with a nice thirsty bamboo insert. The pocket could be washed next morning, will easily be dry for the next night. but you would need multiple inserts.
bits for bots sells these MM fleece pockets. (not as night nappies, but beacuse they use teh WINDPRO MMfleece, i can't work out why they DONT" sell them as night pockets).

at nine months, my DD was weeing heaps, so i am biased that flats and cotton prefolds wouldn't last very long on a 9 month old.

products made from PUL and fleece, dry in a trice
(AIO outers and pockets and covers)

the most absorbent inserts take longer to dry, but you don't change as often.

the less absorbent fabrics, you need SO many layers to do the same job.

i hope you have the space in the boot, to take as many MCN as you can.

Do you know approx how many nappy changes you do at home already? to help you guesstimate what you will need?

can you do a trial run at home, pretend you have no access to a washing machine or drier, do what you would do, (MCN wise) when camping - see how many you use, what the drying tiem is liek.

I hope you find the Nappycino thread, and post there when you come back. (the results).

i love our MCN, can't actually imagine doing it without a Little Squirt (my two year old eats hardly any solids), but would HATE to have to buy sposies, so i always read teh "travelling with cloth" threads. I suppose if you are doing EC-ing, you might not even have to deal with pooey nappies. lucky you!

oh and wetbags - do you have those? the really big ones, are under PAIL LINERS on sites like The Wee Wuns.

Tribal Baby is a good EC site, and also Noonee Wilga, for anyone reading, who would like to read about EC-ing (Elimination Communication).

You can always really cheat and go the nappy wash service for a couple of weeks to give you lots to use while you're away!

If you are doing REAL camping then nappy free accidents are not a problem. You dont need to clean wee on the dirt, and poo can be buried. Heaps of nappy free time will be just fine hun ;)

The only reasons we are using Sposies while we are away is that a) we are going on a plane and have weight restictions, and b) we are staying with my parents so we need to avoid comandeering mum's machine and line every day, coz otherwise Dad will complain about us making a huge bill for them :rolleyes:

Good luck hun, I think you will be fine.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, replies and support...

There has been a slight hiccup, we were meant to be on holiday yesterday, but MJ came down with Gastro last Sunday and we wanted to make sure that DSS didnt get is as both me and DH fell victim to it... And also we took MJ to the hossy yesterday to check for dehydration as she still has the poops... anyway, we are off tomorrow... I have 3 disposable nappies that i was given by the emerg department, but they are totally useless, she had one on in hossy (she pooed in all her cloth ones) and it when straight up her back, no pootainment at all :(, so i dont think i will bother with them (but will take them JIC)

well, so i bought some extra mircofibre boosters and i forgot about my "crappy" nappies, that are pretty useless, but dry quickly and do have some containment value (especially with a good wrap) so, im hoping that i will be ok...

wish me luck everyone, i thought it was going to be hard normal stakes, but with diarrhoea, i need all your good cloth nappy vibes :)

OK, to all that are interested, despite the Gastro, the rain and cold cold weather and no running water

I DID IT :dance: :cheer:

Thanks to you all for your advice.
I will write up and post the in's and out's and i took photos too, so will start a new thread, just dont have the time atm to sit down and organise myself for a big write up - one evening hopefully.

thanks again :)

Well done hun!!!! I look forward to seeing how you did it!!