Adventures in Extreme CDing

[Saartje]

I think DH and I qualify as hard core CDers now. We've used cloth since Ishie was one month old (so not quite 8 months now) and haven't used a disposable since probably no more than two weeks past the first cloth (if that much). The largest sposies we have for our chunky monkey are size 1/2. (Need to get around to donating those soon.)

Why do I mention this? Well, after three out-of-state trips carrying CDs along, we finally ran out of diapers for the first time, at a convention over the weekend. We had planned to drive back and forth, but realized this was making it difficult to attend any of the late-night progreamming. Once we had the hotel room, we also realized Ish was napping much better in there than in the sling -- a very nice bonus. So DH ran home to pack for us, while I stole some time to study... and last night, he announced he had just put the last diaper on Isaac.

He offered to run home to get more. Mind you, this would have been 90+ minutes of driving in the middle of the night, longer if he had waited until daylight. I pointed out he could go somewhere closer to the hotel for sposies (which had never occurred to him)... but after some discussion, we realized neither of us cared for the thought.

So I handwashed three premium prefolds in the sink, choosing ones that were wet only and rinsing until they didn't stink; and hung them on the clothesline in the bathroom to dry. In the morning, DH ironed them to help them dry further. They were still a bit damp when they went on the baby, but he didn't seem to mind, and they were sufficiently absorbent to get us through.

So there you have it. I certainly wouldn't choose to do things this way on a regular basis, but for emergency use, it worked. I also wish to add: prefolds rock. So does our Fuzbomb cover, even though the snap placement doesn't work well for Isaac: DH kept putting it on him, to the exclusion of all other covers, all four days, except when he was in pockets (we have about 6 pockets, total). No leaks whatsoever. No sign of rash, so I think the breathability is helping. And after all that, and not having been hung to dry between wears (!), it only just now needs to be washed.

[KrisM]

What a fun story. I've heard people use flats for emergency on trips, since they dry so fast. It's good to know a prefold would be okay, too.

Isn't it great not using sposies? I do admit that we have some size 3 in the house, but have only used maybe 4? I don't like to bring dirty diapers on the road with us and don't want to leave dirty ones at home, either, so when we go on vacation, Andrew is in a sposie while I do diaper laundry just before we leave. Usually, he's in 2 total. Not bad, but I wish I had another good system to use for vacations.

[tarahsolazy]

Great story, Sarah! You are definately hard core now. I have made a vow to travel with cloth, even on hotel and camping trips, from now on. We used CD since hospital D/C, but used sposies for 4 days, twice in 11 months for trips. I kept thinking about cozy fluff while putting on those crunchy paper dipes. If you can hand-wash them, I am inspired to think I can, too, in a pinch! (Is Ish's Fuzbomb a large? I've been eyeing the applix ones..., did you buy it new?)

[kensjen]

Wow, that is a great story!! I have to agree, I hate using sposies too, and we haven't used any in....months and months....maybe a year....I can't even remember.

We always use cloth on trips, so it is just second nature to me. I know many of my friends are amazed that I would spend some of my vacation time in the hotel laundry room (LOL!) but to me it is worth it. On Wed we are leaving for a week, and I am trying to choose which cloth I want to take....we are going to my mom's so I can wash...but I just want to take it all, I love it all! ;)

That is great that your DH is on board with you, I know many DHs would be driving to the nearest store to buy sposies in a second! You are a lucky mama, and yes, an extreme CDer!

[mudder17]

Woohoo! Congratulations to you and your DH and welcome to Extreme CDing. I love your story! I believe MommyJ (I think it was her) took flatfolds with her to China (? I know it was overseas) and washed them all by hand. While I admittedly have never washed PFs by hand in a hotel room, I do use only CDs, including on plane trips, car trips, etc. I have been known to use a burp cloth (yes, those icky, mostly useless Gerbers) when I ran out of diapers. Also, in a pinch, when DD poops, but does not pee, I have been know to remove the fleece liner and poop, add a new liner and put the diaper back on her. I know it sounds gross, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to borrow a sposie from someone. Oh, and when this happened, the poop was of the solid variety (sorry if this is TMI!). And I LOVE my wool covers for the very reason you state with the fuzbaby. In a pinch, the wool covers can be reused and they're breathable.

And great catch with your DH! :) You can tell him that your friends here said he rocks! :P I know I'm extremely fortunate that my DH shares my desire to do CDs 100% through thick and thin.



Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[lizajane]

i know i know! i HATE using sposies. we have to use them for preschool and it makes me nuts!! i will often take the dry sposie off of him when we get home and put on a CD so that i can save the sposie for the next school day. dh has been using the school sposies lately and it is making me NUTS. i reminded him that he is throwing away a quarter every time he throws away a nasty sposie... i hope he will shape up soon! (he only uses them when going out, but cleaning up poop when out and sticking the dipe in a ziploc is really not any more icky than throwing it in the trash! so i just don't get it!!)

we have been using swaddlers at night for dylan, but really the only reason (now that i have my doublers in working order) is that the proraps cover the umbilical stump and the sposies don't. so i worry that it needs air, so at least it should get air at night!

[Saartje]

My usual system for vacations is to wash the diaper laundry after Ishie is down for the night (or at least after he's changed into his overnight diaper, even if he plays for a while longer before bed). Since we tend to leave first thing in the morning, that only leaves us with one dirty diaper to carry along -- not much, considering how many we'll accumulate in the course of travel. I just put it in our pail liner, which we use alone while travelling, and pack that in the suitcase next to something that won't absorb any smell that escapes.

[Saartje]

I bought it new, and he's in a medium Fuzbomb. He's on the center set of snaps for the waist and the middle set for the thighs; the only thing I dislike about this cover is that it's not really meant to be separately adjustable, so the fit is a bit awkward. We often wind up putting it on the smallest snaps for both thigh and waist on one side, and on the second-tightest for both snaps on the other side, which fits but seems like it should feel funny to Ishie. With his chunky thighs, we really need a snap in between the tightest and next-tightest waist snaps.

From what the site said, I thought he'd need a large (that is, I thought it would fit him now, and that he'd outgrow a medium too quickly), but I called and she recommended the medium (and said I could exchange it if I was unhappy, since it was her recommendation).

[Saartje]

I do think if I were travelling abroad with Ishie, I would get some flatfolds to take along. I'm actually thinking about getting a few just to pack in our suitcase for emergencies like this -- the prefolds certainly didn't get wonderfully clean, just clean enough to use. Fewer layers of fabric would have helped a lot in that regard.

And DH says thanks. :)

[new_mommy25]

That is one of the best CD'ing stories I have heard. That deserves a spot in the hall of fame :)