One big question that newcomers to cotton diapering have is “How do I handle diapers when I am not at home?”
The biggest difference between changing at home and while out is getting the soiled diaper from the public restroom to your house. And yes, at first it may seem strange to carry a dirty or wet diaper around in your diaper bag rather than tossing it in the closest trash can, the wet bag is effectively your portable trash can (without the waste).
After you’ve done it the first time and realize that the wet bag really does trap the odour and wetness inside, you’ll find that it’s no big deal and actually take pride in the fact that your baby’s diapers aren’t filling the local landfill with waste.
Speaking for ourselves, we’re grateful to moms and dads who chose to actively keep diapers out of the garbage and our environment; so with that in mind, here are a few tips that make cotton diapering while out and about simple:
- Cotton diapers need to be changed more frequently than disposables, so you will want to pack plenty of diapers in the bag.
- Some cotton diapering moms give in and use disposable wet wipes for diaper changes while on the go. That’s okay. However, if you don’t want to do this, pack several small baby washcloths and a bottle of water to dampen the washcloth while you’re out. Just roll the washcloths into the soiled diaper and take care of them when you get home.
- After changing the baby, don’t worry about swishing the cotton diaper in the toilet. Honestly, it will be way nastier to do that in a public restroom than to simply fold or roll the soiled diaper into the wet bag and swish at home. If you’re a Comfy Cotton Client, simply drop the soiled diaper into your lined pail at home, waste and all, and you’re done!
- When you arrive at home, immediately empty the wet bag, treating the diapers the way that you normally do. Don’t procrastinate this chore because it won’t get better with time!
- Have several wet bags. This will ensure that one is always clean when you need it. Also, don’t skimp on wet bag quality. Do you really want to carry a cloud of stinky diaper odour everywhere you go while you’re out?
- If you tend to keep a bag packed, be sure that you keep abreast of the sizes of the diaper covers stored in it. You don’t want to get out in public and realize that the only diaper cover in the bag is way too small for your baby.
Although on the surface, it may seem easier to use disposables when going out, it’s really not that big of a deal to change cotton diapers when shopping or running errands. In fact, it’s not any more complicated to use cotton diapers than disposables wherever you happen to be.
