Less than 3-4 Hours – Doctor Visits / Friend and Family / Errands /Day Outing (Mall , Park , day trips )
These shorter outings with cloth diapers are very manageable for us NOW that is—once we got used to it. On our first doctor visit, we used a disposable diaper, and wouldn’t you know it, my daughter pooped just after the appointment! We switched to cloth on the way back. At the time, we were overwhelmed with postnatal challenges, and that’s okay.
What we needed were few tools – dry sheet & wet bags and the assurance that cloth diapering can be done during travel!
With the right tools (wet bag + dry sheet), here’s what to do post poo-explosions:
- Head to a bathroom or private spot
- Lay out the dry sheet or one partner holds the baby and the other cleans the baby, change your baby
- Rinse the diaper if you can, then store in the wet bag
- If you can’t rinse immediately, just fold it up well ( See Video here) and rinse at home. It will be slightly harder to clean than how it is to clean it immediately but it is doable.
💡 Pro Tip: Give your baby something to hold during changes—doesn’t have to be a toy , any random object will do!
For babies who can stand, cleanup becomes easier. Indian toilets also work well with cloth diapering and EC, as the squat position aids natural elimination. It helps to have someone standing outside the washroom. Always ask help when you can!
If laying the drysheet is not an option because the changing room is not clean or being in a public place, look for a nook and one parent can hold while the other cleans the baby.
On trips, we packed biodegradable disposable wipes and brought the used ones home to compost. If you prefer cloth wipes, just tuck them in with your soiled diapers—no fuss, no extra bag.
Once our little one learned to stand, we discovered squat toilets in India are a game-changer – especially for EC practitioners. Squatting puts her at ease, eliminates seat-hygiene worries, and actually helps her go—seriously, you’ll see the proof!
If you are out for the whole day, it is unlikely that all the diapers would be poop diapers so just rinse the pooped diapers in the accessible toilet and it goes in the wet bag. The peed diapers can directly go in the wet bag and be rinsed at home. If you could not find a place to rinse a pooped diaper, just take it home and rinse as soon as you reach. A couple of hot washes should still get the diaper clean for use again.
Weekend Trips With Cloth Diapers
A trip for a few days with a baby could be very intimidating. 1–2 days is quite doable without washing cloth diapers; you can do 3 days also without washing if you have enough diapers. Just rinse and store them in your wet bag to wash at home.
When we visited Mysore for two days, we didn’t wash any diapers. Practicing EC helped a lot, too. My daughter had predictable poop times, which made diapering much easier – reduced the number of soiled diapers we had to handle.
Practicing EC helps you tune to your baby’s eliminating patterns and eases cloth diapering immensely! If you are keen on learning more about EC, you can find more info here.
Stay tuned for Blog 3, where we tackle longer vacations and in-transit diapering—sharing washing-on-the-go hacks for hotels, planes, trains, and when to thoughtfully use disposables.
👉 Ready for more? Did this post help you plan your weekend getaway? Let me know in the comments below, and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss Blog 3!
Check out our New Parent’s Guide to Cloth Diapers for everything you need to get started on Cloth Diapering.