How We Do Cloth Diapers While Traveling in an RV
Simple & easy cloth diapering tips for part time or full time RV families.
Mike & I have always been into using reusable towels and cloths around our RV and knew that when we had a baby we would extend that to cloth diapers as well.
Our daughter is now turning a year old and we have been using cloth diapers with her since she was a newborn, all while traveling and living in our RV full time. And I gotta say, it’s pretty great!
In case you aren’t aware, cloth diapers use either a cloth prefold with a shell or all in one cloth diaper in place of a disposable diaper. They are washed after each use and save having to buy disposable diapers every month.
In this post we are sharing all about how we cloth diaper RV style.
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WHERE TO WASH CLOTH DIAPERS WHEN TRAVELING IN AN RV
There are three ways to wash cloth diapers while living and traveling in an RV. We have done all three and they each have pros and cons.
RV Park or Campground Facilities
Most RV Parks and state park campgrounds have a laundry facility with washer and dryers. Some only have one washer and dryer and some have several. This makes it easy and convenient to wash your cloth diapers along with your regular laundry. To find out if a campground or RV park has a laundry facility visit their website and check under amenities.
Benefits | On site laundry so you don’t have to go anywhere to wash your diapers. Helpful when you are staying put for a while, on long drive days, or overnight stays. Also convenient if you have an accident and need to do a quick load unexpectedly.
Disadvantages | Some facilities may only have one washer and dryer which means you may have to wait in line to get your diapers done. Not all parks have good working machines.
This is our go to for washing our diapers. It’s easy, convenient, and most places we stay have them so we don’t have to figure out where we will wash our diapers.
Local Laundromat
Laundromats are available in almost every area and offer large powerful washers and dryers for doing laundry. To find laundromats in your area, do a quick google search and read the reviews for the best quality facility. If you are heading out for the day you can incorporate stopping at a laundromat to get your diapers washed. Laundromats also do great as a back up plan if your campground washers aren’t available.
Benefits | Powerful industrial washers. Able to wash multiple loads for the least amount of time.
Disadvantages | Not all laundromats are in the best parts of town. Some have poor ratings and you may have to drive a distance to get to it.
We use laundromats whenever our campground doesn't have a laundry facility. It kinda works the same as if you were just washing your clothes. We choose the closest and best rated facility near wherever we are camping and all have worked out well.
In-house Washer & Dryer
If your RV already has a washer & dryer set up inside then you can wash your diapers from the comfort of your RV. Simply wash your diapers as you would anywhere else.
Benefits | Able to stay in your RV while doing laundry. Don’t have to plan a trip out to get your diapers washed. You can do laundry any time of the day.
Disadvantages | Most likely need a full hookup site to do in house washing. Uses propane to heat the water. Load size may be small depending on washer size. Dryer may take a longer time to completely dry diapers.
We bought the Atripark Portable Washing Machine for when our baby was a newborn because we didn’t want to have to go anywhere for the first couple months. We set it up in our shower and would wash her diapers every morning and would line dry them. We had a folding drying rack that we would keep in our bunk room or outside depending on the weather. This ended up being more of a chore because these portable washers don’t hold a lot and the spin cycle takes a lot of time. So we eventually switched to washing her diapers in our campground laundry facility. And it worked out great.
Cloth Diapering Items We Use
OsoCozy Prefold Cloth Diapers | OsoCozy’s Prefolds are a 100% cotton cloth diaper available for babies 4 to 45 pounds. They are reusable, machine washable, super soft, and highly absorbent. They can be folded around your baby in different ways and are held together with a Snappi. They are extremely cost effective, averaging around $1.33 - $4.33 per prefold. We have 36 prefolds and it will last us about 3 or 4 days. We like these more than an AIO diaper because they are more affordable, dry faster and don’t leak.
For night time we add an ALVABABY Cloth Insert in addition to a prefold for extra absorbance.
OsoCozy Cloth Wipes | OsoCozy’s Cloth Wipes are a reusable & washable flannel wipe that you can get bleached or unbleached. They are super soft, dry fast and take up virtually no space. They are also extremely cost effective, coming out to .60 cents per wipe. We have a total of 90 wipes and never run out. They are amazing.
Cloth Diaper Shells | Cloth diaper shells or covers go over a prefold or cloth insert. They are a waterproof, breathable material, and adjust to fit babies 5 to 35 pounds. They can be used several times before washing which make it easy when traveling. We currently have 10 diaper shells and that has been enough for us.
OsoCozy’s Cloth Diaper Shell is our favorite because they have a wing to help create a seal around the legs to prevent leakage and keep the prefold from poking out.
WinReal Baby Portable Changing Pads | This pack of 3 waterproof diaper changing pads are perfect for at home or on the go diaper changes. They are reusable and machine washable and come in medium or large sizes. Their absorbentcy prevents any leaks on whatever surface you use them. They also fold up nicely so it’s easy to take on the go. Plus it’s handy to extra so this pack of 3 is perfect.
Wet Bags | For storing dirty diapers we use wet bags. After we change our daughter’s diaper, we place the soiled prefold and wipe in the wet bag. Zip it up and that’s it. No smell or leakage. What’s nice is that the wet bags are machine washable so when you’re ready to wash you just open the bag, dump all the diapers in the washer with the bag and it all gets clean. Once it’s done you can put all your clean diapers back in the wet bag to transport back to the RV. No extra laundry supplies needed. Large wet bags are great for everyday use in the RV and small ones are great for on the go or travel days.
Snappi’s | These pair with the prefolds and help hold them in place. Once you’ve got your baby wrapped in a prefold, strap the fasteners in each corner and you’re good to go. It’s nice to have extra of these around to take on the go.
Country Save Laundry Detergent | This is our go to detergent for washing our cloth diapers as well as our clothes and household items. It’s non toxic and clean ingredients make it perfect for babies sensitive skin. We use a full scoop per load and it lasts us several months.
CLOTH DIAPER TIPS
We wash our diapers every two or three days. It’s best not to let soiled diapers sit for too long so every couple days we wash.
We do a hot wash with an extra rinse if there is an option for it. If we are using industrial washers then we do a regular wash because the washers are powerful enough to give the diapers a good clean. We use a full scoop of Country Save Detergent and dry the diapers in the dryer as we would anything else.
When dealing with poop from solid foods you’ll want to dispose of it before you put the dirty diaper in the washer. Solid poop does not do well in the washer. We would use an extra wipe to take the poop off the diaper and throw it in the toilet.
Grovia Disposable Inserts are great to have as backups in case you aren’t able to get to a washer and you’ve run out of prefolds. They fit inside a diaper shell and can be thrown away once used.
OVERALL OPINION OF CLOTH DIAPERING IN AN RV
I would say the biggest pros to cloth diapers while RVing is the cost. Cloth diapers are typically a one time buy with no monthly upkeep so you don’t have to worry about ordering them or making sure they’re available in which ever area you visit. And since you have to do laundry anyway it can be convenient to just wash your babies diapers as well instead of buying disposables.
The biggest con to cloth diapers in an RV is the management. You do have to pay attention when you’re running low and may have to go out of your way to make sure they get washed which can be inconvenient if your RV park doesn’t have a laundry facility and you need to go to a not so nice laundromat.
Overall, we love cloth diapers and find that it’s very easy to live and travel in a RV using them. Let us know in the comments if you cloth diaper in your RV!
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HEY THERE, WE’RE MIKE, DEANDRA
A FAMILY OF FIVE ADVENTURE SEEKERS TRAVELING THE U.S IN OUR 37 FT. TRAVEL TRAILER. WE SHARE OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD AND TRAVEL GUIDES TO OUR FAVORITE DESTINATIONS.
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