Flipping or Flopping...traveling with Cloth

I think if you're reading my blog, it's safe to say at this point you know I'm a fan of cloth diapers. Just a little bit. :) I have a decent little "stash", I've finally perfected my wash routine to curb the "stinkies", and Polish Prince is totally on board. We have settled into our nice little cloth diapering life. Cue vacations. As practical as cloth diapers are at home, they are not necessarily the easiest item to travel with. They can take up a lot of room in a suitcase, you've got to have a reliable washer (or be okay with handwashing/using a laundromat), and you've got to travel with your own detergent. It's all a bit cumbersome if you're going away for a week or more. The great news is the cloth diapering community has an answer! Hybrid diapers. These brands are marketed to people who want to cloth diaper, but want flexibility as well. Hybrid diapers typically consist of a reusable cloth cover and a reusable or disposable insert option. As long as the cover isn't soiled, it does not need to be washed. Just wipe it out, I use wipe solution, let it dry and re-use! Some popular brands are Flips by BumGenius, GroVia and gDiapers. After doing my research and talking to some other cloth mommies, I decided to try the Flip system for my most recent trip.

The OS Flip cover

The OS Rump-A-Rooz cover. Note the double gusset along the leg

I went to pick up a couple covers and a pack of disposable inserts from Zoolikins and while I was there, I was perusing other covers to tuck the disposable inserts in, rather than just the Flip covers. I already had some Thirsties duo wraps (which I love), but was also shown the Rump-A-Rooz covers, which I hadn't previously considered.  The Thirsties and the Rump-A-Rooz have one of my favorite features in a diaper cover, the double gusset around the legs. B does not have skinny legs by any stretch of the imagination, but I did notice the Flip cover left a slight gap when he would sit. Since we were going to be on a 4 hour plane ride and an 8 and a half hour car ride, sitting was a reality, the gap was going to be playing with fire. I grabbed a couple Rump-A-Rooz covers just to try the difference.

 Now, just to backtrack a little bit, the Flips have little fabric--flap--I guess for lack of a better term, that hold the insert in place, whether  you choose the reusable or disposable ones. Since the Thirsties and the Rump-A-Rooz covers are not part of a "hybrid" system, they do not contain this extra fabric flap. I was worried that this would make the insert move around. Not the case in my situation! 

The Flip cover with the disposable insert tucked in the "flaps"

 What I would do is lay out the cover and place the insert inside. I would then lay B on his back, on top of both.Next, I fold just the insert up to his belly and then bring the cover up over the insert and snap it. (Please see the pictures below with my model Mr. Bear. There is no way squirmy B would cooperate for pictures of each step!) :)This was the quickest and most effective way to use the disposable liners in a "non-flip" cover.

Step 1: Lay out the cover with the insert placed inside

Step 2: Fold the insert up, leaving the cover still down. This gives you room to maneuver the insert.

Step 3: Locked and Loaded. See the inner gusset hugging the bum?

Through all of our travels, I did not have one leak, #1 or #2! I was shocked! Some mama's have told me they struggled with leaking through the disposable inserts in the Flip system and have suggested doubling up on the inserts. I was prepared to do that, but never ran into that issue. I think having the double gussets along the leg holes helped immensely! The great news is, I also use the covers for night-time since B has figured out how to work Aplix closures. Both the Flip and Rump-A-Rooz covers go great over fitted diapers and their snaps are A-MA-ZING!

Please feel free to share your traveling with cloth tips and tricks below!