Friendly, independent advice with 20 years of real nappy experience

Off on holiday? Do you take real nappies?

Well it very much depends on where you’re going and how long you’re going for.

Holidaying in the UK

If you’re staying with friends/relatives, or in a holiday home, you may find that having a washing machine makes it possible to continue as usual. You could ask about drying facilities at the property such as a washing line or clothes-horse. If you don’t have access to a tumble drier you may be best to take quick-drying nappies with you. A large wet bag may be more space efficient than a bucket.

If you’re just heading off for a weekend you could also continue as usual, just store the nappies in a large wet bag ready to be washed back at home.

If you’re camping or staying in a hotel you may well decide just to take standard disposable or eco-disposable nappies, but there is a hybrid option. You can get disposable inserts which fit into your standard washable nappy covers. FLIP disposable inserts are easy to use, dye free, fragrance free and have Oeko-Tex certification. They are designed be used inside FLIP covers but they could be used inside other nappy covers. Just place the disposable insert in the washable cover, use, toss out the disposable insert when dirty and keep replacing the insert until the cover becomes dirty. The covers can easily be hand washed and hung out to dry.

Holidaying abroad

You’ll need to consider your baggage allowance but again, if you’re staying in a villa with a washing machine, you can, if you choose, continue with your usual cloth nappies. If you’re holidaying in a hot country you probably won’t need access to a tumble dryer, just peg them out in the sunshine. Check that you’ll have access to a washing line (it might be worth taking a few pegs just in case). It may also be worth taking some of your own detergent (especially if you want to use a specific brand which may not be readily available abroad). Good drying conditions should mean that you don’t need to take too many nappies with you.

If you’re having a beach/pool-based holiday you can often get away with less nappies as you’ll be using swim nappies on and off through the day. Just a note on swim nappies – these will be used while baby is in the pool/sea but I’d recommend that once baby comes out of the pool for a while, you switch them into their standard nappies as swim nappies won’t hold a full wee (they’re basically just poo catchers). Although this isn’t really an issue if you’re at your own private villa, this may lead to some embarrassment if the nappy leaks in a busy hotel/beach area. Also note that you can now buy swimming costumes / baby wet suits with an integrated washable swim nappy.

If you’re staying in a hotel with no washing facilities you may find that it’s easier just to use disposables, eco-disposables or the hybrid option mentioned above.

I’m often asked about using cloth in hot countries. People often assume that babies will get too hot in cloth nappies. Remember that, due to the plastic content of disposable nappies, these tend to get hotter than real nappies.

Remember it’s not all or nothing, maybe take some cloth nappies and some disposables. Disposables can come useful if you’re having day trips etc.

Whichever method you use: cloth nappies, disposable nappies or a hybrid, we hope you have a lovely holiday.

 

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