It’s been so long since I shared a photo of a fluffy butt here! In the name of simplicity, we took some time off cloth diapering while on the road because figuring out how to live in an RV was learning curve enough. But it’s been nearly 6 months, and we are feeling pretty confident in this new life. Plus? We’re ready to save some $$ to throw toward our Hawaii fund. (Such a shame we can’t drive there!) So Wallace has been back in cloth diapers part time lately. Luckily, we’ve found a way to keep it simple.
I’m teaming up with Tide+Oxi for this post to tell you how cloth diapering on the road is going for us, and give you some tips for simplifying your life with cloth diapers.
Keep Your Stash Minimal
In the past, I had the luxury of keeping dozens of cloth diapers on hand- many different styles and patterns. Sure, they were fun to pair with various outfits, and they definitely gave us some freedom from washing as frequently, but we could also feel overwhelmed by them when we went too long without throwing a load in the wash. We’re getting by these day with less than 12.
Consider All-In-One Style Diapers
We have a minimal stash of all-in-one diapers (meaning there are no inserts, no covers) now, and we wash them nearly daily. Since there’s no stuffing and matching different style inserts and covers with diapers, it’s a super simple load of laundry to do.
Wash with Tide+Oxi
We’ve used Tide to wash cloth diapers for years because we love how it cleans not only our diapers, but also our clothes. It helps that in the RV we only have to keep one type of laundry detergent on hand. This new Tide+Oxi powder formula is EVEN better! It includes pre-treaters that effectively tackle even 14-day-old stains, and it targets set in odors deep down in the fibers.
As a seasoned cloth diaper user, I have plenty of experience with diapers starting to smell funky. In fact, the ones we’re using now had a bit of a smell from storage, but a soak (a few hours in a plastic tub) in a water and Tide+Oxi powder solution, which provides 6x the cleaning power vs. the next leading OXI detergent, followed by a quick wash had them smelling clean and new.
I feel confident using Tide+Oxi on our diapers. Even Jen Labit, the owner of bumGenius cloth diapers, recommends using Tide on the diapers her company makes, which happens to be the ones we are using now.
Give Yourself Permission To Go Part Time
This has been big for us with the last two babies. Instead of stressing about cloth diapering while we’re out of the house (or RV), while we travel, or when life gets crazy, we just… don’t. And that’s ok! It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can even take a 6 month break! Your diapers will be ready for you when you want to jump back into it, and I’m telling you, that Tide+Oxi soak before you get them back into rotation will really help freshen them up.
I’ve always been an advocate for doing what works for you. If you’re on the fence about cloth diapering because it feels too overwhelming, I hope you’ll consider how easy it can be to keep it simple.
Thanks to Tide+Oxi for sponsoring this post.
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2 comments
Would you share your wash routine? There are so many different ways to wash just wondering what works for you!
Agree! This time around we are a lot more relaxed about putting on a disposable when we are out of the house and we’ve always used them when vacationing. I love that cloth diapers can be used on multiple kids…we bought the majority of our Bum Genius pocket diapers from the sister of a friend….and we finally met her and her daughters 6 year later. It was so crazy cool to think that all four of our kids had worn the same diapers and saved so much money (and landfill space).
Also, we’ve always used Tide as well, on everything!
The great thing about our GE (froanloader) washer and dryer is that they’re programmable so no more having to do 2-3 different cycles… pre-wash and extra rinse are all programmed in!