Cloth diapering in Disney?

[EmilyJ517]

We CD at home, but I always just buy the 7th generation or Huggies natural sposies for our trips.

BUT, If I were going to CD it wouldn't be too bad since we are DVC and stay in 1 bdrm villas (BTW, the washers and dryers do not get gross just because you cd, do you really think we'd wash our clothes in a washer full of poop?!).

I would use flips or the grovia hybrids probably. i would probably bring a combinations of the biodegradable/disposable inserts for when we are out, and the regular cloth inserts for use at the resort or night time.

one of the big reasons i don't CD on vacation is simply the packing space that my pockets or AIOs take up if i need several per day. So i think prefolds/covers or the hybrids (Flips, gDiapers, GroVia) with more inserts than covers would work well.

too much effort for me on vacation though. lol

 

[bwang123]

This thread is making me Not want to use the washers and dryers in our villa!!!

My suggestion would be pad folded flats in a diaper cover. You could easily hand wash them in the sink, and hang them to dry for the next day. If you pack enough for a few days, you can rotate the ones drying and the ones in use.

or the sink.

 

[kevschickee]

or the sink.

Do you wash them in the sink at the park? Do you clean it with bleach after?

 

[geniegirl]

I agree we cloth at home but at Disney we didnt.

1. Didnt want to carry used ones around
2. Washers are not stripped of soaps that can harm the cloths ones
3. Washers may not be able to soak and rinse enough
4. Cost of having to wash and dry could get crazy

 

[EmilyJ517]

I would not wash my diapers out in the sink at the park, not where people are washing hands and where there is no way to really clean it. I would simply put the "solids" in the toilet, and then put the diaper into my wetbag (a sealed, waterproof, zippered bag) and back into my diaper bag until i get back to the resort.

 

[robinb]

I also used disposables when we traveled. It was just easier all around. I brought some special non gel diapers but ran out of them and ended up with Huggies (she was allergic to others). I had a diaper service so doing diapers in public washing machines does squig me out. Sorry CD'ers!

My baby wipes didn't smell. I wonder what kind the used?

Even the "unscented" wipes have a slight chemical smell to me.

 

[TDC Nala]

There are laundry facilities at all the Disney resorts (for a cost). Unless you're in a one or two bedroom DVC villa, which have in-room laundry facilities, it's going to be laundromat-type setup. Although I'd imagine a lot of parents would prefer not to put in the time or money (for the washer, dryer and detergent) to do laundry at a resort. It's also somewhat beyond me how dirty diapers are going to be carried through the parks.

But those who are very committed to cloth diapering can find a way, I'm sure. But would they really get washed in the sinks in public restrooms?

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

We use cloth diapers at home, but for our trip in June I will be bringing Earth's Best Disposables. My DS gets diaper rash from Huggies and Pampers so I can't use those.

Washing diapers in a washing machine isn't any different than washing underwear, or clothes that baby was wearing when his disposable diaper leaked. But I would not recommend washing diapers in the hotel sink

 

[River Country]

I didnt even know Cloth Diapers still existed. My mother used them on me but that was 35 years ago.

And for the person that said washing a cloth diaper is o different than underwear. I dont know about you but i dont go in my underwear soooooooooooooooooooooo its way different.

But hey god bless be green save a dolphin i guess

 

[kevschickee]

I didnt even know Cloth Diapers still existed. My mother used them on me but that was 35 years ago.

And for the person that said washing a cloth diaper is o different than underwear. I dont know about you but i dont go in my underwear soooooooooooooooooooooo its way different.

But hey god bless be green save a dolphin i guess

Lol I agree about the undies. I don't pee and poop in mine.

 

[dadddio]

You'll want to run a load of bleach as the first no matter what. You wouldn't believe what grows in a washing machine, cloth diapers or no.

Respectfully, I'm not buying it. The beauty of the washing machine is that it gets washed every single time that it's used and bleached about a quarter of the time. Nothing is growing in there.

It should also be noted that those who wash their cloth diapers in the washers (or the sinks) are not doing anything that every parent hasn't done when their little Pumba's diaper has had a catastrophic failure. (Parenting is not for the weak of stomach.)

 

[CourtneyL]

Two things....

1) I feel bad for the security person at bag check that has to check a wet bag

2) For folks that normally cloth diaper but choose to use disposables on vacation: Use decent disposables, not the super cheap kind (you get what you pay for). I don't CD and my DD has been in Pampers since birth. We've had maybe 10 diaper leaks EVER (she's 19 months), and most of those were when she was really little and the diapers were still big on her.

 

[dadddio]

Lol I agree about the undies. I don't pee and poop in mine.

You don't typically, but I'd bet that you have in the past. Ask your Mom.

Edited to add that given the ages of your children, I have no doubt that you have been confronted with pee and poop outside of a diaper.

 

[kevschickee]

You don't typically, but I'd bet that you have in the past. Ask your Mom.

Oh no doubt but I can guarantee she didn't wash them in a public washer. As I never did with mine.

 

[dadddio]

Two things....

1) I feel bad for the security person at bag check that has to check a wet bag

I'm thinking that when they go through bag check that the wet bags are clean. Plus, it's not as if the bag check people actually open and check every item. Many times, we have gone through with either a camera backpack or a diaper bag and the security person barely looked inside. They didn't poke around to see if anything was concealed or open any smaller compartments or zippered items such as telephoto lens cases, bottle cozies, wipe covers, etc.

2) For folks that normally cloth diaper but choose to use disposables on vacation: Use decent disposables, not the super cheap kind (you get what you pay for). I don't CD and my DD has been in Pampers since birth. We've had maybe 10 diaper leaks EVER (she's 19 months), and most of those were when she was really little and the diapers were still big on her.

We used Pampers through size 2-3, I think. Then they started to leak and, on the advice of a friend, we switched to Target brand which were awesome.

 

[BeerMe]

Our youngest daughter is a hiker, mountain climber, marathon runner, very "green" mom, and while she uses cloth while camping, she uses disposable in the parks. Good luck!

 

[clarkshel]

Respectfully, I'm not buying it. The beauty of the washing machine is that it gets washed every single time that it's used and bleached about a quarter of the time. Nothing is growing in there.

There is a possibility of stuff being left behind if there was lots of cr*p on the clothes prior to washing. Even in a washing machine, especially front loaders. Things don't always get entirely rinsed out. And if I am using a washing machine at a resort, I have no idea what was washed in their prior, or how often the washing machine is cleaned. (Yes, even washing machines need cleaning).

 

[Pseudacris]

Respectfully, I'm not buying it. The beauty of the washing machine is that it gets washed every single time that it's used and bleached about a quarter of the time. Nothing is growing in there.

It should also be noted that those who wash their cloth diapers in the washers (or the sinks) are not doing anything that every parent hasn't done when their little Pumba's diaper has had a catastrophic failure. (Parenting is not for the weak of stomach.)

(Disclaimer: I am a biology professor) There have been numerous studies conducted of commercial, hospital, and domestic laundering practices in respect to bacterial and viral survival and transfer. Salmonella, coliforms (incl. E coli), and shigella, along with adenovirus, rotavirus, and Hepatitis A have all been found not only inside the washing machine drum itself, but also on hands transferring laundry to the dryer and on clothes as well. Coliforms can be killed in the dryer, since they require moisture, but salmonella and many viruses have been found on clothing at temperatures up to 130F.

Like I said, I cloth diapered for a while, so I don't think that everyone needs to constantly bleach their washing machine. But, running a bleach load before washing your clothes in an unknown washing machine isn't the worst idea.

Here are some peer reviewed journal articles that have full text available for the public (if anyone is actually interested at all):

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196655399700404

This one was published for mass consumption, but Charles Gerba has written literally hundreds of articles on the subject.
http://hpc-today.teknoscienze.com/pdf/gerba_DETERGENCY_HPC2_2011.pdf

And a couple of succinct abstracts:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3647942

http://aem.asm.org/content/73/14/4425.short

 

[CarrieR]

If this thread eeks you out because a child's diaper might have been washed in the Disney washer you're about to use - you might consider what else may have been in there. Vomit, blood, any other bodily fluid... I would worry way more about trace residues from grown-up stuff than a little baby pee, lol. Not to mention toileting accidents or bed wetting even from non-CDers... If you're gonna bleach, don't just think about the baby poo.

Anyways, to whomever suggested name brand diapers don't leak, I respectfully disagree. I nanny for a 5m old baby who blows out her diaper every third change or so. Always out the back, sometimes up the legs. She's in either Huggies or Pampers, can't remember which. And yes, her soiled (rinsed and stain-treated) clothes go in the family washer, which I've even thrown my own stuff into a time or two.

Anyways, good luck to the CDers who want to keep it up while at WDW! My kids will be CD'd but I don't know if I'd be brave enough to haul the gear around the parks!

 

[dadddio]

There is a possibility of stuff being left behind if there was lots of cr*p on the clothes prior to washing. Even in a washing machine, especially front loaders. Things don't always get entirely rinsed out. And if I am using a washing machine at a resort, I have no idea what was washed in their prior, or how often the washing machine is cleaned. (Yes, even washing machines need cleaning).

The bold part is true regardless of whether the OP's friend chooses to use cloth diapers.

I'm also still not buying the 'washers need to be cleaned' theory. Our washer is probably going on ten years old. We have never taken any steps to clean it (outside of it's normal duties). Even with this lack of care on our part, the washer doesn't smell or have any recognizable 'growth'.

It should be noted that my wife had informed me that some HE washers need extra care to keep mold from growing in them. The tiniest bit of internet research leads me to the conclusion that this mold is caused by the fact that their doors close too tightly. The issue can be managed in a few ways such as 1) leave the door ajar (This would not work in my house as one of my kids would lock the other in the washer and probably turn it on.), 2) occasionally wipe down the door's seal with a bleachy product (it's the door seal that gets funky because it isn't washed every single time that the washer is used), 3) use the washer frequently. (We had six kids in my family. There was not a day that went by that a load of clothes wasn't being washed. There would be no mold in our washer, if HE washers had been the norm way back then.) That being said, the public washers at the resorts get tons of use. I seriously doubt that they have much time for their to be mold growth in them.

It should be noted that this mold growth on the door seals of some HE washers does not mean that these washers do not adequately rinse away whatever funkiness was washed off the clothes. I'll not stress one moment over the possibility that some minute particle of some previous wash remains in the washer. The only logical conclusion to such worry is to NEVER use a public clothes washer since you will never be sure of what was washed by previous users.