On our recent trip to Nicaragua we decided to use our Flip hybrid cloth diaper covers with the Flip disposable inserts, rather than bringing along the reusable cloth inserts. We were happy that we did.
Usually we travel with our cloth inserts, but we knew that staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Managua where water costs $3 per bottle, we would be paying a high premium for having our diapers washed at the hotel. Plus, we knew that unlike most places we travel to in the world there are not many readily available laundry service shops that would be more affordable. The last option would have been hand washing the inserts, but my husband tried that once in Paraguay way back in the day, and that ended in us buying disposable diapers, anyway.
On this trip for three weeks I was working so my husband was on toddler and diaper duty. We brought with us for three weeks 6 Flip hybrid diaper covers and (3) packs of Flip disposable liners. This is a much cheaper, environmentally-friendly, and tush-friendly option than buying plasticky disposable diapers in Nicaragua. It was super easy- we also brought along a small sealed plastic container of powdered Rockin’ Green laundry detergent and my husband just hand washed the reusable liners in the sink each day, which were easy to wash and dried overnight. Then we just tossed the disposable liners.
Even though 2 Flip liners are supposed to last you one day (you can reuse them 2-3 times by just changing out the insert), I find that realistically I can’t use them more than 1-2 times. This is because if there is a poo explosion the liner gets dirty, and even though it can be wiped clean I don’t quite feel comfortable reusing it. Also, if my daughter really soaks a diaper I don’t feel quite comfortable reusing the liner that has a fresh coating of pee on the inside, even if it will be away from her skin with a brand new insert.
You can pick up 18 disposable Flip inserts at $5.99 plus free shipping on Amazon.com. If you want to buy a day pack (2 covers + 6 reusable cloth inserts) it will run you $49.95 (I recommend 2-3 packs for longer trips), and if you want to skip the cloth option completely and go straight for the reusable liners and only do disposable inserts, it will run you $29.95 for 2 reusable liners and 18 disposable liners. This is still cheaper than picking up diapers in country, and saves a ton of suitcase space if you were to try and pack enough disposable diapers for the entire trip.
Happy cloth/ hybrid diapering while traveling!
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Flip Hybrid Diapers for Travel
How to Pack Cloth Diapers for Long Travel