Traveling with cloth diapers isn’t a cut an dry topic.  There are just so many variables that a simple “Yes you can use cloth diapers while traveling” or “No, you shouldn’t cloth diaper when traveling” is impossible.  I hope my vast experience with practically every type of scenario will shed some light on how to cloth diaper while traveling and maybe even when to skip it.

Air Travel- Flying with a baby can be a stressful idea even if the flight itself winds up being a breeze thanks to heavenly white noise and a baby happy to nurse and nap the whole way {as an experienced flyer with babies I have tips for this}.  There are ways to bring cloth diapers with you if you are so inclined.  I’ve snuck an entire stash of diapers inside of my carseat which was bagged up and checked.  If you need to pack cloth diapers in your luggage consider sticking to enough for 1.5 days and washing frequently.  Extend your stash by using All-in-Two’s and lots of extra soaker pads, or ultra compact flats with 4-6 covers.

As for washing your diapers, flats make the best choice because they work better even if your destination has a different water.  They can easily be washed in your hotel bathroom tub or washer and hung to dry over shower racks and even the luggage caddy that most every hotel room has.  If you are staying with family you may want to check that washing your diapers there is OK (some people might balk at the idea).

Car Travel-  If you are packing the family into the car you have an obvious advantage because you control the space and will likely be able to fit an entire stash of diapers into your car.  From experience I would recommend sticking to the basics of your stash if you are washing while away.  If you plan on washing when you return home then by all means bring every diaper you have.  To those washing while away save the space in your luggage for souvenirs and only take 2 days worth.

Camping- I can’t speak from experience on camping and using cloth diapers.  I defintely know it can be done and would suggest a small stash of flats and covers.  Flat cloth diapers can pack small and be handwashed while camping.

Other options:

Hybrid cloth diapers that will work with disposable inserts are a way to either thicken your stash while you are away, save the day when you get too busy to wash diapers and run out, or can be used full time inside of your covers or shells to make your packing load lighter and your vacation a little more convenient.

Use a Diaper Service on longer trips and leave all of your diapers at home!  I’ve done this twice myself while attending a conference with a nursling in tow.  Once in Las Vegas and once in Louisville Kentucky.  Both diaper services were happy to work with me and both also received extra business while offering the service to other attendees.  Win/Win.  They dropped off a large bag of clean prefolds and a diaper pail/bag to my hotel and I met them or left the bags at the desk for them when my trip was done.  You’dd have to diaper your baby from home to the hotel and back but for the rest of your trip you are will be worry free and waste free too!  Find a list of diaper services on Real Diaper Industry Association or simply use a search engine for your destination’s city.

Should you cloth diaper while away from home?  

Most of me says yes.  I’ve done it many, many, many times.  I’ve flown with diapers to Texas and North Carolina a few times each.  I’ve driven my diapers to Massachusetts (3 times, once with 2 babies in diapers), North Carolina, and various weekend trips around NY State.  Then I’ve used a diaper service in Las Vegas and Louisville.

I’ve also used hybrid systems and on one occasion, have used disposables exclusively on one trip.  I much prefer to travel with cloth and have made it work for almost every trip we have taken as a family.  That being said, I do understand that we moms tend to make life harder on ourselves sometimes and if a weekend away from diaper laundry while on vacation is what you crave you are entitled to that!  Cloth diapering families are vastly reducing the waste being left by their children.  I do feel guilt when the occasional disposable on a trip or at night is used but I try to put this into perspective.  If only disposables were used for these occasions by everyone then they would be fulfilling their original purpose!

I’ll leave you with my “Expert Tips” for traveling with cloth diapers.

• Pack only what you need.  I stick to about 15 diapers worth, 1 Large wet bag and 2 medium for the diaper bag.
• Remember to bring your own detergent and a way to measure it!
• Cloth wipes and water from the sink.  Or your disposable wipes.
• If you are handwashing pack latex gloves.
• Diapers pack smaller if you pack the inserts seperatesly from the shells.  Pre-stuffed diapers take up more room.
• Be aware that your destination might have a different water type and this could afect your wash routine.
• To prepare for packing your diapers consider having hybrids or a disposable on hand to put on while washing the last load.  If you will be gone longer than 5 days you don’t want to leave one last dirty diaper at home to be washed before you leave.
• If you have to cloth diaper until the last moment before leaving home toss that final dirty diaper or two in the washer and run a rinse with a bit of detergent just so it isn’t growing mushrooms before you get home.
• My best piece of advice: be realistic with yourself.  Try to do cloth diapers if you desire but if you just can’t make it work logistically then use plan b or a mixture of plan a and plan b.

Cloth Diapering at a Home Away From Home (my recent post on KellyWels.com about cloth diapering while living with family)

Roadtrippin’ With 2 Kid and Cloth Diapers

Roadtrippin’ With 2 Kids and Cloth Diapers Pt. 2

Last Minute Trip to Texas (and packed cloth)

Traveling With Cloth Diapers (with map of travels)

Using a Diaper Service on trip to Las Vegas

This post is part of the Real Diaper Week BlogHop hosted by The Eco Chic.  Visit her blog to see the other entries for today.  Don’t forget that the Great Cloth Diaper Change is this Saturday.  Help set a World Record for most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.  I’ll be in Charlotte, NC!

If you recall I moved out of Syracuse late February.  It is now April and there is still no date in sight as to when or if we will get the house we have placed an offer on in Tampa.  In the mean time we decided as a family that rather than live in the tiny hotel with four people the boys and I would stay in Charlotte NC with my in-laws.  My husband went to live in Tampa and work.

He visited us this past weekend and we finally took the long overdue trip to Asheville to see the Biltmore.  I’ve been dying to go for years.  We were well aware that the trip wouldn’t be a piece of cake with two young ones.  I packed my {lifesaving} ring sling and the dinky umbrella stroller my mother-in-law purchased for use here in NC.  We managed to walk the entire tour inside the home, most of the gardens, the petting zoo, did a wine tasting, and came home with lots of goodies.

Despite car sickness, a gazzillion stairs, out of the ordinary heat in April, a nasty fall, and many “Moooom I don’t LIKE this place let’s GO!!!”‘s we had a wonderful time together.  Enjoy some photos from our trip to America’s Largest Home!

The boys and I bid farewell to our home in Syracuse NY on February 23.  We boarded a plane and flew to Charlotte, NC to stay with my husband’s family.  Steven, my husband, stayed behind for a week to help pack our things.  After a short visit with us in NC he flew to Tampa, FL to start work at his new office.  The kids and I stayed behind to avoid hotel life as long as possible.

As much as I have been looking forward to moving to Tampa I also have to keep my own sanity and the well being of my children the number one priority.  Living with family so far has been great for everyone.   My boys love spending time with their Oma and Pawpaw and they have made friends with the entire cul-de-sac of children.  Each evening they get to play outside (the weather was too cold for that back in NY) and they go to bed officially exhausted.  It has been wonderful!

I have even been able to meet with a fellow cloth diapering mom- Stacy, owner of Jack be Natural, on a few different occasions.  It is always fun to make friends with someone who shares your passions in life.

The best part about staying with family has been that I haven’t cooked a meal or done any laundry (except cloth diapers, I wash those) for 2 weeks!

The worst part has been being apart from my husband.  We all miss him but technology has helped.  We Facetimed before bed and he told Fletcher a story while I poured him a glass of milk.  He even played a game of peek-a-boo with Everett who was laughing hysterically.

Finding time to work has been a challenge but I’m doing my best to keep up with emails and comments from Facebook and adding content to the blog.  I also have an exciting new product coming soon that I can’t wait to share.  The timing could be better but I’m working hard to make it available for sale soon.  It is NOT a cloth diaper.

Here are a few pictures from our time in Charlotte so far.  I’ve been having so much fun capturing our time here in photos.

With Oma in the Sunroom

Running with Oma (or is it from...)

Playing with Pawpaw outside

Sitting with the neighbor

Cruising the neighborhood

Showing his true, goofy self

Playing cars and jets with the neighbor

At the end of this month my family will be relocating from Syracuse, NY to Tampa, FL.  I’ve hinted at some Big Changes coming our way and now I can finally tell everyone.  My husband is being transferred to a different office and we couldn’t be happier.  Syracuse was never home for us, partly because we knew this day would come eventually, and partly because we never felt like we fit in.

Living life in limbo- never feeling settled, never buying a home because you know you will be leaving it at an unknown time, and never investing in friendships for the same reason; these have been tough years.  Both of my boys were born in Syracuse, one at a hospital and one in the home we currently live in.  It will be bittersweet to leave the place they were born.  But again, I never considered Syracuse home for us.

I had never moved states until we moved here to NY, previously I lived in North Carolina.  The biggest move I ever made was from Salisbury to Charlotte.  It wasn’t traumatic to move.  Only after we found out we were expecting did the reality set in that my child would not have any family nearby.  Now that we have two children it has been a struggle to live without a “village” and stay sane.  The closest I have come to having a village has been my weekly Friday babysitter.  She has come once a week for four hours a day since Fletcher was 21 months old.  She has helped me learn to leave my children without feeling guilty.  When my husband was out of town and I suffered an eye injury that left me unable to open my eye and I was in terrible pain she came and cared for the kids while I moaned in pain.  (Seriously, an eye injury severe enough is worse than any pain I’ve felt before and leaves you utterly useless).  Today I realized next week will be her last day with the kids and that is so sad for us both.  I lucked out in finding someone I trust and she loves my boys.

We have been looking at homes for quite some time and finally settled on one that we agreed would be perfect for our family.  Unfortunately the home is a “Short Sale” which means we may not even know if our bid was accepted for another 3-6 months.  We’ve decided to take the chance and live in a hotel for a few months, then re-evaluate the situation in April.

I’m still in pretty heavy denial even though we have known for years this day would come.  We’ve only known with 80% certainty that moving would be in the next few months since September, and only last month did we get the official timeline.  What a frustrating 6 months this has been.

I think as a family we are excited.  We are looking forward to having more family friendly activities to do and better weather to do it in.  We are also hopeful that our family will actually visit us.  Unfortunately there are no selling points to our town unless you like snow.  Yes, it does hurt that practically no one came to visit us during our 5 years here except for my husband’s parents.  Typically Syracuse is cold and covered in snow up to 6 months a year.  Strangely, this year we have seen almost no snow.  It’s like the city is mocking us for wanting to leave that white stuff behind and begging us to reconsider.

Many people see Syracuse to Tampa as a huge move, and logistically, it is.  Things are getting increasingly complicated.  We have 3 cars, a house full of stuff, and 2 kids. In my mind it isn’t as huge, geographically, because I felt like I never left North Carolina.  I’ve already shaved off half the miles right there!

What moving means to DDL

Obviously I cannot continue working on DDL with as much fervor as I normally do.  There may be many days between posts and my videos might not post every Monday as I am used to doing.  Because I have known for a very long time I have been filming in advance, however, the date kept getting pushed farther down… I’ve got 5 reviews filmed but after that I don’t think I’ll be able to film in a hotel.  If we are moved in earlier than expected I might not miss too many weeks.

I’ve also enlisted the help of some friends to fill in with a few guest posts.  I hope my readers will enjoy a fresh perspective since I am quite the cloth diaper veteran at this point.  I often forget what it felt like to know absolutely nothing!

Wish us luck as we start a new adventure!

See you later winter….. hello palm trees!

My family and I just returned home from a short notice trip to Tampa, Florida.  This was our first plane trip as an entire family since Everett joined us.  I’ve been places with just Everett, and prior to him being born we have taken many plane trips with just Fletcher.  Having two children can certainly make things logistically challenging.  We chose to take 2 car seats and check them, plus luggage for 2 adults, two kids, diaper bag for the plane trip, laptop bag for husband’s work, snacks, and a few toys.

I’ll be talking about why we went to Tampa at a later date, but for now I’d like to list out a few of the tips I use for flying with kids that have been successful.  Flying was the least stressful part of our trip considering we were almost stuck in Orlando, 1.5 hours from our hotel, with no way to rent a car or leave the airport.  LONG STORY, but believe me when I tell you it would make a great new movie in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series…

Tip 1:  Bring a Ring Sling!

Unless you are really keen on back carries a ring sling is the perfect airport carrier.  It can be compacted and rolled into your diaper bag, it works for any age baby, can be used for a hip carry, tummy to tummy, and the kangaroo hold (for younger babies with head support).  Not only is it good to keep your hands free at the airport- it doubles as a nursing cover if you want one, and I even use it to wrap around myself and the baby while they sit in your lap.  Talk about versatile!  Oh….. and if you need to cover the little one or need a makeshift pillow it can do that too.  I love my Soft-Structure Carriers like my Boba but with the buckles and bulk it isn’t quite as convenient at the airport.

I used my ring sling to cover the top of my breast while Ev nursed

Tip 2:  Let em’ Roam

I hate flying with crawling age babies because I am a firm believer in letting them roam while waiting for the plane, whether it be before the first flight or on a layover.  Babies and toddlers can’t grasp the concept of “sitting still” as well as we do, so giving them plenty of exercise before a flight will hopefully “get the wiggles” out enough that they are willing to sit and read books, color, or play a game.  This trip my husband and I took turns walking the aisles of the airport.  At one point my boys started holding hands and walking…. trust me when I tell you that this sight made the day of many travelers and weary pilots.  Everyone that passed let out an “awwwww…”

Roaming the halls

Tip 3:  Find a Safe Play Area

Tip 3 goes right along with Tip 2.  For non mobile and crawling babies, if you can find an airport play area, use it.  If it is disgusting beyond belief then make a judgement call.  Not every airport has a play area though.  I ASSUMED Orlando would have one considering it probably has more pint sized travelers than any other airport in the US but I was wrong.  They did have an arcade and we chose this as our play area… Fletcher got to play some games and even Steven and I got to kill time and play games like air hockey and pinball.  Everett was entertained by the flashing lights and noise.  Win/Win/Win.

Tip 4: Bring Strategic Entertainment

In the past my diaper bag has been packed to max capacity with activities for Fletcher.  I even brought a puppet at one point…. With two boys I had to think in terms of what items they could both share and what would entertain them the longest.  For Fletcher we let him pack his own tiny backpack that he would carry around.  He chose to bring a few tiny trains, a monster truck, a sticker, a lego train, a train book, and a piece of his motorcycle game.  I packed Everett’s 2 favorite board books and some snacks (including pouches which are the perfect airport snack food for both boys).  The final piece of the entertainment puzzle was the iPad.  It is space saving and contains more than enough games to occupy both boys.  We also have a few shows for the really desperate times.  The books for Everett and the tiny trains for Fletcher were the most used.  I read and re-read Quiet, Loud 100 times.  You can also get creative- whn the light was just right we did shadow puppets!

Tip 5:  Let the Kid have the Window

If you have a child with a seat then let them have the window.  It will give them a wall to rest their head if they sleep, and they might like seeing the view.  If they are terrified then you can always switch places and close the window.

Tip 6:  Bring Noise Cancelling Headphones/ Ear Plugs

The first flight with Fletcher had him yelling that he didn’t like the airplane.  In the airport he explained that he thought it was loud.  On our return trip we gave him the noise cancelling headphones and he promptly fell asleep.  If your kid will let you put in ear plugs you can try that too.

Fletcher wearing headphones and sleeping

Tip 7: Forget the Routine

If your life is dictated by naps schedules and set meal and snack times then you may want to lose your watch.  If 12:00 rolls around and you make your child nap at the airport while waiting for the plane then they will be wired and ready to roll once boarding comes.  I always keep them up as long as possible before we board, even if they look like zombies.  This paid off big time when it was time for our second flight on the way home.  By take-off Everett had already passed out on my lap.  Even after napping far later than normal they still went to bed at a reasonable time that night.

Both kids snoozing soundly on me

I’ve learned over the years to care less about the other passengers and just worry with making the trip as easy and enjoyable as possible for my kids. I used to be so tense and stressed if one child cried or yelled that my energy was spent frantically making them stop. Of course crying isn’t good but it is normal, especially during take-off and landing. if you are nursing then putting the baby on the breast during those times will help their ears pop. Older kids can be given a drink or snack to swallow. Bigger kids can have gum if you allow it.

What are your favorite travel tips with children or babies?

The best part of ABC Kids Expo, the largest Juvenile Products Convention in the US- is not seeing all of the new products.  For me, the highlight of ABC Kids Expo is meeting the faces behind the name. 

Unless you were there or have been before it is impossible to grasp the enormity that is ABC Kids.  This was my second year attending; my first time was in 2009 when the conference was in Las Vegas.  This year it was held in Louisville, Kentucky.  Again, I brought my nursling.  Everett is 11 months old and still very much dependent on Mommy.  I assumed, like his brother in 2009, that Everett would ride in a carrier and nap on me when he needed it.  I also assumed he would nurse in the carrier like we have done a million times before.  I was wrong.

Poor Everett wasn’t happy at the conference.  He refused to be worn more than a few minutes at a time.  He wouldn’t nap, and he would only nurse in the quietest of rooms with no one around.  We survived, but it was tough.  I only had a few days to meet with the close 80 booths I had planned to visit, and at least 30 were cloth diaper related.  Luckily my friend Emily from Giving Diapers, Giving Hope was there with me.  She was an enormous help.  I’m not sure what I would have done without her.

On Day 1 my first stop was at the Pumpease booth but Wendy had stepped out so I ran to the bumGenius booth to get to see their new Freetime, Flip Trainer, and the new colors and prints in person.  I have met Jenn, Heather, and Libby before but as always it was good to see them.

I have been tweeting with @HygeiaKate for years and I feel like we have known each other for a lifetime.  Kate was a MUST MEET on my list so I hit the Hygeia booth, which was also a beautiful nursing area, and gave lots of hugs to Kate and Syliva (who I met at the HauteGreen Party in San Diego last month.)  I finally got to meet Wendy of Pumpease that day as well!  Lara (@mamapeardesigns) was working the Pumpease booth and it was fun to see her again too.  

Another long time Twitter friend on my list was Marissa Evans, former owner of Growing Green Bums.  Funny enough, we were supposed to be roomates for the 2010 ABC Kids Expo, but that was before I found out that Everett was due the same day as the Expo started.  Her new baby, born at home not long ago, was snuggled in his Moby and she was so sweet and as nice as I pictured in person.

Amy from Just West of Crunchy was there as well.  It was awesome to meet her and her adorable daughter (seriously, she is just beautiful) and I hate that we didn’t get a picture together!  She had a ton of fun playing with my Everett and I think she has the baby fever now!

I ran into to Emi from The Cloth Diaper Report in the nursing room while I tried on a few nursing bras.  She basically saw me nude at our first meeting!

Allison from Nummies Bras was so busy!  I am so sad I couldn’t chat with her more.  I love her tweets and she is just the nicest person on Twitter and in real life.  The good news is that every time I passed her booth she was talking to buyers, but that also meant I didn’t get to stop in.  

I met Tereson Dupuy, inventor of Fuzibunz, and she showed us around the new products coming from the brand.  

On Sunday I was able to meet Kim Ormsby, the woman behind GroVia.  It was so cool to tell her that her product, Gro Baby, was my first video review and the inspirtation behind what I do today.  I’m really excited about their new training pant and I think it is going to be a hit.  I also got to peek at Sully, who is just a few months younger than Everett.  He was sleeping in his stroller and cuddled up with his blanket.  So sweet!

I am a HUGE fan of Mommy Necklaces, and have been for years since becoming a mom.  I’ve emailed Raelynn, the woman behind the brand, many times.  She was one of the first brands to work with me on a giveaway when I started blogging many years ago.  That has always meant a lot to me.  I can’t tell you how amazing it was to meet her and talk with her about Mommy Necklaces, their stellar values and customer service, their beautiful photography, and grandmothers.  Raelynn and I have a lot in common.  I’ll also be hosting a special giveaway for their newest nursing necklace soon. 

You know @BabyGuyNYC?  I ran into him too!  He is tall and handsome and too funny!  This guy knows his baby stuff!  

It was great to run into the retailers I know from Twitter that recognized me.  Then, I got to reunite with old friends like Calley (@TheEcoChic), Katie (@KatiePickles), and Deirdrea (@HotMamaGowns).   Deirdra is so great and the lip balm she was giving out was probably the best booth swag there!  I am using it all the time now!

The people I got to hang out with over the last few days are some of the most talented, sweet, and amazing people on the planet!  If only ABC was every day, but without the sore feet, bad food, and sketchy convention center staff….

It is going to take some time to recover from this trip and the RDIA meetings that end tomorrow.  I have so much to share still!  I know I am forgetting people but please forgive me, I am exhausted and packing for my flight tomorrow!

If you are tired of reading about BlogHer posts then I have good and bad news.

Bad news: this post is about BlogHer ’11.

Good news: this is my last Blogher ’11 post.

Now, get ready for Stream of Consciousness writing with no timeline.  Forget the rules of good blogging, grammar, spelling, and sense.

People:

A lot of our Tweeps in one place!

I was fortunate to meet some really amazing women (and men) at BlogHer.  One way that I got to meet (almost) everyone on my list was by attending the Haute Green Social Hour Party on Thursday.  I also happened to be a co-host.  I was able to hug @KatiesPickles, @TheEcoChic, @ClothDiaperGeek, @KellyWels, @HauteMommyBlog, @HygeiaSylvia, @MamaPearDesigns, @EcoNuts, @PhDinParenting, @BabyRabies, @DagmarBleasedale, and so many more it isn’t funny.  These are my TWEEPS!  I love them and I loved meeting them for the first time.  I met many more new people too, which is kinda the point, yes?

My friend came to visit me who is local to San Diego.  Unfortunately it was short but at least I got to hug her neck.  She is hoping for a Homebirth any day now and I am wishing her the best of luck and can’t wait to hear about it.  Thanks Lyndsey!

At the conference I also met @TwoPretzels and @TheGrumbles.  I think I want to run away with both of them.  We were at the same table for the Saturday Night Keynote.  Ricki Lake spoke about women in the media and about her little movie, you know, The Business of Being Born.  I was a wreck about being late for this one so my roomie and I took a PediCab for a 20 minute walk.  It was fun, and 20$ well spent.

That's me and Ricki Lake, Ya'll!

I mentioned before that I was hoping to meet Ricki Lake. I have been tweeting at her and her new show’s Twitter Handle @TheRickiLakeShow for a few weeks now.  Not in a stalkery way, I hope.  I was asked to meet up with Ricki and other bloggers after the speech at the Tequila Bar by the pool of our hotel.  Margaritas were dispensed and I felt positively minute in the company of some amazing women.  I knew that Amy Lupold (@ResourcefulMom) would be there as well so I took the opportunity earlier that day to introduce myself after her session on Professional Blogging.  This was a great decision.  I saw a friendly face in the crowd.  Later on others I knew made it, including Annie of PhDinParenting.  I was able to chat with Ricki Lake, have a photo taken (SQUEE), and then talk to folks from the show.  I may have talked the ear of of a producer for almost 30 minutes about cloth diapers.  He may have sounded very interested in them.  And I may be crossing my fingers that they decide to talk about them on her new show coming in September 2012.

Other Highlights:

In the PediCab with Julie

Watching my roomie, Julie AKA the Cloth Diaper Geek, dance the night away at Sparklecorn.  Eating part of a Unicorn’s butt.  Decorating a few adult toys with googly eyes.  Hopping in a Photobooth with @BebehBlog and making silly faces.  Getting tattooed and having an invitation to “Lick me” written on the back of my neck at Aiming Low.  Eating cheeseburgers taken from silverdomed servingware.  Being filmed eating sausage on a stick.  Taking a Pedicab with Julie (@ClothDiaperGeek).  Joining a Pumping Party.  And of course being a part of the 300 oz+ breastmilk donation.

If it weren’t for Twitter I would have missed the Queen Bee Market, anadorable suite at the Hilton, full of handmade goods.  It was seriously like Etsy threw up in a room.  I could have spent hours and hours there, and hundreds of dollars.  Luckily I only had 10 minutes to spare so I bought a flower for my hair and a ring for my finger.

The Swag:

If you have heard of BlogHer you mostly hear about the swag.  I was either doing it wrong, or doing it right.  I came home with a suitcase full of a few samples and coupons, that is it.  Toothpaste, detergent, 2 bracelets, a DVD, some *ahem* toys, a water bottle, a sponge, stationary, Angry Bird Keychain, and a neti pot.  I didn’t win anything, I didn’t party hop to procure swag, I didn’t run through the Expo Hall grabbing stuff, and I stayed true to myself.  I’m going to be honest and say that I was a tad jealous of the cool stuff I saw, but it is a lot of work to swag it up.  The people with the most swag are either really famous and had it coming at them hand over fist, or good at party hopping.  They also probably missed most of the official stuff in order to swag hop.

More Photos:

At SparkleCorn with Molly

Yumm. I had a million Twizzlers

I would love to bore you with what I LEARNED at BlogHer but my kids won’t sit still long enough for me to make it coherent.

Next year BlogHer is back in New York City.  I am 2 parts excited, and 1 part nervous.  I have never been and I am terrified of traveling there alone.  San Diego is nothing compared to NYC.  Yes, I live 4 hours away from NYC and never go there.  Sad, yes?  See you next year BlogHer!

Thanks again to Swaddlebees and Boba for their generous sponsorship that got me to BlogHer and to the other companies that made my boobies weigh less, look perkier, and be more productive!

I returned home Sunday evening from attending BlogHer ’11, the largest female blogging conference around.  My goal was to learn new things at the numerous sessions that were held by leading bloggers and to network with/ get fan-girly over the many bloggers I follow or converse with.

I was able to do all of those things (and more) but this post has nothing to do with that and everything to do with the thing that hung over my trip like a {leaking} black cloud: My Lactating Boobs.

I chose to leave both of my children, including the nursing one, at home with their dad.  I pumped every day for a month and saved 140 ounces of breastmilk for him (my original goal was 100).  Then I had to leave him.  Unfortunately there is no such thing as a temporary “Shut Off”  valve for boobs.  They are on until the baby is finished.

I have said it before: I despise pumping. There is never a convenient time to pump.  At home it required the attendance of my husband to watch the kids so they didn’t get into trouble or the voo-doo magic of television.  Without kids, pumping is quite a bit easier in many ways but at a hectic and overbooked conference who wants to run to a hotel room and sit stationary while being milked?

I didn’t want to but that is what I did.

The journey began on Thursday.  I left for the airport at 3:30 am for a 5:40 am flight.  I made sure to nurse my son on both sides when he woke up at about 2:40 am.  I packed my Hygeia Enjoye in a purse along with clear plastic bags for parts, bags for milk, and the bottles and flanges in another bag.

Luckily the Hygeia Enjoye, when charged, can be used without being plugged in!

My first flight was only 45 minutes and by the time it was over I was so ready to pump!  The problem was that I only had half an hour between flights.  My next flight was in another terminal and required being shuttled over.  I rushed to the gate and it had just started boarding.  I had an important decision to make: Skip pumping and risk exploding all over the plane and/or trying to either hand express or pump in an airplane bathroom, or, pump in a small window of 20 minutes and risk missing my flight!

I made a rash decision and bumped my way to the gate attendants.

A quick glance of the airport let me know that it was too busy to attempt pumping in a secluded corner so I went to the bathroom.  I have only nursed in a bathroom once in my life but pumping is not as discreet.

I packed myself, a rolling suitcase, and a giant purse into the stall and set about trying to screw in bottles, insert tubing, put on my Hands Free Nursing Bra from Pumpease, and keep the pump balanced on my suitcase.  I turned the dial to ON and relied on the quiet pump coupled with the busting bathroom to disguise what was going on.

That experience turned me into a permanent believer in, and cheerleader of, the Pumpease.  I actually stood there and was pumped while Tweeting and taking photos of myself since I wanted to share the hilarity.

Right as I began squeezing Lefty to get the rest out since he is a bad pumper I heard the intercom announce that everyone on flight blah blah needed to be on board bound for San Diego.  Shit.

I put my parts back in the bags, threw myself back together, washed my hands and ran!  The male attendant and I smiled at one another and the next leg of travel began.

I strongly considered trying to pump on the plane since my seatmate was snoozing and I had a pleasant position in the bulkhead but I held off until landing.

Once on the ground I booked it to the nearest bathroom to relieve myself.  This time I saved my milk since freshly expressed breastmilk can stay out before being refrigerated/frozen for 4 hours.

The rest of the weekend and conference I had the luxury of pumping in my hotel room.  I even took my pump to another attendee’s room (Jenn of Life With Levi) who held a Pumping Party in her room.  many of the participants also donated their breast milk along with me (more on this tomorrow, but read more about my initial plans here).  I will admit to missing out on quite a few things due to the pumping.  I don’t regret it but it is part of the package.

Admittedly, I was a bad pumper.  On my busiest days I only pumped 4 times when I should have gotten to it at least 5 times.  The first full day and night in San Diego I woke at 5 am totally engorged since my son nurses at night.  I hand expressed in the bathroom enough to let me go back to sleep until a more reasonable hour to pump!

The biggest lessons I learned from being an EP (Exclusively Pumping) Mom for 4 days:

• Breastfeeding is Way Easier.
• Pumping takes more Prep Time and Clean-up time.
• Working Moms who Pump have a ton of logistical challenges, especially when faced with nowhere to pump.
• Traveling and Flying Moms who pump have it even harder.  There is no telling where your layover will be and what facilities you will have to pump in.
• To avoid washing parts all of the time store them in a freezer bag in your fridge between sessions (reader tip)
• Hand compressing your breast while pumping is helpful if you have a stubborn boob that doesn’t want to drain.
• A great Double Electric Pump is needed and a battery powered one is worth every penny.
• A hands free nursing bra will save your life.
• Keep a dribble cloth handy.

Pumping is HARD work when you consider the alternative of either breastfeeding a baby directly, or bottle feeding a baby formula.  In the earliest days of my first son’s life a pediatrician told me that it was OK to give up, some babies just don’t ever latch properly.  I could do as his wife did and just pump and bottle feed.  (Yes, a Pediatrician actually told me this!)

I thought hard about his statement.  My baby would still be geting breastmilk afterall, and I could skip the torturous nursing sessions that were leaving me shaking and crying from the pain.  Instead, I decided I would work with the Lactation Consultant and use a Nipple Shield until we had this thing figured out.

Even though I was about to breastfeed successfully there are certainly warranted cases of mothers who need to pump full time, and those who pump while working or away.  I already knew how admirable that was (seriously, pumpin’ mamas get my respect) but after experiencing EP first hand for 4 days I admire them even more!  Pumping gives the baby the benefit of breastmilk but requires so much more work.  It also made me understand a little more why some mothers end up switching to formula after they return to work.  I am so lucky to get to stay home with my boys and that makes breastfeeding so easy.  I honestly don’t know what would happen if I had to work for it.

Tomorrow’s Post will be about the 300+ Ounces of Breastmilk collected from over 10 moms at BlogHer to be donated.  Rock on.

Even though I’m being sponsored by these companies in some way I am telling the truth when I say that I love them!  Thanks again to Swaddlebees and Boba for their generous sponsorship that got me to BlogHer and to the other companies that made my boobies weigh less, look perkier, and be more productive!

One of the hardest things about planning to go to my first blogging conference- BlogHer ’11 in San Diego this August- was deciding to leave my nursling at home with his father. My son will be 10 months old when I go.  Many people think 10 months is almost time to wean but not me.  I’ll be nursing my son until he is ready to wean, whenever that is.

Other than physically leaving my two boys and husband, the next cause for concern came when I realized I needed to pump enough milk to last for the 4 days I would be gone. Yikes!  That is a tall order, especially since I only have a single pump.  And pumping while gone with a single?  That would be a nightmare!  It would take twice the time to relieve my breasts.  Instead, I’ll be pumping with a Hygeia Double Electric. {Full Disclosure- they are sending the pump free of charge as my Pump Sponsor for BlogHer}

And what about while I’m away? Traveling with breast milk is something I am very afraid of.

I’ve read the stories of women who have had to fight with the TSA about their breast milk and in many cases they either missed their flight or had their milk X-Rayed.

Like this one.

Or this one.

Or this one.

All because of breast milk.  You know, that amazing fluid designed for babies that meets all of their nutritional needs and is formulated to suit them at every age and stage? Yeah.  It just so happens to be dispensed through a nipple on those jiggly things men like to look at called Boobs.

Even though theoretically the law and TSA regulations are on my side I just don’t want to chance it.

That is why I have decided to donate the milk that I pump while in San Diego to a local family through a peer milk sharing program (Most likely Eats on Feets Southern CA).  I will have 3 full days worth of breast milk which will translate to about 80-110 ounces.  I’ve never exclusively pumped but I am just guessing based off of what I get from each breast when I do a single pump, and have multiplied that by how many times I will likely pump while away each day.    I realize this isn’t a ton but I know it can be of help to someone. I would much rather donate it than risk losing it or contaminating it at the airport. Plus the logistics of a full day of flying with a cooler of breastmilk makes my head hurt.

If you are pumping at BlogHer and want to skip the hassle of traveling home with milk, don’t let it go to waste! We can all donate our milk together to one family or you can find a family to donate to individually. I will create a group either on BlogHer or on Facebook if there is enough interest, just let me know in the comments.

I do not have a recipient lined up yet for my milk in San Diego.  In case others wish to donate with me we could potentially donate all of our milk to one family.  As a reminder, peer to peer milksharing (more on this) is something both parties will willing go into fully aware of the risks involved. There will be no money exchanged and the milk will not be screened.  It is up to me to be forthcoming about what could be in my milk (dairy or other ingested foods that could cause an allergic reaction in some babies, or even alcohol) and the recipient to understand those things.  If I do drink while away chances are I will dump the milk I pump after since I am donating it.  I do feel comfortable breastfeeding my own baby after one or two drinks but others may not.

I am absolutely terrified of coming home to a baby who no longer want to breastfeed but multiple people have reassured me that he will go right back to the breast when I get home.  At least I know that my milk won’t go to waste while I’m away.

Are you a Lactacting Lady going to BlogHer ’11?  Would you consider breast milk donation?  If so leave a comment!  If enough people are interested I’ll create a group to help plan this potential multi-donor transaction with a local San Diego family.

This guest post is from The Pedal Powered Family.  I first learned about their adventure after they signed up for the Flats Challenge.  I asked Heidi if she would write a guest post about using cloth diapers and touring North and Central America by bicycle with 2 children!  I hope you will all follow their journey on their blog or Facebook Page.

It would have been difficult to take on the Flats and Handwashing Challenge while living at home – having the washing and drying capabilities and a good stash of fitted diapers that worked fantastically, I didn’t want to invest in another type of diaper. You would think that doing this challenge would have been even more difficult to attempt while travelling, however that’s when I realized that unless I did so, I wouldn’t be able to continue cloth diapering at all during the next year, as I would be spending the next year on my bike.

On May 21st, I left with my family (myself, husband, and 2 kids ages 4 and 18 months) on a year long North and Central American bike tour. We’ve gone on shorter bike trips in the past where it has always been easier to just switch to disposable diapers for the duration of each journey, but we didn’t want to compromise our eco-friendly values for an entire year as we continued to diaper little Harper on the road.

Better for Babies generously supplied us with a complete collection of fitted diapers and wool covers for our travels. We wanted to utilize wool covers as we would only need a rotation of 2 or 3, and wool doesn’t need to be washed very frequently. When they do require washing, they have a pretty long dry time, so we did take along a few Bummi’s Super Whisper Wraps for back up. After using the fitted organic cotton velour diapers from Better for Babies for several weeks prior to the start of our bike trip, we determined that they work very well, fit great, and never leaked. However, they did take forever to line dry. So we looked into flats as a faster-drying solution. Re-diaper, our local cloth diaper resource supplied us with some Osocosy flats. We learned how to fold them and have since taken 13 of them on our travels. We also took 9 flat hemp inserts, figuring this would be about a two day supply.

We have been on the road for about a week, and the diapering is going pretty smoothly. We wash each diaper as it is dirtied in whatever resource we have – a hotel bathtub, sink at a campground or in a bathroom in a gas station. Then we dry them on the back of the sun shade attached to my husband’s bicycle and they dry in the sun and wind. One night, we did a load of about 8 flats in a hotel bathroom and they were almost completely dry by morning after hanging all over the hotel room.

Ok. I’m struggling here. I have a confession. The diapers are currently in an electric dryer and I’m cheating. However, there was no way around this situation! Being on the road by bicycle means you are out in the weather almost 24 hours a day. And it has rained straight the last 2 days! We have no indoor drying rack as we are sleeping in a tent so the diapers had to be dried in a dryer. For this challenge I may have cheated but I’ll make up for it by participating in the handwashing challenge for the next year as we continue to travel by bicycle around the continent. {Editor’s Note- You are totally forgiven!  Your dedication to cloth on your journey more than makes up for using a dryer this week!}

Pros – we continue to use cloth diapers while travelling and don’t contribute to the mounting landfills with diapers that will never decompose; Harper is happier in cloth!
Cons – handwashing each individual diaper as we can uses so much water and takes a considerable amount of time – 7-10 min per diaper can equal almost 1 hour of the day – we have to wash them when we can as we can never predict where the next available resource to wash them will be; unpredictable and rainy weather means that we will be using a dryer when we have to; flats don’t contain poop as well as fitted diapers which means our wool covers will need washing more frequently which may be a challenge due to their drying time.

So far, this handwashing challenge has been just that – a challenge. I admit, I sometimes long for a disposable diaper that I can just throw in the next trash can. I dread every time I see Harper straining with his next #2 because I know I’ll have to scrape it out and get my hands dirty. But it does warm my heart every time the diapers dry within an hour on the bicycle or over a lunch rest stop hanging on a fence. Perhaps my next stop should be looking into “elimination communication” to eliminate the messy parts of this challenge… {Editor’s note: I posted about EC coincidentally today, check it out}

About The Pedal Powered Family: We are a family of four seeking to live simply, give generously, and travel slowly on our bikes. On May 21, 2011 we plan to live out our dream of exploring our continent on a year-long, 20,000km bicycle tour, starting and finishing at our home in Hamilton, Ontario.