Packing Diapers When Travelling

[Jen Harris]

This question is a pretty simple one. In this era of fees for every checked bag, how do you bring enough diapers to last you during a long trip? I'm going on a week long cruise in december, and I don't want to have to devote all my suitcase space to them! What do you guys do?

[Guest]

Good question. How about a carry-on? If you wear that much you probably have a diaper bag anyway, so just stuff that to the brim with the thinnest diapers of your favorite brands.

[foundationbaby]

I try to estimate how may diapers that I am going to need, but end up buying more when I am out of town. I usually put most of my diapers into my carry on luggage. I have had luggage lost before even if it was only one day, but I am fearful that I will never have enough diapers on hand. It really depends on what your situation is.

[BoSox1985]

I havent brought diapers on a trip that was longer than a weekend, but I have heard that you can actually ship luggage ahead of you to the hotel you are staying at. Im not sure how this would work for a cruise but I might be worth making a phone call and looking into it.

[sarah_ab]

ship the box of diapers and wipes ahead .... call the hotel or cruise line and say you wanted to ship somethings and where should you ship them too and in care of who and if they arrived a day or two ahead of you would they kindly hold the package and voila problem solved

[Peanut-head]

I always hate packing for this reason. Good thing about diaps is they compact quite nicely but still yea they do take a whole suitcase. For me it's a whole large suitcase just for the diapers.

[rosalie.bent]

We have to do this all the time when we travel and it is a major issue because of the size. If we stay in a place that has washing facilities then we take cloth - although they are bulky as well. If we are in a hotel we ship a pack or two of disposables ahaed of time plus take a days worth with us in case of lost luggage (yes, it happens!) IN australia though you can only get decent disposable diapers from medical supply places which are not convenient. The only alternative is the awful depends. So if you think it is hard for you, think of australians. We have to ship everything ahead and hope they get there, dont get opened or damaged etc.

Driving holidays are easier. We take a heap of cloth nappies and plastic pants, baby clothes and toys. Makes for heavy luggage and lots of it but travelling with a baby is always problematic!

Now if only every shop actually stocked decent professional-quality disposable diapers then life would be oh so much easier!

[packrat]

Jen Harris: Consider purchasing several vacuum bags for the trip. If you are unaware of what I'm suggesting, do a web inquiry. The should be available in most metro areas. They are like a giant zip lock bag with airtight seals after they are loaded. Then you connect your vacuum cleaner hose to the bag's attached valve and suck all the air out. You will be amazed at the space reduction. When empty, the vacuum bags take up very little room. This can work on clothing also, and results in a significant reduction in volume; but you need to watch out that you don't load up a large bag and blow the weight limit. Have a great trip!

Rat.

[pvc_pants]

Jen.....I never did it....but I heard of others having diapers shipped to a cruise ship so they are there when you arrive...

[happyindprs]

I don't worry about it. I went to Vegas a year ago with my wife. One entire suitcase was packed with diapers. When we landed and got our bags, there was a sticker on it that indicated that it had be searched. Everything was in order and there was no problem. I would never use cloth diapers on a trip, as disposable diapers are so much more convenient.

[diaperpt]

Wait...the question was based on the cost of extra baggage. If you're talking about shipping bags ahead of time, doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose? yes, it is good advice and is always a possibility, but it doesn't seem to answer the OP's original question.

I went on a 2 1/2 week trip and packed the heck out of my bag, a carry-on bag, and a backpack which fit under the seat as would a pocketbook. And I came back with quite a few extra diapers. It all depends on how precious your packing space is - what you must and/or want to bring other than your diaper supplies.

[Craisler]

You just have to accept the fact that you'll need an extra suitcase. I've travelled a lot. One suitcase is packed with the diapers and the other with my other clothes and stuff I need on the trip. One advantage is that you have plenty of space to bring home souvenirs.

[attendsdiapers]

Not sure which airline you'll be flying, but another alternative is signing up for the airline's credit card, which usually gets you 1-2 checked bags for free, among other benefits.

[gweg]

Not sure which airline you'll be flying, but another alternative is signing up for the airline's credit card, which usually gets you 1-2 checked bags for free, among other benefits.

What a lot of people don't know ... You can have an extra carry on bag for your convenience ... it is called a medical need bag and it can NOT be charged for. I have one every time I fly. Course if you leave a stray bullet in the bottom of this bag the gestapo security gets to go through it and see all your diapers. grrrrrrr Moral never borrow your sons hunting bag for your medical bag and leave one of his shells in a pocket.

[Diaper_Lover_HI]

Ship the diapers ahead to the hotel, I live in Hawaii and most of the Hotels here around the islands are good at receiving boxes for their guests. I fly to the other islands frequently and call ahead and ship the diapers. Sounds a bit like extra work being the longest flight is 1 hour, but to be honest I have carried my diapers in my carry on and have been checked right there in the line.

So to skip all the non-sense I ship my diapers before I travel. Just recently traveled to Thailand and shipped a box of diapers to the hotel where I was staying at, of course I shipped it 3 weeks prior to my travel date. But it was a good deal to be able to wear those diapers once we arrived.

[ucfguy475]

What a lot of people don't know ... You can have an extra carry on bag for your convenience ... it is called a medical need bag and it can NOT be charged for. I have one every time I fly. Course if you leave a stray bullet in the bottom of this bag the gestapo security gets to go through it and see all your diapers. grrrrrrr Moral never borrow your sons hunting bag for your medical bag and leave one of his shells in a pocket.

[gweg]

I called Delta airlines today, and asked about the medical needs bag.

[gweg]

I called Delta airlines today, and asked about the medical needs bag.

[ucfguy475]

The lady on the phone mentioned that assistive device thing, but she phrased it as only mobility aids or oxygen.

[sarah_ab]

you are never charged for CARRY ON baggage... so you can take more than the two allotment if the 3rd or 4th etc.. is for medical equipment.. however for checked baggage you can be charged.... a wheelchair is not considered baggage... but a bag of diapers can be considered this if you want to check it.... checking it is what you do when you get your boarding passes and say bye bye to your luggage until you land and pick it up at baggage claim... a carry on is what you store in the overhead bin... but can also be chcked at the gate, which is often free of charge.

[gweg]

The lady on the phone mentioned that assistive device thing, but she phrased it as only mobility aids or oxygen.

[gweg]

you are never charged for CARRY ON baggage... so you can take more than the two allotment if the 3rd or 4th etc.. is for medical equipment.. however for checked baggage you can be charged.... a wheelchair is not considered baggage... but a bag of diapers can be considered this if you want to check it.... checking it is what you do when you get your boarding passes and say bye bye to your luggage until you land and pick it up at baggage claim... a carry on is what you store in the overhead bin... but can also be chcked at the gate, which is often free of charge.

[sarah_ab]

again two carry's are always free of charge, airlines can simply refuse to allow you a third + carry on.... they wouldn't charge your for more than two they would just not let you have it.... but if it has medical supplies in it, they theoretically need to allow you.. HOWEVER THEY DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEARCH IT! just so people know.... but again, yea no charge for carry ons and for extras if it has legit medical supplies they probably won't argue the point....but with extra carry on's they won't charge you they will just make you check it!

[Bettypooh]

It took some digging but look here: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/Part%20382-2008.pdf On page 68, Section 382.121 which says:

[Guest]

This question is a pretty simple one. In this era of fees for every checked bag, how do you bring enough diapers to last you during a long trip? I'm going on a week long cruise in december, and I don't want to have to devote all my suitcase space to them! What do you guys do?

I just pack a diaper bag or suitcase if I am gonna be gone that long. I usually only go through 2 a day, max, though. I just pay the fee, if there is one.