When we told people we were taking our 10 month old camping, the biggest reaction was to our decision to cloth diaper the whole trip. While it did seem daunting, we packed our small cloth stash (along with wipes and wet bag) and purchased clothesline, a package of clothespins, and enough free & clear detergent for a week. We did break down and buy a pack of disposables but not until day 6. Up until then, we hand washed (mostly foot washed actually, but I’ll get to that) in the campground showers and made two trips to the local laundromat.

Washing by foot

I am not sure what the rules are, but it seemed pretty obnoxious to hand wash a whole bag of pee-soaked diapers in a public sink. So I opted for the shower, which was at least private (in other words, no one knew I was washing pee-soaked diapers in there). My first go went well but my clothes got soaked. For the next load I just did the diapers during my actual shower, deep conditioning my hair while stomping on soapy diapers. I poured on detergent, agitated them as much as possible, then hand rinsed and squeezed out each one. I’m not about to adopt the same method at home but it did work.

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This upcoming Saturday, my family leaves for our annual camping trip. This will be the first time with Sebastian, as this time last year I was very pregnant. Since last year I have been excited to attend the campout with my baby but now that the date is getting closer, truth be told I’m a bit nervous.

‘The campout’ is a yearly event for families with adopted children through the same agency. My husband was one of those kids, adopted from South Korea when he was nine months old, and he has been attending the campout every year since he was four. This will be my fifth year there. The campout consists of roughly 100 families, taking up two loops of a campground. Although the first couple years were overwhelming, it is a lot of fun now, but there are some things I’m a little bit apprehensive about.

I will have a 10 month old at a campsite for seven days. That is seven days of keeping him away from campfires, finding places for him to crawl around safely, protecting him from over-stimulation, and seven nights of sleeping in a tent. If you have any tips for camping with a not quite walking almost-toddler, please share! I do know that we will probably be running our stroller into the ground and I will bring our Rockin’ Baby Sling. We also have some faux grass to lay down over our campsite, and will probably bring our Arm’s Reach (like a Pack ‘N Play). We will also have electricity at our site, and a coffee pot.

We plan on cloth diapering for the duration of the camping trip. Hubs has mentioned picking up disposables and it could come to that, but I am going to try really hard to make it through with cloth! We have a really small stash and at home we run at least one load of diaper laundry per day, depending on how Sebastian does with the potty. I will be doing a lot of hand washing on vacay. There is a laundromat nearby but I’m wary of residue from other people’s detergent. It will be an interesting experience, especially with poop! … When I get home, I will be running a cloth diaper event here on the blog. I am hoping to review all of the brands I have tried and do a couple of giveaways. I figure camping is the ultimate cloth diaper test! Stay tuned after August 14th if you are a fluff junkie.

I really hope we can afford this trip. Last year I did some work from the coffee shop in town, but I really want to just take the week off. We also have to get the car tuned up this week, prep a first aid kit, double check our camping supplies, and a few more money-sucking details. I am also really hoping that we end up with some spending money for souvenirs, local seafood and thrift shopping.

Everyone is going to see my boobs. It is going to be a week filled with lots of public breastfeeding and I hope that no one makes any ignorant comments. I hate to expect the worst of people but I am making sure to have all of my BF facts (laws & recommendations) memorized and ready before we go.

On the upside, I can’t wait to show Sebastian off. Last time I saw these people I was rocking a huge belly, and now he’s almost a year old! I can’t wait to come up with brand new family traditions, and tons of photo ops. I am also stoked on the DIY statement necklace group activity I am hosting at our campsite mid-week. I have lots of inspiration and just need to put together all of the materials before we head out this weekend. I am also just generally excited to camp! There are showers, but we will be sleeping in a tent and roasting ‘mallows and I will probably be drinking wine with my father in law. You can count on a cluster of posts & photos following our vacation. For now, I’d love your camping-with-kiddos stories and advice in the comments!

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