Outside
In general, if my kids are playing outside, I tend to put pants or shorts over a soaker. This keeps my woolie free of debris. Most of the time that is. I can't always help it if they're at Grandma's or friends come over and they want to go out RIGHT NOW. And that's ok. It never hurts to wash a little extra. If we're camping I leave my nice woolies at home and use good ol' PUL! With flats. Easy washing, so you have no stinky diaper bag in the car on the way home.
Wet or Cold Weather
In wet or super cold weather it's very easy to just toss snow pants on over longies. Just make sure that you tuck the longies into the snow pants to keep them away from wet weather. Then make sure cuffs of snow pants are tucked safely inside snow boots to keep toes warm. Tall rubber boots are a great option for warm rainy days, but I"d put them on over thick jeans, which would of course be layered over a soaker.
On the Run
If you're running errands all day long, pack an extra pair of woolies if you tend to change less often than when you stay home. I pack 1 fitted diaper for every 1 1/2 hours I will be gone. This is a little much, I know. You never know when you're little one will pick a moment to explode. You also never know when you'll be stuck somewhere longer than you'd planned. (Says the girl who, on Christmas morning was stuck in a snow drift for what seemed like hours while prego with Lil' Gee while Dizzy was pretty little. That was not my fault.) If I'm going to be packing more than 6 diapers I plan on leaving a stash of 2-3 in my bag to carry in, and the rest in the car. If needed I'll keep a large wet bag in the car to empty my smaller one that's attached to my bag. With this system a cloth only mom could technically just carry a purse with 1 diaper and small wetbag (with a pocket for wipes of course). As far as what wool to put on them? Depends on the weather:) Use your best judgement. On the most humid of days or the wettest, put shorts, jeans, sweats or fleece (my favorite for cool wet weather, as it also has some water repelling qualities) over the soaker.
Going away for the weekend?
On short trips going all cloth is easy and doable! Just find the system that works for you! Really!! For me, and I will be traveling soon enough to do it, that would be longies (bcs it's cold!) and fitteds. I"ll have to have some prefolds unless I want to be up until midnight sewing. Trying to travel light, saving space for souvenirs or flying? I'd suggest weighing the cost/convenience of packing all those space hogging diapers. You may find using 'sposies would be a better option for you. Don't feel guilty about it, just do it. Keep in mind you probably wont need to wash your woolies, but do grab an extra one or two just in case something disasterous happens. Pack a woolie refreshing lanolin spray, such as available from CJ's all natural. In a pinch you can do a quick rinse and spray to help keep your woolies presentable. As far as the cloth itself goes? Make sure you'll be able to wash where you're at. We'll be visiting relatives this month or next and I plan on checking first to make sure they wont mind me washing diapers in their home. I"m not willing to go to a laundro mat while on vacation, so there. Make sure to take your washing stuff with you. Use a plastic container for powder or a travel bottle for liquid. Don't repurpose a bottle, use a brand new one for this. Save it for future excursions. You wouldn't want residue to cause stink on your diapers would you? Double check to see if they have a high efficiency or old washer. If you're used to washing in one type of machine and they have the other. . . don't chance it. If you're lucky enough to know how to use both with out causing problems on your diapers, then great! Using a HE on cloth diapers the first time, can cause problems with out a lot of research.
What if it's crazy hot out?
Well, in my humble opinion, skip diapers all together! ha! We're lucky enough to have all wood flooring, expect where we have tile. When it's hot out I leave mobile babies in undies or naked. I also use fitteds w/out any cover at all in hot weather. Then, every so often, walk around with a prefold under your foot and catch any wet messes. Solid messes are usually contained in undies:) If you're child is regular enough, then you could guess when to put a diaper on them! Going outside? Great! nothing to mop up then! Do not let them wander naked outdoors though. You don't know what creeps are watching, nor do you want them getting scratches in places that a diaper may hold wet material against.
I hope this helps! Please comment with any questions!
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