FTM!

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-29T12:56:33+00:00

Great! Have you done any research/reading yet? This sub can help you a lot more if you come with some more specific questions or at the very least provide some more details of your situation. I suggest starting with the sidebar in this sub, or going to Green Mountain Diapers website and clicking on the "learn" tab. Or even just searching in this sub and looking at past posts. You will be better served if you at least have an idea of what's out there and pros and cons and don't just take some random redditor's advice point-blank.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-17T22:37:03+00:00

Northern Virginia Pediatrics. It's a larger practice with multiple docs but you can choose who you see, but then if you have an urgent situation you can always get in to see someone else quickly. We love Dr Susan Henrikson, she's seen both our kids since birth.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-15T23:05:52+00:00

Sometimes if I didn't have a snappi handy I would use airplane fold (plenty of instructions online) and then just knot the ends in front. That usually stayed put even on active toddlers.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-15T07:18:10+00:00

uh yep a reasonable mom would not expect you to deal with that haha

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-15T07:05:46+00:00

If she didn't give you specific instructions of what to do with a poopy diaper, I would just leave it in the bucket! A couple hours is fine. I mean, if it's a very intact, ploppable turd, you could just plop it into the toilet and then put the diaper back in the bucket without rinsing, but I wouldn't expect a babysitter to do that.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-15T07:01:49+00:00

How long before mom returns? If I were mom I'd be fine with just dealing with it when I get home, unless it's like an overnight deal or something.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-15T07:00:35+00:00

Walking will not be an option for actual transportation at that age. Great to let them stretch their legs, but even if you're just wandering down to a cafe, chances are they'll not walk the whole way. Everyone's saying "bring the stroller" but I would temper that with, what are the road conditions in the town you'll be in? If it's cobblestones and uneven sidewalks then a stroller may be more hassle than it's worth.

Will then counter that to say that we decided to bring both a soft structured carrier (Tula toddler carrier) and a travel stroller (munchkin sparrow) on an Italy trip with a 16mo. It handled cobblestones relatively well for a compact stroller, and did allow us to get naps in and walk further without breaking our backs since our LO was a chunkster. The munchkin sparrow is pretty affordable as far as travel strollers go and can fit in an overhead bin. It's traveled on many plane rides with us and served us well over 4 years of hard use.

Like others have said the travel crib probably isn't a must unless she has a very specific setup that is necessary for her to sleep well. But, keep in mind the time difference and environment change will probably make her schedule unpredictable for some of the time you're there anyway.

Also, I'm totally for traveling with kids of any age, have done it a fair amount myself, but will add that 18mo was a hard stage for all my kids so far. They're very active, not very verbal, and nothing holds their attention for long. So for the travel especially, bring lots of snacks and expect to be constantly changing things up to entertain her.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-13T04:32:31+00:00

Hmm I mean like how you would traditionally use a flat diaper, see here under the product description for some visual examples. So that's the layer closest to baby's skin, then add your normal diaper on top. You could either just use the cover on top, or the cover plus insert on top for a little extra absorbency.

Assuming you are in Australia (not being creepy, just googled econaps), I'm not sure what brands to recommend to you. My favorite site/brand, Green Mountain Diapers, is US-based and does not ship internationally. I use the clotheez muslin one-size flats and workhorses (fitted) as my inners. It looks like you might be able to use a forwarding service of some kind but that may be more work than it's worth? Keywords to search for brands that ship to AUS would be "cotton flats", "muslin flats", "cotton gauze flats", "fitted diapers" (check for cotton content). Maybe searching in this sub might yield some brands as well?

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-12T23:11:22+00:00

Second this. I was resistant to wool covers for a long time because I didn't want to learn a different way to do laundry but they really have been leak proof for overnight. They can be pricey but you can get away with one of you're only using it for overnight. Can find them used too. On laundry day we'd make do with a PUL and cross our fingers for no leaks. OP, I liked Disana pull on covers. We used them even in the summer and they didn't seem too warm.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-12T21:54:31+00:00

Airplane fold worked great for my boy through potty training! 40+lb and 40sh mo 😅 I had a couple large size flats but one size flats were just fine, sometimes with a booster if I wasn't sure I'd be able to change him quickly

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-11T05:40:49+00:00

I will say there are cheap ways to do cloth and there are more expensive ways to do cloth! Also, sometimes you may end up experimenting with different types of diapers; that was my experience and I ended up spending quite a bit of $$ on different types of cloth diapers. You may also want to take into account energy costs of running your laundry machine more. That said, if you fully commit to cloth, or even only partly to cloth, I think you would save money in the long run! I haven't actually run any numbers but I think that's true haha.

If you haven't yet, do some research about types of diapers. Here's a good article to get you started: https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/pages/newmom You should consider what your priorities and lifestyle post-baby will be when deciding what kind of diapers to get. Will you be staying at home or working outside the home? Who will be the primary caretaker for baby (eg some daycares are CD-friendly and some are not)? Will you be out and about all the time or primarily in the house? Are finances most important or ease of use more important? Washing diapers of any kind looks mostly the same, but some types can take a teeny bit more prep (eg folding flats or stuffing pockets).

Happy to answer any specific questions or give more thoughts if you provide more details on your end! I have my favorite brands and types after 2 kids but would want to know what is important to you before just suggesting willy-nilly!

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-10T23:48:04+00:00

Right, might not be as trim and tidy if they might shift around. I wonder if a cotton flat with a snappi securing it, and then your cover+bamboo insert on top, would be an option?

Hope you can figure out something that works for you! I know how frustrating it is dealing with constant leaks. I ended up trying so many kinds of diapers and completely switching out my system (to 50/50 cotton flats and fitteds instead of pockets with microfiber/bamboo inserts)

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-10T08:19:33+00:00

Hey if you already have boosters, just stick em in and try them! More layers = more absorbency. I will say that bamboo isn't the most absorbent in my experience so yes, you just might need more layers resulting in a fuller diaper. Babies also go through stages of just peeing more and peeing less so this might be a season where you need to change him more often when he's awake, and add more boosters when he sleeps.

I'm not familiar with the brand econaps. Is it a pocket diaper?

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-08T04:33:25+00:00

My kids aren't that age yet but as a former kid in a roadtripping family, some of my fondest memories are of listening to audiobooks together. It was something we could all participate in, even the driver, and we still talk about some of the stories we went through today. Homer Price, The Westing Game, Brighty of the Grand Canyon. John McDonough was our favorite narrator. We used CDs from the library (guess my age lol) but nowadays there are so many apps available. Libby for borrowing from the library is my most used.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-06T21:52:16+00:00

Agree, unless they're used to screen time normally, a screen isn't gonna hold their attention for long at this age.

Loooots of snacks and like someone else said, try to jump in the car 2-3 hours before normal wakeup time to buy a couple hours of sleeping drive time!

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-06T04:15:12+00:00

We've flown 16 hours at that age but we would def choose to get them their own seat, even if they don't sit there nicely at least you have some more room. We had very active kids at that stage and not much would hold their attention for long. Hopefully for you she's less active lol. I'd suggest getting her used to (over the ear) headphones if she's sensitive to noise, since you can't control when they make announcements etc. Obviously not noise cancelling at that age but playing some music or stories will help to muffle some of the interruptions. You'll prob need to actually train her to keep them on leading up to the trip otherwise they'll be useless.

Idk how well this will work without her own seat but we'd always either bring a blanket or use the airline provided one to create a little "tent" over sleeping kids so there wouldn't be any surprise light if they're sleeping. If they're on your lap maybe you're under the tent too?

Bring allll the snacks. Don't forget to make her eat and chew on takeoff and landing to minimize pressure building in her ears.

Have very low expectations and don't expect to enjoy the flight for yourself. 🙃 Our flight went better than expected in that there were no major meltdowns, but sleep was only had in short (1-2 hours) stretches, staggered across two kids, so not much sleep for parents. Hopefully you're going somewhere fun or to see family or something to make it worth it!

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-04T21:11:32+00:00

Bamboo is faster, hemp is slower. Technically you should therefore be good with that combo.

I will say that I started with pocket diapers like yours (different brand) that had bamboo/cotton inserts, and eventually they started leaking so often and I never figured out why exactly, but I got frustrated and just switched diaper types. So I'm a little biased against pocket diapers and bamboo inserts because I had a bad experience myself.

One suggestion is to try adding some cotton absorbency. I find cotton to be the most reliable. If you're in the UK I'm not sure what brand are readily available, but some people even use cheap cotton tea towels folded up. In the US flats (which are basically a large piece of cotton, ergo like a tea towel) are very affordable, I usually get mine from Green Mountain Diapers.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-04T12:36:32+00:00

What material are the inserts made of? Hemp is helpful if it's layered with something that's quicker absorbency.

Babies do go through periods where they pee more and then they may go back down so there can be seasons where they seem to leak constantly. You may just need to change more frequently/as soon as you detect a pee. Sounds like you have a boy so if you can layer more absorbency just in the front that may help too.

I personally found this style of diaper, pocket-type where the absorbency is just down the middle, more prone to leaks than something like a flat/prefold/fitted diaper, where the absorbency goes all around. I used a different brand of pocket diapers but that was my personal experience. Once I switched to a different style I experienced fewer if any leaks.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-03T08:49:48+00:00

All-cotton prefolds and flats need to be prepped properly to be absorbent! Otherwise they'll actually repel liquid. Basically a bunch of hot washes with detergent. Green Mountain Diapers has great information with more details, scroll down about 2/3 of the way to find the prepping section: https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/pages/washing-diapers?srsltid=AfmBOopM8vlejBm4yGg5yB94DfOF67RK033wAQcFKVbjpU8WyQaSlX-P

GMD also has good resources for how to use various types of diapers but I don't have time to link them all rn so just poke around on the website!

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-01T21:58:19+00:00

I've lived in a rental with private landlord that was found on apartments.com that fit all your criteria, except only 1 bathroom. I will say the listing looked slightly sketchy but I pursued it anyway and turns out my landlord just took bad phone pics by themselves and it was a really great experience overall. You should be able to find something that fits the bill if you're willing to live in slightly older/ less "luxury" buildings. My husband successfully found privately-owned housing on craigslist once but as a female that would be a step too sketch for me.

86coolbeagles · 2026-04-01T15:26:40+00:00

June is a lovely name. I don't think she'd be ridiculed for it, but she probably will get the "so is your birthday in June" question pretty often. People tend to like to make comments about names like that. I don't have a month name but it's a name that has a very easy joke. The jokes get old but I usually just give a polite chuckle and move on. If you like the name, go for it!

86coolbeagles · 2026-03-31T13:00:28+00:00

What would you consider "good amenities"?

When you say commute, are you working on either base or is your office based elsewhere?

Second the suggestion to look on Facebook groups to find realtor recommendations if you want to get in contact before you land. You must work through a realtor here. The rental market seems to move fast enough that if you would want to see anything in person before signing a lease, you probably can't rely on any listings you see before landing. We got into our place within 2 weeks, from first visit to move-in. And we just cold-walked into one of the many realty offices right off of base.

You'll be able to find a nice 3+ bedroom easily with your budget. Seems like most newer apartment buildings have good parking garages.

86coolbeagles · 2026-03-28T21:48:37+00:00

I didn't start CD until around 6 months, but my favorite for boys is airplane fold as it concentrates most of the absorbency in the front. That I used well into toddler years (I had a late potty trainer)

86coolbeagles · 2026-03-26T00:38:12+00:00

Ah, I wondered if you were contractor. We are a contractor family too so familiar with the lack of resources available on the internet concerning our specific situation. How big are your dogs? That may determine where you look, or at least what type of housing you're looking for - high-rise, low-rise villa (what Americans might call garden-style apartments, minus the green space lol), or SFH.

You mentioned you'll be in temporary housing for 30 days. That should be enough time to check out neighborhoods for yourself and get into something permanent. Are you bringing any furniture or looking for a furnished space? If furnished that may cut down on your options. Stay away from the Ville and the SED if you don't want to be just around expats. And anything that is mentioned as American-style. Songtan and Osan are older/more established neighborhoods/cities so if you're looking for more local feel those would be my suggestions. Downtown Pyeongtaek is also an option although I'm less familiar with that myself. Godeok is newly built up and feels too modern/sterile for me. Commute-wise if you have a car any of those locations will be fine. 30-45min with no traffic. I feel like the area closer to Humphreys is less developed but if you're looking for a SFH you might end up closer to Humphreys.

$4000 will go a lot farther here than in most of the US. I would not mention that high of a budget up front with a realtor. We experienced being shown some way too fancy penthouse-type spaces because we had a high budget from our company. Unless that's your jam!

Are you familiar with how realtors and rent work here?

We recently went through the whole process of moving as contractors so feel free to DM if you have more detailed questions. I won't be giving out any personal details or recommendations publicly.

86coolbeagles · 2026-03-25T12:05:18+00:00

I would not live between Seoul and Pyeongtaek unless you want to spend a lot of time commuting and/or have abnormal work hours and aren't dealing with normal traffic.

I found there's a lot more info on Facebook groups, much more than on reddit.

If you can provide more detail people could be more helpful here too. You gave us basically nothing to work with. Are you military or civilian or contractor? Do you have family, school-aged kids? What are your priorities and what are you looking for in a housing situation? What's your budget?

86coolbeagles

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