I have been wanting to write this post for a while. Finally! Here it is. Yes, a blog post about cloth diapering - in hopes that maybe it will help someone somewhere at some point to see this simple, yet effective system of mine. Feel free to chime in in the comment section. I want this to be a helpful resource.
from Little Sprouts.
Cloth diapering certainly has evolved since I last cloth diapered a child a decade ago. I think that many people take advantage of the all-in-one diapers these days, which is a very convenient system. At $25 a diaper it wasn't an option for me, though.
I'm using old-fashioned prefolds with pins and the wool diaper covers I knit & lanolized. I started with one dozen newborn sized & two dozen toddler sized prefolds as well as 5 wool soakers. It sounds... not much, but honestly - it's plenty! I had the yarn in my stash, so I spent about $100 total to get started. - That's very little taking into account that a pack of 40-44 non-chlorine Seventh Generation diapers runs about $12 and lasts for about a week. I'm not even going to address the environmental implications. Anyhoo.
I ruined aka felted one of the covers when it accidentally landed in the wash. I find that Peace Fleece & Louet Riverstone are great soaker yarns! I'd never use Malabrigo Merino again! It's the prettiest yarn for all sorts of projects, but not functional for soakers. I rotate the 4 covers with each diaper change. I used the Vanilla pattern, which creates an awesome fitting soaker. My girl doesn't poop often (once a day or every other day), but when she does, she DOES! The soakers hardly ever get soiled. When they do, I (spot)wash them using Eucalan Woolwash. I lanolize them every other week or so using this product. I disolve the lanolin in a bit of lukewarm water, add some Eucalan, gently squeeze out the water, roll in a towel & lay flat to dry. I also splurged (Ha!) on this lanolin spray, which is a nice, quick soaker treatment when they can use a bit of lanolin. (It also is a wonderful way to give other woolens some tender, loving care.)
I wash stained prefolds on hot/cold & wet ones on warm/cold using a simple eco-friendly detergent and add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. I actually launder wet diapers with regular laundry. I don't own a dryer, so I line-dry them. Sometimes people will say that they don't cloth diaper because cloth diapered babies smell like pee. I've found the vinegar rinse & drying them in the sunshine take care of that problem.
I *love* wool. The importance of keeping babies warm is unfortunately often overlooked today. Nunu pretty much wears woolen socks, a wool sweater & a woolen hat on a daily basis - yes, inside. We have our thermostat set on 58/60 F during the day, so extra layers are a must. It excites me that this cheap system leaves my girl wrapped in organic cotton and wool goodness.
Infant-sized prefolds & pins & cute baby.
I'm using old-fashioned prefolds with pins and the wool diaper covers I knit & lanolized. I started with one dozen newborn sized & two dozen toddler sized prefolds as well as 5 wool soakers. It sounds... not much, but honestly - it's plenty! I had the yarn in my stash, so I spent about $100 total to get started. - That's very little taking into account that a pack of 40-44 non-chlorine Seventh Generation diapers runs about $12 and lasts for about a week. I'm not even going to address the environmental implications. Anyhoo.
This is a Peace Fleece soaker. Yes, it's big.
I actually like it when the soakers cover at least the belly button.
More good warmth!
I ruined aka felted one of the covers when it accidentally landed in the wash. I find that Peace Fleece & Louet Riverstone are great soaker yarns! I'd never use Malabrigo Merino again! It's the prettiest yarn for all sorts of projects, but not functional for soakers. I rotate the 4 covers with each diaper change. I used the Vanilla pattern, which creates an awesome fitting soaker. My girl doesn't poop often (once a day or every other day), but when she does, she DOES! The soakers hardly ever get soiled. When they do, I (spot)wash them using Eucalan Woolwash. I lanolize them every other week or so using this product. I disolve the lanolin in a bit of lukewarm water, add some Eucalan, gently squeeze out the water, roll in a towel & lay flat to dry. I also splurged (Ha!) on this lanolin spray, which is a nice, quick soaker treatment when they can use a bit of lanolin. (It also is a wonderful way to give other woolens some tender, loving care.)
I wash stained prefolds on hot/cold & wet ones on warm/cold using a simple eco-friendly detergent and add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. I actually launder wet diapers with regular laundry. I don't own a dryer, so I line-dry them. Sometimes people will say that they don't cloth diaper because cloth diapered babies smell like pee. I've found the vinegar rinse & drying them in the sunshine take care of that problem.
9 thoughts:
Sounds a lot like my own system. I *love* the Vanilla pattern. Unless I'm making longies it's the only one I use. I also line dry only and throw the dipes in with the regular wash. I hadn't thought about vinegar in the rinse, when hers get stinky I strip them with a hot water/ no detergent wash. I'm going to try that, though, and the lanolin spray you recommended. Great post, thanks!
Hi Cadi, this is fabulous and certainly opened my eyes about cloth diapering. It's been 30 years since I had babies to care for. I'll pass this on to my sons and their wives and if it's okay, I'll link to it from my blog. BTW, I love the photos of your baby. What a sweetie!
There is nothing cuter than a cloth bum babe in my opinion. I love cloth nappies, infact I love them so much I sell them! I use prefolds inside a pocket nappy which I find an excellent combo for my girl. The nappy network- http://www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/ is a great resource, including a lot of free nappy patterns.
I used cloth diaers for my fur~baby Tavish. Having to clean her kennel newspapers once, I new I had to come up with something else. I went to our WalMart and was lucky enough to find some cloth diapers. Most people, when I asked them where I could find them looked at me like I was nuts.
I found it SO MUCH easier to keep her kennel clean with the diapers. If she did soil them, a quick rinse in the toilet and a wash in the washer and they would be dry for the next mornings use. That was probably 20 years ago and those diapers are still in use when I need to clean up after the present fur~babies in the house.
I wish I had known about wool when W was born. We did one size pockets but he's almost grown out of them now but is just starting to learn to use the potty. I wonder how a system like this with the pre-folds and wool would work for him now at 2. It definitely gives me something to think about.
Could you share your source for the pre-folds?
Erica,
The prefolds are from http://www.littlesproutsdiapers.com/
The shop belongs to Renee over at heirloom seasons... http://heirloomseasons.blogspot.com/
Bright blessings!
Cadi
Paula -
Nice to know that cloth diapers are nice for furry children, too! :-)
i just posted on diapering, too! & we're totally on board with the wool this time, i'm so worried about leaks from the prefolds, i may have to stock up on fitteds. and the babe is adorable!
Great post, I love your sheets in the background of the shots, where are they from?
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