Cotton Diaper Covers

[prescottchels]

What's your favorite Diaper Cover w/cotton on the outside and why?
And are there any you don't like?

After pouring over all the fancy schmancy dipes/covers/aio's/pockets, etc I've decided to go the old fashioned way-Indian prefolds and wraps, but I'm pretty anti plastic, which also translates to polyester and other synthetic materials, especially if they're gonna be close to baby's skin.
I'm pondering wool, but/and unless I can get wool covers gifted to me they might be out just based on price, but I like the idea of them.
So cotton or cotton & pul sandwiched between layers of cotton is what I'm looking at.

Thanks!
Chelsie

[sagemomma]

the dappi wraps were awful. it may have just been that they run super small and didn't fit DS right. with wool you don't need too many they don't have to be washed all the time.

[my2boysteacher]

I agree, you really only need a couple wool covers since you don't have to wash them unless they get soiled. My daughter sometimes wears the same pair of wool pants for a week straight. Never any odor.
For pul, we LOVE Imse Vimse covers. They are the only ones that don't leave red marks on DDs legs.

[my2boysteacher]

Just saw the little knitting smilie in your siggy. If you knit, you could knit some wool covers or pants. There are some very straight forward patterns out there. I use Sheepy Pants. You can get wool pretty inexpensively from a local yarn store and knit a pair of longies for under $15.

[RufusBeans]

it's been awhile but cotton Nikky's (Nikkis?) were great. You have to search for them a bit, but they're out there.

[Smirkin]

Imse Vimse cotton covers are great - they do have a PUL layer in between two cotton layers. I really really like them for many reasons:

-easy wash/quick dry (by hand to be really quick but machine friendly too)
-no tight or rough bindings anywhere on baby - some other wrap covers (prorap for example) had tight elastic across the back which left marks, but the Imse Vimse covers design the back elastic so that is lays flat across baby's back - makes a big difference IMO
-can fit a lot of bulk underneath if you want them to, but aren't too bulky with just a single prefold on
-they have leg gussets to keep the stuff in really well

I also tried CotNWraps, which were nice (and their newborn size was the perfect size for my LO at that age) and they have no PUL at all I don't think, but they would wick if they got wet enough, which seemed to happen pretty often. They were nice covers though - if I still had some I would use them but I wouldn't buy them just b/c of the wicking, but maybe I had a heavy wetter, not sure.

[wild fire child]

I liked cot'n wrap for nb, love nothing better for the cut, but they're not as waterproof as I'd like.
If you keep your eye on the wool section on diaperswappers you can find longies for $15 sometimes, shorties, soakers, and wraps for less (summer's coming!)...and if you like interlock instead of knit you can get them even cheaper.

[RGsMom]

I do like the Green Earth Cotton Diaper covers I have (which PUL sandwiched between) but diapers definitly have to be changed more often. I typically use it 2-3 times a day in between using other PUL covers, pockets or AIO's - it does work fine, but definitly can't let them sit in it!

[Adsullata]

I haven't yet ventured into wool covers because we pretty much have our system down and I haven't felt like trying something new quite yet. We mostly use Indian prefolds and covers. I'm not averse to PUL and really like the Thirsties covers because they're not as stiff and plasticky as some others. We have a couple Imse Vimse too and I like them a lot. The Imse Vimses are not 100% natural fiber because they have a layer of PUL in between. A lot depends on how willing you are to trade leakproof for natural fiber. My understanding is that wool is best for both.

If you are into knitting/sewing, here's a link to a site that looked pretty good that has instructions on making your own wool covers (mostly from recycled sweaters that you could find at a second hand store).: http://fernandfaerie.com/frugaldiapering.html

[Ifluffedthree]

Originally Posted by RufusBeans

it's been awhile but cotton Nikky's (Nikkis?) were great. You have to search for them a bit, but they're out there.

:::

Finally another Nikky's Fan.

Yes, they have breathable cotton, poly and wool. Great company around 25+ years. Covers are worth EVERY penny, imo. They blew away all the other brands I used.

http://www.babyworks.com/catalog/dep...FQEpGgodJzJimg

[thefreckledmama]

If you look around on places like Ebay and DiaperSwappers, you can get recycled wool covers (sewn from old sweaters and things), for prices comparable to any other covers you can find. Also, if you can knit you can make your own, and there are very affordable brands of yarn out there.

[prescottchels]

Thanks so much for all the replies! :
I knit a lot and teach handwork at a Waldorf school where we only use wool and totally didn't even think about knitting or making my own wool covers-duh lol
That's one of the reasons I love MDC!!
Thanks! I'll check out the patterns and diaperswappers and such.

Chelsie

[Ifluffedthree]

If you want to go straight to the knitters who set the pace for today's soaker/longies pattern market I would suggest some of the long time pattern makers from the community that have been in business before diaperswappers was even around.

http://hyenacart.com/FernandFaerie/

http://www.curlypurly.com/

http://www.littleturtleknits.com/

http://www.woolywonder.com/store/

[Michigan Mama]

Sounds like wool is a great option for you! Just for the record, the Dappi wraps worked well for us. I think it depends on your baby. My ds is petite. Shorty. So they fit well and I was impressed with how leakproof they were based on price.

[prescottchels]

Ifluffedthree Thanks for all the links! I will definitely look them up. I visited fernandfaerie last night and felt so liberated finding out making my own prefolds was such an easy option too! Wow! A whole new world is opening up here. Where ever I can save myself from spending money, use what I already have (lots of fabric and old t-shirts) AND reuse/recycle is a major boon.

footprints baby-Thanks for your 'review' of Dappi wraps. I was looking at them on Amazon b/c the price is so low and have wondered how well they work. There's a review on Amazon from a mama that just raves about how great they are and then another mama here that they didn't work for at all! lol It's so tricky to know what to get before babe arrives and you find out if ya got a skinny or a chubby

Any of you make your own prefolds? Any words of wisdom here?
Thanks again!
Chelsie

[Ifluffedthree]

Originally Posted by prescottchels

Ifluffedthree Thanks for all the links! I will definitely look them up. I visited fernandfaerie last night and felt so liberated finding out making my own prefolds was such an easy option too! Wow! A whole new world is opening up here. Where ever I can save myself from spending money, use what I already have (lots of fabric and old t-shirts) AND reuse/recycle is a major boon.

Any of you make your own prefolds? Any words of wisdom here?
Thanks again!
Chelsie

Stell, owner of F & F always have very creative ideas for reclaiming/reusing. She is a very reputable pattern maker too, as are all the links mentioned.

Just dive in an make the prefolds -- they only end up a failure if they don't catch poo and pee. Other wise they will be a complete success.

19+ years ago, I was a single mom at 25 without a supportive partner. Prefolds and pullups were my eco budget friendly savior to diapering on a budget. you will never get a bad word about them from me.

good luck.

[prescottchels]

Originally Posted by Ifluffedthree

...they only end up a failure if they don't catch poo and pee. Other wise they will be a complete success.

Lol So true So true! Maybe I'll go make one right now If I keep this up I'll have a complete stash before I even get pregnant
I crack myself up...