For those who use primarily wool/fleece covers

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

How many covers do you have, and how many do you use each day?

I find the covers (wool and fleece) smell like pee after one good wetting (DS is 11 months and is getting that lovely toddler pee smell). So I am currently having to change cover at each change, and they take some time to dry - I'm using as many covers as diapers, although of course I can use them again the next day - they pretty much smell okay once they're dry. I also have some microfleece pants, and I generally throw them in the wash after one wetting, since they're also dirty from him crawling around on the floor.

Is this typical? I don't have enough covers to last a whole day since I try to change him every 60-90 minutes to avoid rash - if I'm having a good EC day that's fine, but if we haven't got in a good EC groove, then I end up having to use some of my PUL covers, and that risks him getting rashy.

I'm trying to figure out whether I need to knit/buy a 3 or 4 more covers, or whether there's a way to make do with what I've got without him smelling like pee!

[cristeen]

Sounds like you need to lanolize. And/or you need more absorbancy in your dipe.

Changing every 60-90, your wool should not really need drying, and definitely not 24 hr drying. At worst, it should be slightly damp.

As for how many, if all things are working properly, i have 3 for daytime and 3 for night-time. The night-time ones are used 1/day and allowed to dry between, with 1 spare for wash day. Since he's in it for 12 or so hours, that one I expect to be more than slightly damp. And I actually have far more than 3 for day, but i have wraps, soakers, shorts and longies, 2-3 of each for the most part.

It does also depend on the thickness of the cover. All of my hand-knits are day weight, and what I'm thinking of when I said they shouldnt be more than damp. I use a machine double-knit for night-time or a 2-layer wool flannel. My hand knits will have long since leaked if I try to use them at night (DH did this, i was not pleased w the wet bed). Felted hand-knit or interlock is somewhere in between, as is single crochet. Tunisian crochet is a bit heavier than that. Double crochet I really wouldnt suggest until the little is walking. The one I had was a quick leak on a non-mobile babe (the holes between stitches allow compression wicking from dipe to surface).

HTH

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

I just re-lanolized today - it had been a while so we'll see if that makes a difference. I don't want to use more absorbency - he's in fitteds like MEOS or Bamboozles most of the time and I don't want anything bulkier on him for daytime.

I am going to have to google the crochets you mention - I didn't know I could use anything crocheted!

So you rotate through 3 covers during the day - do you use the same one twice in a row, or let it air and use another... etc?

[cristeen]

If they feel dry I reuse them immediately, if they're a little damp i drape them somewhere and grab a dry one. A slightly damp one can usually dry in an hour or two, but a wet one will take a day.

As for absorbency, you may need to add a doubler. I know my little guy can soak his dipe, cover, pjs and floor if i dont give him enough absorbency. He just pees fast, hard, and a lot of volume. A lot of dipes can't absorb quickly enough.

[aumismommy]

Cristeen - what kind/brand are you liking for nighttime?

[cristeen]

Night-time cover is Babyology, all the way. Close 2nd is my Pipers Closet wrap. I had than one special made w a longer rise and narrower waist - it normally wouldnt fit over a bulky night-time dipe.

[DevaMajka]

I use fleece longies almost exclusively during the day (unless we're going out or out of fitteds, which is rare). I only have to use new pants if he poops (then they stink!) or is he pees out of his diaper (his fitteds are thin, so it happens at times). I've never noticed them stinking of pee.

I wash my longies separate from diapers- I wonder if that makes a difference? I notice that our pockets hold stink more than our fitteds. If you wash the longies with the diapers, maybe they get more poo and pee on them during the first rinse and since they're synthetic, they hold onto it? So that makes them more prone to stink when peed in later?

[Flower of Bliss]

We've used wool almost exclusively since DD2 (17 mo) was born.  Mostly we use interlock - all bought used off of diaperswappers.  I just went up a size, and got 5 total covers - I might get another 1-2 as she completely outgrows the old size.  I do change the cover at each use, but often just rotate the same 2 covers all day.  We spend much of the day out of the house.  I put her in one cover, and put one in the diaper bag.  At the second changing, I just put the first one back on.  I'd say I change every 2-3 hours.   They really never smell, and I'm pretty sensitive to smell.  The night time one often needs more time to dry, but can definitely be used come night again, if not sooner.  I use a pull on cover style, and pretty much always cover that with pants or the like.  I don't like my wool getting dirty from food, dirt, etc. 

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Okay, so definitely I need to figure out what's going on. I do think that it may be that the fitteds aren't as absorbent as they could be - some are very very old (like they have quite a few holes in them around the edges) and although they still absorb, perhaps they're not holding as much as they should. I only have two wool covers so I think I may knit a couple more but it sounds like that should be enough, along with the fleece. Thanks for the input.