Can someone explain how fleece covers work?

[satchie]

I hope that doesn't sound like a dumb question. But I was under the impression that fleece wicks moisture, so how could it be useful as a cover and prevent leaks? Isn't that why people use fleece as a liner inside the diaper?

[Mommy2Austin]

The fleece wicks moisture away from its source and towards a surface that can absorb it (or dry it out) So in the case of a liner it pulls it away from baby's skin and into the diaper itself. In the case of the cover it with almost "repel" it into the diaper OR the air on the outside of the cover will dry it out quickly. Since its synthetic, it doesn't absorb like cotton or wool can. The moisture will go SOMEWHERE (with a good fleece cover that will be the diaper!)

Personally I love fleece covers because they are a) much cheaper than wool, b) work better for me than wool, c) Take no special care to maintain. I don't worry about shrinking with fleece either!

[Viola]

My understanding is that fleece is water resistant, not water proof.  Or wait, maybe that's what they say about wool, but I think fleece works in the same way.  Cotton is hydrophilic and can absorb 25% of its weight in water. Polyester is hydrophobic and repels water.  Nylon does absorb some water, but much less than cotton, about 10% of its weight in water.  I was always curious about the use of fleece liners to help keep skin dry and fleece covers to keep moisture in, and I was told that the force of the urination means the urine passes through the liner where it is absorbed by the cotton of the diaper..  I always hate wearing polyester or nylon when I'm exercising, I prefer cotton because it absorbs water, but everything I've read says it's better to wear loose woven exercise clothing made of stuff like nylon because it doesn't aborb sweat and hold it close to the body, but allows it to evaporate off the skin.  So I'm guessing since the fleece liner allows the moisture to pass through, it is absorbed by the cotton, and then the cotton holds onto it, and the fleece up against the skin repels it, and the fleece on the outside repels it, but does allow for evaporation, as does wool.  

Now if you have something pressing too tightly agains the cover, like tight pants, those will absorb the moisture from the diaper right through the fleece cover.  I put some tight fitting pajama pants on my daughter overnight, and they got really soaked in the seam where it was pressing into the diaper.  And if the diaper gets overwhelmed with moisture and can't hold it all, it could drip out, but generally what happens is wherever there is pressure on the diaper from where the baby is sitting or lying, the moisture will wick out.  So sometimes if your child has a particularly wet night, you might wake up to find a wet spot on the sheets.  I had really good luck with fleece & wool covers for overnight use, usually only noticing a slight dampness, like humidity, where my daughter had been sleeping.  I think even when she peed a lot, the breathability of the covers allowed for evaporation so the diapers could be wet, but could actually dry out some as well, allowing them to absorb more. So they were a better choice than the waterproof covers where I'd could get leaks around the openings.

[Magali]

I can't tell you how, but they work really well.  My Stacinator is definately tried and true!

[satchie]

Thanks everyone! I like the idea that they dry and cool the diaper inside a little bit.

I have some really cute polyester fleece that I might get ambitious with. I've seen some tutorials for making your own covers. Anyone have an easy one they can recommend?