Which diaper belt to buy in US?

[JOYFUL1014]

What fabric?  Fleece, wool, hemp, bamboo?  Need one NOW!!!  

[seraf]

Ours are all homemade fleece. I have never tried anything else, but we like them.

[MaineCoastMama]

What's a diaper belt?

[seraf]

MaineCoastMama, a diaper belt is just a piece of elastic the baby wears as a belt, to hold a diaper in place. They are covered with some material (like fleece) that resists moisture. When the diaper is wet, the belt remains dry. They allow for very easy removal and replacement for pottying.

Here's a picture of one of my boys in one.
http://www.mothering.com/community/g/i/241791/

[Jodie]

How do you make them?

[seraf]

Originally Posted by Jodie 

How do you make them?

Here's how I do it.

Measure your baby's waist. Cut a piece of 1inch elastic about that long. It has to stretch over a diaper, but if it's too loose it won't hold the diaper in place.  17 inches was perfect for my boys between about 3 and 10 months. Sew the ends together to make a loop. Cut a piece of fleece a little longer than your elastic and 3 times as wide. Center the fleece behind the elastic and wrap the fleece around the elastic. so you have one layer behind and 2 layers in front.  Sew down the middle with a zig zag (my machine won't, so I stretch as I sew) and sew down your open end.

[skycheattraffic]

I haven't made any yet but I'd make a fleece sleeve that's a bit too big and thread the elastic in. Then as baby grows, I would let out the elastic or replace with a longer one.

[Jodie]

Thanks y'all. I don't sew but have a friend who does. I'll have to get together with her and make some.

[seraf]

They're super easy. I sew the elastic in place because it shifts inside the fleece and turns into a twisted ropy mess.

Skycheattraffic, your toddler probably won't ever need a bigger size. Our 11 month old just sized up because he is a mega huge baby. He was a 9 pounder and wore a 17 inch belt from 5 weeks (when I made his first one). Our 5 month old was only 7 pounds so we started him in a smaller size. When he grew into the bigger belts we just made new, bigger belts for our older baby. The fleece loses a lot of its fluffy cushiness if its used 24/7, so new ones for size changes seem reasonable. The big guy can still fit the 17 inch belts with a thin diaper and he's 25.5 pounds so the elastic really stretches.

[skycheattraffic]

Ah! That makes sense! I didn't consider the twistyness on a squiggly baby ... As I said, I haven't made one :-).