Beginner’s guide to Labor Intensive?

[swtladyfare]

Alright lets start a few weeks back, My 6 month old little girl, Shaylee, is using her newfound roll-over skills to smash what ever that stuff is in disposable close to her skin. She’s rash prone, we never seem to know when the diaper is wet until it is SOAKED (and people don’t seem to want to change them very often because “they’ll hold a lot” yuck) I have no concept of time and Shaylee doesn’t even seem to notice she’s wet. She gets rashes. I would have tried cloth diapers early on but people kept giving me disposable because everyone knows we’re broke. She’s still getting rashes.

I live in Florida and summer is hitting us hard with more rashes. It seems worse in the hot weather, I don’t know why. Anyway, I’ve heard that cloth cuts down on rashes so I decided to try cloth. I have nearly no money. What I ended up doing is going on to some Mom-trade lists and asked for diapers in exchange for small amounts of money or trade. At this posting I don’t have enough useable diapers for one whole day.

SO, this is what I’m doing: Moral (and technical) support Needed! I have a couple of broken, beat up, worn out diapers that people were just going to throw away and I’m hunting more. I want to take these diapers, grab my seam ripper and make an all-out go at Frankenstein diapers! Time I have, Money, No.
Here’s my help request:
New to cloth diapers so how can I tell which of my old shirts will work as soakers and which blankets get to become covers. Does Aplix make that big of difference, any thing cheaper but close? Fold over elastic, Can I use any brand? What can I use to make/repair waterproof covers? Are Poly-cotton blends really THAT bad? Can I sew new elastic over the old elastic if I use the fold over kind? Etc etc there will be more, I’m sure. Any Help is VERY appreciated.

-Heather
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[TrishWSU]

I can't answer most of your questions but check outthis site for some helpful tips on how to make cloth diapers on a budget. Also, check out the stickies at the top of the forum for some great resources.

Good luck. I hope the rashes get better. That's gotta be miserable especially in the heat.

[maeveypoo]

Hi, here's what i've picked up from all these smart mamas on this subject -
for covers: thicker polyester fleece blankets double thickness (unless it's a very very thick fleece), wool sweaters (felted and lanolized), possibly nylon windbreakers (i'm not positive on this one though)
for diapers: anything at least 65% cotton (although the lower the cotton content the more layers you'll need for absorption) so your old t-shirts, flannels, old terrycloth towels, i've even heard that linen works really well

you don't have to use the fancy swimsuit elastic or Lastin, you can use poly-braid in the 1/4" or 3/8" widths (just make sure you pull it nice and tight) for fold-over elastic i'm not sure as i've never used it, but i've heard you get what you pay for (as with most things) and i personally would feel better taking the old elastic off first

fasteners - you can go old school and just use pins for the diapers and have the covers be pull-on style, or you can buy a few snappis if your diapers are terry or waffle-knit (i think - i don't use snappis), aplix would be the way to go if you want an adjustable fit cover or if you don't want to use pins or snappis on the diapers and it's really not too expensive considering how little you really use per diaper

i'm by no means an expert, i just do a lot of research

~Jen

[our3boys]

Also I would add: use 100% polyester thread for sewing on covers, otherwise it will wick. You can use cotton, poly, or a blend for sewing on diapers.

Go with the Aplix if you can. You can always use pins first and add Aplix later unless you are making pocket diapers - attaching it to these is one of the first construction steps. You will need about 8 inches of the soft loop side for the tummy strip (sewn a little bit down from the top edge so it is less likely to scratch her tummy) and for laundry fold-back tabs (do not skip this, it will really help in the washing machine). Then you will need about 2-3 inches of the hook side. Velcro is similar, but a little stiffer and scratchier. I think it may also be a tad more expensive, but you could use a 40-50% off coupon at JoAnn's Fabrics if you are on their mailing list and get the fliers. I think you would need to order the Aplix online (check the resources "sticky" at the top of this section) - it is not too expensive, but there's always shipping. Maybe someone could give this to you as a gift?

For your question on which blankets become covers, etc - I responded to a fleece question in this section a while back about how I do it. Do a search on "fleece" - I think it was "inner vs outer" or something similar. I would add a link if I knew how. Basically just set up your layers in the order they would be when on your baby, add a stream of water and check to see if it acts the way you want it to. Add some weight, too - like there is when she is sitting on the diaper.

For making waterproof covers, it really comes down to wool or PUL. PUL - polyurethane laminate - is easier to care for but needs to be ordered from diaper supply stores online. Wool would be something you could find easier (at second-hand shops, in your closet, etc.) and it might be better for your little girl b/c it will keep the temperature inside the diaper area cooler than PUL likely will. It does not generally need to be washed as often (I know you have probably seen lots on that already in the many other postings). You might also let her go "coverless" at home. Personally I'd make sure I was able to get a tight fit around her legs (i.e. no leaky poopies) before I did that. Wetness I can handle.

That link by TrishWSU is really great! It should help with both your moral and technical support.

[kerc]

www.diapersewing.com is good too.

cheap velcro did not hold up well for me.

do you have old towels? they could possibly be soakers. sweatshirts too.

check goodwill or the like for old polar fleece sweatshirts. aren't there tons of old new yorkers who move south? maybe they donate their old fleece garb.

[kerc]

another idea just popped into my brain:
maybe you could do an experiment. in an empty sink with the drain plug in put like 1/4 cup water. then use your t shirt to sop it up. whichever shirts work best could become diapers.

[Jes'sBeth]

Heather,
You can ABSOLUTELY do this!

I use the free pattern on the site that TrishWSU linked to for pocket diapers and they're working really well for us. It's not that hard to sew them up. Each diaper takes me 1-2 hours start to finish including laying out/ cutting out my diaper.

I don't really know how to use fold over elastic, I just turn and topstitch everything. I use fairly cheap elastic and it works just fine.

I am currently using old towels for inserts. We got the towels CHEAP from value village specifically for use during our home water birth. We no longer really want an Alf towel hanging around our house :LOL Polyester doesn't absorb liquid which is why you will want to pay attention to the fibre content of whatever fabric you use for your diapers and why you need to use polyester thread (Which I didn't use on one of my diapers and boy don't I know it... I'm irritated EVERY time I use that diaper ) I find that it's worth the extra bit to buy the best thread that I can since the super cheap stuff makes my machine jam like there's no tomorrow and I end up spending an hour at my machine unjamming it. It happens EVERY time I buy crap thread. You'd think I'd learn

Aplix really isn't that expensive. I can get some kind of hook and loop stuff bulk at the local fabric store which would save you shipping. It's cheaper to buy it bulk than to buy it in equal amounts. I use about 3 inches of hook and about 5 inches of loop for each diaper. I like to make my tabs out of 1" hook and the loop panel out of 1 1/2" loop to give more flexibility on the stick down panel. Any kind of hook and loop material will work for a time, aplix is just softer. I've heard that touchtape is cheaper and grippier but also stiffer. Get what you can afford or look into other options like pins or snappis. (we our snappis with our prefolds!) If you're using covers and some kind of fitted option, you could definately use pins to close the diaper and then put the cover over. Pins cost about $2 Canadian for 4 and I didn't search very hard...

I'd go with recycled wool covers for your covers. We use soakers that my mom knit on really hot days here. Lanolizing isn't hard and if you can get a stash of lansinoh samples it can be really cheap too

The best advice I can give you is to really research your options to death... read all through the sites that were linked and then play around with the patterns you think will work with material you have that you don't think will work for diapers (I used the bottom of my curtains for a couple of mock diapers and I saved my real material until I had perfected my pattern.

have fun!