AIO Wicked AGAIN...

[beepsmnms]

Ok, I made the pocket one with flannel, it wicked thru the legs. I made the AIO it wicked thru the legs. I totally screwed up another AIO and got the soaker pad to far from the legs so IT too wicks thru the legs. Now I've made the suedecloth/pul pocket, havent washed it yet. After washing the other 3 in hot and drying in hot, 2 of the 3 did fine after that. But today DD wore one again that worked fine the other day and it wicked again. Been washed in hot, dried in hot, fixed the leg rolling problem... NOW what. :

[sabrinat]

What kind of thread are you using?

[beepsmnms]

Originally Posted by sabrinat

What kind of thread are you using?

100% polyester thread.

[tippytoes26]

I know I sound like a broken record, but you need PUL that has a DWR treatment. that is the ONLY way we've ever been able to have wick free AIO's. Big diaper makers like fuzzi bunz use only PUL with the dwr. You can tell if your PUL has it by flicking some water onto the knit side. If it beads, it has it. If the knit side soaks it in at all, it doesn't have it and ANY moisture that reaches that knit side will make the diaper wick. It's hard to find though since janellespuls is closing up shop. You can get it from some diaper wahms that use it and might be willing to sell you some if that's what they use. Or, you can treat your PUL yourself with nikwax or atsko waterproofing spray (the waterbased kind from their website is my favorite and goes a LONG way). If you treat your PUL yourself, you can make one bottle of spray last a LONG time if you just use it right around the legs. There's no reason to treat areas of the diaper that won't wick anyway. I spray the outside leg area of every AIO I buy and those I make with PUL that doesn't have DWR.

I hope you finally get some AIO's that don't wick. Don't give up. I won't use AIO's that wick and with my first daughter, we used 90% AIO's.

Amber

[beepsmnms]

Ok what is dwr? Can I buy it locally or only online? I bought my PUL from OSDS and lots of people on here buy it there and have no problems and this is the first time I've heard of Dwr.

[amberthesugarcat]

My Mom made many pockets with PUL from www.diapercuts.com and microfleece inners, and those things will hold back the hoover dam. My 2 year old niece and nephew both wear them and they can pee like crazy. They even worked before she put them in the drier, and they even have casings. You might want to order some PUL from there. It is super thin and soft, and it works overnight, plus it is so affordable.

If you have cotton inners (flannel/velour) then it will be so much more difficult to prevent wicking. You might want to just try microfleece.

[beepsmnms]

I got my PUL from OSDS, its super thin and soft too. I used flannel inners on some and suedecloth on one. I think I must be sewing it wrong, lol, although I've tried everywhich way, I am gonna try one more thing today and see if it works. Someone said maybe my PUL needs to be treated with DWR, anyone know anything about this?

[amysuen]

What inners are you using, and what's the absorbancy of your soakers/inserts?

Microfleece and suedecloth are less likely to wick to the outside of the diaper because they don't absorb the moisture like fabrics like flannel will.

IME, problem with leaking/wicking occur because the absorbant layer isn't absorbing well. It either won't absorb quickly enough, (in which case you could try adding microfiber) or it won't hold enough (in which case you could add more layers).

HTH!

[boscopup]

Originally Posted by tippytoes26

Or, you can treat your PUL yourself with nikwax or atsko waterproofing spray (the waterbased kind from their website is my favorite and goes a LONG way).

I was in Walmart today and looked for this... There are two sprays made by Atsko. One says it's for cotton and other natural fibers - this is the water based one that is labeled "environmentally friendly" or something like that. The other is an aerosol that says it's good for manmade fibers such as polyester, nylon, laminated stuff, etc. The latter is available for about $3 at Walmart, but doesn't say it's water based or environmentally friendly or anything like that. The other one I didn't see at Walmart (but I might be able to get it locally at Dick's Sporting Goods).

So I guess the water based one for natural fibers works fine on PUL, since that's apparently what you use? Atsko says to use the aerosol version on things like PUL, but it doesn't look quite as safe.

[LeosMama]

wasn't moonbucket just talking about these? i thought she said they don't last. if i wasn't so lazy, i'd search for her post.

[tippytoes26]

OSDS doesn't have treated PUL. They don't like adding extra chemicals to their diapers. The DWR (durable water repellent) IS a chemical. The company that makes PUL sprays it on the knit side of the PUL if you request it and pay extra.

While I understand why OSDS chooses not to sell this kind of PUL, I personally still prefer it. The DWR is on the outside of the diaper, not next to my childs skin. I use to use the wash-in nikwax stuff on "shells" of AIO's, but the spray just on the outside of the legs works just as well, so it's best just to do it that way and keep it away from baby's skin just in case. In the end, it's just a personal decision that you'll have to make on your own.

And yes, the spray done by the factory or by you will wear off eventually. I think it lasts longer done by the factory. I used diapers for 6 months to a year washing on hot and drying on hot before it wore off. The spray lasts about 3-4 months for us.

I have some of the kind that walmart sells, but I've never used it. I prefer the waterbased kind (easier to apply and doesn't smell all funky). Besides, the waterbased kind comes in a large bottle that lasts a LONG time if you just apply at the legs where the diaper wicks. If you do use any kind of spray, be sure to do it in a well ventalated area without children around so nobody breathes the mist in. Once it's dry, it's not an issue, but I'd hate to have that in my lungs. I always wear a face mask while spraying. Also, if you do use it, you'll NEED to toss your diapers in the dryer once in awhile to keep the waterproofing activated.

I'm going the way of more and more prefolds and wool covers these days, but I am very passionate about a wick-free AIO. If it wicks, I don't want to use it. It took a LOT of trial and error to figure out how to get one that didn't wick. And in the end, it didn't matter much how it was sewn.. topstitched or not, microfleece or cotton etc etc.. the only thing that made a REAL difference on how much wicking we got was the DWR or lack there of. That's just our experience. I know there are lots of people out there that can sew an AIO that doesn't wick for their child without the DWR... but I'll bet them a thousand dollars it would wick on my super soaker if it doesn't have DWR. I tried about $400 in popular wahm AIO's that proved it over and over again.

Amber

[boscopup]

Thanks, Amber! I haven't actually made AIOs yet... Just PUL covers. My solid PUL covers haven't wicked unless the diaper underneath was so completely saturated that it couldn't possibly hold anymore (that's very rare that it happens, of course!!). In fact, earlier this week, DH took DS with him on an errands run. I put him in a regular sized prefold with a preemie size prefold folded up in the wet zone, then put a 1 layer 1mil PUL cover (bound with FOE) on top of that. They were only gone a couple hours, but DS drank an entire sippy cup of water while gone - he just sucked it down! So of course when he got home, both prefolds were completely soaked. There wasn't a dry spot or even a slightly damp spot anywhere. Yet, his clothes were completely dry! The cover held it in perfectly.

I've had wicking at the legs on my cotton print outer cover (PUL on inside, cotton print on outside, bound with FOE), but didn't used to get that. Not sure what changed, since this is OSDS PUL and never was treated with DWR! It may be just that DS is a heavier wetter now than he was when I first made that. He has recently increased the amount he pees at one time (I think he's holding it and then flooding).

I also don't usually get wicking with a cotton print outer Luke's Drawers AI2 (serged), unless the soaker gets so full that it leaks onto the tabs (side-snap diaper). This is where I think side-snap isn't such a good idea. Anyway, it has a tri-fold soaker in it - just 2 layers of velour. I tried making a hemp/velour soaker to replace it, but I accidentally made it a bit wider. Guess what? It wicks EVERY TIME when I use that soaker. I guess because of the width. So that can make a difference too.

[beepsmnms]

Dwr

Ok is PUL suppose to be treated with DWR? I didn't like the sounds of the DWR. If its standard for it to be treated with DWR I'll think I'll pass on any PUL treated with it. I'll just take my chances finding the polyurethane coats and making covers/diapers out of that, they work super. AND.... my dd has been a very heavey wetter lately but the suedecloth pocket I made yesterday barely wicked thru the legs during her nap and I mean barely, I had to really feel around for moisture on the outside. I had 2 soakers stuffed in it, one was 4 layers and one was 6 layers. So, I dunno... its probably just my dd heavy wetting.

[tippytoes26]

PUL doesn't come standard treated with the DWR. you have to request it and pay more when buying from the company that makes it. Most wahms that sell PUL don't get the DWR on it. But ask to be sure. If you already have PUL, you can tell if it's treated by flicking water on it. If it beads up and will not soak in to the knit side, then it has it. If it soaks in, even after a hesitation where it beads for a few seconds, it doesn't have it. The PUL you get from OSDS isn't treated with DWR.