How to make your own Inserts?

[alreilly]

Hi Everyone,

Ok four weeks and counting until our first baby arrives (well that is when he should arrive not really when he will I guess)... and I am trying to "get it all done" before hand.

I've collected some used pocket diapers on ebay but want to make some inserts for them (some didn't come with any). Can anyone suggestion the following:

a) a good way to make your own inserts (I have a sewing machine not a serger)

b) what fabric to use (both fabric I can buy online and fabric I can rush out and buy in a local store now)

c) size for small, medium size diapers (since I am assuming this child will be born on the bigger side)

d) anything else I should know when creating my own inserts for pocket diapers!

Thanks a bunch - I just love these boards!

:-) Alison

[walkinthepark]

I actually really like to use the microfiber towels. You just trifold and stuff them in. They are already finished around the edges and ready to go. You can find them all over Cosco, Sam's Club, WalMart, Target etc. Look in the automotive section.

[hlivengo]

I second the microfiber towels from BJ's. They are very absorbent, and easy to dry,too.

[SoggyGranolaMomma]

Just make sure to stuff the pockets with them. Microfiber shouldn't be placed directly near baby's skin as it is SO absorbant it will irritate their skin.

I have a bunch of MF towels I bought at Costco that I plan to cover with Bamboo velour and use as inserts in some of my fitteds. .

[alreilly]

Awesome - I ran out yesterday to Costco and got some MF towels... 24 for $9 was a deal! I will use them to stuff the pockets and I like the idea of covering them with bamboo velour too!

Just wondering - the ones I bought are bright yellow (like a neon) did anyone find that their MF towels ran? I will wash them before I use them - but wanted to know if I should search for white ones?

[erynn42]

Originally Posted by alreilly

Hi Everyone,

Ok four weeks and counting until our first baby arrives (well that is when he should arrive not really when he will I guess)... and I am trying to "get it all done" before hand.

I've collected some used pocket diapers on ebay but want to make some inserts for them (some didn't come with any). Can anyone suggestion the following:

a) a good way to make your own inserts (I have a sewing machine not a serger)

b) what fabric to use (both fabric I can buy online and fabric I can rush out and buy in a local store now)

c) size for small, medium size diapers (since I am assuming this child will be born on the bigger side)

d) anything else I should know when creating my own inserts for pocket diapers!

Thanks a bunch - I just love these boards!

:-) Alison

a) Without a serger you can just keep towels and fold and stuff. Or you can turn and topstitch, or zigzag if you want them premade. I'm not good at zigzag, so not sure how well it would work on microfiber though...

b) I use microfiber and terry towels. 2 mf and 1 terry a soaker, or 3 terry. (we'll see how it works in december...) Sam's Club has them both VERY cheap and you can find a ton of other home uses for the leftovers... (example microfiber works wonderful as reusable swiffer pads...) You could use flannel also, but you'd need more layers. I use flannel for mamma pads, but haven't tried it for diapers. Depends on what you have/like and how bulky you want the diaper.

c) Sizing is approx. 4 inches wide by the length of the diaper. To turn and topstitch you may need to adjust for seams allowance or your diapers...

d) Make some in different absorbancies or some "single" size to use as doublers if you have a major wetter. It does take longer now to sew them all up, but not as much time later when you don't have to fold the microfiber towels. And figure out how they will fit. Whatever your preference.

[smurphygt]

I started out using red, blue and yellow microfiber towels. I had a problem with the red ones bleeding onto my diapers the first couple of times I washed them. I've since moved onto hemp because I like how trim it is.

What I did was trace a Joey Bunz, then made it slightly contoured in the middle. I don't own a serger, so I tried turning and topstitching. I didn't like the look of that so I figured out how to use the zigzag stitch on my machine. The inserts weren't very pretty at first, but I gradually got better and now they look pretty decent. I also have a serge stitch on my machine which binds the edges really nice, but it takes longer and uses a bit more thread.

[*~Danielle~*]

I've got the yellow ones and the blue ones (microfiber towels) and I think I washed them by themselves the first time, but then after that just threw them in with all my dipes and I did not have a problem with bleeding.I actually fold mine in fourths, instead of trifolding them.