Using recycled materials for diapers

[APintheAF]

I am about to begin making my own CDs and I want to do it on a budget. I understand that I can use old t-shirts and stuff to make diapers, but I was curious about what other items some have deconstructed/recycled to make diapers...

[aliah79]

When I started cding my first son, I didn't have any money to spend on dipes... I used flannel recieving blankets as flats, and bought some proraps and bummis wraps used from one of the diaper boards.

ETA: Actually my first cover was a Gerber EZ Wrap from BRU $7 LOL

For diapers:

Anything 100% cotton - t-shirts, sweatshirts, flannel blankets & sheets, diapers with a blue jean outter are good for running around w/o a cover.

Or hemp, though I've never seen anything made from hemp that I could recycle into a dipe.

For covers:

I used mostly wool sweaters from the thrift store and made them into soakers, shorts, and longies. I also found a couple good fleece items at the thrift store that I made a couple covers from.

HTH! LMK if you have any more questions

[gabysmom617]

You can use old cotton tshirts, and cotton sweatshirts or pants, and you can also use cotton flannel shirts and pajama bottoms.

YOu can use wool too to make covers with.

My whole stash is recycled except for my microfiber towels from the automotive department.

HTH.

[lilsishomemade]

Oh, I have a lot of fun going to Goodwill and getting a whole bunch of stuff for diapering!! Anything cotton, like the lists above. I used all those receiving blankets, pajamas, etc. You can find 100% wool sweaters for cheap prices to make longies and soakers out of. I've also used towels for soaker material. I loved those microfiber towels from the automotive section for stuffing pockets with.

For me, once I started recycling materials, then I got a bit obsessed. Like, seeing a blanket and thinking, 'Hey, that'd make a good diaper.....' heehee

[ReneeC]

"Yeah, that" to all the suggestions above and if you'd like more directions, the Fern and Faerie website has tutorials on making recycled diapers http://fernandfaerie.com/frugaldiapering.html

[cc_mama]

I cut up all of my receiving blankets and burp cloths for my practice and fitted diapers.

[kaylasclothkits]

My very first diaper was made from an old microfleece robe Ahh...fond memories

[musemor]

I recently made a couple of diapers out of an old towel and a (jersey knit) sheet that doesn't fit our current mattress. They're great! I left the terry toweling exposed on the outside to make it Snappi-able.

[momuveight2B]

I love making diapers out of my older kid's old t-shirts. I center the design on the butt. I like to use three layers, the outer layers being cut from the t-shirt and an inner layer of flannel for absorbancy and to stabalize the knit cotton fabric. I use a flannel soaker or sometimes old towels or hemp. Then I serge all around. It takes me about thirty minutes or so to make one. Then I have a super cute free diaper. The older kids think that it is really funny to have a shirt recycled this way.

[cjarvis]

Can you use recycled material and PUL? I am trying to make my first cloth dipes and I don't want to use diaper covers. Can I just put a layer of PUL under the design( if using a design shirt) or put the PUL as the layer on the outside?

My recycled materials would be flannel baby blankets, t-shirts, and I have lots of white prefold cloths.

I feel like this : trying to figure all of this out. Can't a veteran come to my house and show me what to do

Thanks

[AngelBee]

:

[cjarvis]

[mchalehm]

Sure, you can use recycled fabric with PUL. The only thing you need to do when you use recycled fabric for inners is strip the fabric to make sure that all of the fabric softener or detergent buildup is out--wash it in hot water, with a squirt of Dawn detergent, and keep doing it until there are no bubbles. Otherwise your fabric might repel the liquid.

Of course that's fine for covers (good, even), so don't worry about it with, say, recycled fleece.

[Jenlaana]

One problem that I have run in to if you try to put an absorbant inner w/ a PUL outer is that the inside layers have to be slightly smaller than the outer, so that when the diaper is on, no part of the absorbant material is showing on baby when worn. Otherwise, the inside just leaks right to the outside. Because of this, I've found it easier to do PUL covers w/ just PUL and fold over elastic, and make seperate fitteds out of t-shirts etc. I made my own pattern, and if I use the same pattern w/ the fold over elastic for the cover, and then make a fitted by sewing and turning (I dont generally top stitch because I like the fluffier look) then the cover fits perfectly over the fitted because it has that 1/4 inch of length all the way around.

You can also put material on the outside of PUL making a cover and get prettier covers that way, but I havent tested that out yet.

[mehndi mama]

I've found that when working with recycled t-shirts for diaper fabric, you can substitute 2 layers of t-shirt cotton for any one layer of fleece, french terry, or velour. You do not need a special pattern for working with recycled fabrics - any of the existing diaper patterns can be used, including AIO patterns. So, for example, if I were using the VB AIO pattern, I would cut the PUL layer as usual, and then I'd cut the rest of the layers out of t-shirts rather than birdseye, keeping the layer counts the same (because a layer of jersey equals a layer of birdseye, roughly).

Keep an eye on the suggested fabric type in each pattern - does it want you to use wovens or knits? Sometimes it will matter - more often it will make a difference if you substitute a woven for a knit, and not the other way around. (Wovens are more stable, and the pattern may rely on the give of a knit fabric to allow for an optimal size-range.)