Most absorbent material I'm likely to find in my house...?

[OllieMama]

So, I'm new to making cloth diapers. I'm really tired of the crappy cheap gerber prefolds I made the mistake of buying, yet also fabulously broke! Luckily I'm somewhat crafty so I'm giving this a go... I'm wondering what would be the most absorbent option for making a fitted cd? basically I'm deciding between flannel and knit cotton (erm, old t-shirts?). I have copious amounts of both. Does anyone have a preference, or can you suggest anything else I might be overlooking?

Also, for the soaker, I could use terrycloth (grownup kind--for lack of a better word--washcloths or towels. I have the stretch terry baby towels but those are spoken for--baby's first year quilt), or birdseye or just more regular cotton.

These will be dipes from salvaged materials, so while I lust after hemp and microfiber-- absorbent as they apparently are, those materials are not really an option. Thank you SO much in advance!

[ReneeC]

Old t-shirts are great for body layers of regular fitteds, with soakers of terry toweling (wash cloths or towels) sewn in, or pocket fitteds of flannel are good too.

Things at home to raid:
Receiving blankets
Old flannel sheets
T-shirts
Sweatshirts that are at least 65% cotton (the more cotton the better)
Maternity Jeans (use them for the *outside* of a pocket fitted with flannel on the inside, it is *super* cute)
Towels
Wash cloths

If you need diaper covers, look for:
Old fleece blankets
Wool sweaters (and wool/acrylic blends work too)

The microfiber towels that are super-absorbent are *really* cheap...I got a pack of 8 from WalMart for about $4.00 (I think $3.84?). They're in the auto department.

There are two websites that might be of particular help to you:
http://fernandfaerie.com/frugaldiapering.html
and
http://www.geocities.com/cyndiegran/diapertext2.html

There are patterns and tutorials for "bum sweaters" (diaper covers made from a wool sweater) in the first sticky

[BusyBee]

I just saw a you-tube video showing how to make fitted diapers. YOu might be interested in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJTzBZV1Uts

I have not had much luck with terry. If it is the part of the diaper that touches baby, then poop really gets stuck on it. If it is in the inside, then it gets bunchy and bulky and also takes a long time to dry between washings. If you use flannel, make sure it is a pretty good quality flannel, nice and thick and tightly woven. Really fuzzy flannels are soft at first but then really pill up after several washings. Old recieving blankets work pretty well because they've lost that pilliness. Also, they are easy to get at the thrift store. I'm sceptical about using a knit fabric, such as jersey t-shirt material. My T-shirts just don't seem very absorbant and I would need quite a few layers. Also I don't think I would want the stretch factor that comes with knit fabrics. Birds eye material is usually recommended for diapers. I haven't worked with it though. People especially use it for the big thin diapers (i forget what they are called) These kind of diapers are good if you are line-drying your diapers as they dry fast. Also, for people who don't use diapers a lot like the elimination-communication crowd.

Hope this helps.

[kochanyk]

Terry is tricky... what I've found with it is that if you get a straight cut vs a looped terry it absorbs better and has a higher disbursion rate of fluids (meaning it just spreads out more so it actually holds a bit better). Old flannel or jersey sheets would be great too. The more stuff is washed, the better! You could do a t-shirt jersey inner over a terry then an outer.

[amberthesugarcat]

Have you checked out my free pattern? It is a one-size fits most cotton fitted pocket diaper that you pin with one pin. All you need is any cotton fabric (flannel works great), some Stretchrite elastic from Walmart, and thread. http://www.jordanpaperarts.com/tana/...et-Pattern.htm

You can stuff these with anything. I love stuffing them with the cheap gerber PFs (not the ones with poly inners) since they are so trim. You can also use old kitchen towels, washcloths, and basically any scrap cotton fabric. It takes about 30 minutes to sew one of these and they really fit well.

[OllieMama]

thanks for all the input ladies!

If it is in the inside, then it gets bunchy and bulky and also takes a long time to dry between washings.

I've made one fitted already and I used terry for the soaker, and I noticed exactly this. Both of these things actually.

The microfiber towels that are super-absorbent are *really* cheap...I got a pack of 8 from WalMart for about $4.00 (I think $3.84?). They're in the auto department.

For some reason I was thinking they were much more expensive than this. That may be the option I go with for the next attempt.

Wool sweaters (and wool/acrylic blends work too)

What would you guess is the minimum % wool if I went with a blend? I'm thinking a trip to goodwill is in order, b/c I've got covers(bummis I think), but they get smelly SO fast, and they seem to get excessively damp with just a regular wet diaper. Plus, the more I'm reading about using wool, the more enamored I become with the idea.

And oh yeah-- does anyone know if Al Paca wool has the same properties as sheep's wool? I've got a couple of apw sweaters that I really don't ever wear and it'd be nice to put them to work again.

[ReneeC]

Originally Posted by OllieMama

What would you guess is the minimum % wool if I went with a blend? I'm thinking a trip to goodwill is in order, b/c I've got covers(bummis I think), but they get smelly SO fast, and they seem to get excessively damp with just a regular wet diaper. Plus, the more I'm reading about using wool, the more enamored I become with the idea.

And oh yeah-- does anyone know if Al Paca wool has the same properties as sheep's wool? I've got a couple of apw sweaters that I really don't ever wear and it'd be nice to put them to work again.

I have read that for knit/crocheted soakers, any yarn that is at least 40% wool will work. I would imagine the same is true for sweaters. All acrylic will work too, you just have to wash more often (acrylic gets stinky, unlike wool).

I don't know about alpaca wool....it's a different species...but cashmere works (comes from goats), so it might!

[Lunaria]

Sorry if this is a mite bit off topic. I just had to say to Amberthesugarcat, I can't wait to try your pattern! I'm new at making cloth dipes and have had a few trials that weren't quite what I wanted. I found your free pattern when googling and didn't realize you were on the mdc forums Thanks for taking the time to share your pattern, your dipes look fantastic!

Olliemama, good luck with creating yourself a stash. I'm finding it so satisfying to put a homemade diaper on my ds' butt. Plus think of the money we're saving

Jenny

[melibee]

I have a ton of dipes that I made up from old tee-shirts and old sheets, and they work really well. (and they are super super cute too!)

After going through our own extras, I went to the thrift store and bought old tees from the "by the pound" area- I got enough for a bundle of diapers and I spent less than I would have spent to buy one diaper.

Good luck with your dipes- they're fun to make once you get the hang of it!

[thehappydeer]

Here is a link w/ a guide for how to turn prefolds into fitted diapers. I thought it might be helpful to use what you do have a lot of (crummy prefolds) and add some more layers to them. I haven't tried it myself, so I can't give a full review, but it looks pretty great, and I'm keeping it on hand so if I cant deal w/ prefolds in the future, I can give them new life! Good Luck!

http://www.diapersewing.com/prefold_to_fitted.htm

[Jojo F.]

Oh my goodness, these links are fantastic!!! Thank you! I can't wait to start sewing and knitting!

[Lisoula]

Originally Posted by BusyBee

I just saw a you-tube video showing how to make fitted diapers. YOu might be interested in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJTzBZV1Uts

I watched this a couple of times last month, but now that my sewing machine is up & running, the video is marked private. Any idea how I can view it again?