Natural Alternative to PUL?

[Trinitty]

Hi there!

I am making a bunch of flat-folds for our baby on the way.

I will be using some covers, and making others, but, after reading about PUL and what it's made of, I'm not cool with it, and would rather stick to natural products.

What s€hould I use as a "water-proofing" layer in my covers? I realise that it won't be 100% leak-proof, but I don't want to use something made with potentially toxic chemicals.

Thanks in advance!

Trin.

[aaronsmom]

Wool and fleece can both be waterproofed.

[Trinitty]

Thank you for your prompt response!!!

Can I just sew a layer of fleece or a cutting of thin wool sweater into the middle of a diaper cover? Using flannel for the inside and whatever cute cotton pattern I have for the outside?

Is the stuff I treat this fabric with safe?

Thanks again!!

Trin.

[Kari_mom]

Fleece isn't a natural product, it is a polyester knit.

You can make wool covers from wool yardage (including organic wool) or from wool sweaters. You will want to keep the wool as a separate layer from the diaper, as it has different care requirements. If you plan to snappi or pin the flat folds, then you can do pull-on wool covers which I think are easier to sew as they don't need closures. If you want to lay the flat fold in the cover, then you will need to make wrap style covers that fit more snugly but will need snaps or aplix to close. And cotton on the outside isn't a good idea, as it is absorbant which makes it good for diapers, not so good for covers.

The wool covers are generally treated with lanolin, it helps keeps the wool supple and soft and from getting stinky with urine. I use lansinoh, the same stuff sold for breastfeeding. I hand wash mine when they start to hold smells or approximately monthly, unless they are soiled.

There is lots more to learn on the topic, a good site for you to check out would be Fern and Faerie/Frugal Diapering Another site with excellent information on natural fibers for diapers is Firefly Diapers. There are also lots of good diaper and cover patterns at hyenacart.com, as well as every kind of diaper you can imagine.

[mommy2abigail]

WOOL! It's wonderful! Natural, cute, and breathable. You can knit, crochet, recycle, or sew wool covers/pants. There are tons of instructions online, many of them free. My favorite so far has been to buy wool sweaters at the Goodwill and make longies and soakers with them. If you felt them, they lose alot of the stretch, but they also become reeeeeeaaaaaalllllly leakproof. I would make a couple of wraps (like the covers with velcro) with felted wool, it makes an awesome night worthy cover. Crochet is more bulletproof than knit, simply because it takes more yarn and ends up a bit thicker. Wool is remarkably easy to care for too! You will need some lanolin and wool wash (NOT wool-lite!!) or baby shampoo. I wash my wool every other week, or when it gets pooped on or stinky. In between there I just let it air dry. Wool is naturally antibacterial, and doesn't hold smells like polyester does. When I need to wash the wool, I fill my sink with lukewarm water and a few drops of shampoo. I lightly wash the wool and then rinse it with clean lukewarm water. Fill the sink again and add a dime size amount of liquid lanolin. Let the wool sit in the water for 30-60 minutes and then gently squeeze (dont wring) the excess water. Let it air dry on a dry towel. Once wool has been felted (shrunk) it can be machine washed. HTH!

[Trinitty]

THANK YOU very much for your help!

I have seen the wool longies and covers on the frugal diapering sites, but, since I can't wear wool at all myself (ITCHY!) I assumed my babe wouldn't be able to either.... but, it's worth a try for sure!

If I make them small enough, maybe I can make them so they don't touch baby's skin, just cover the diaper.... hmmm.... I'll give it a try!

Could I just buy felt by the yard and make that into a wrap cover?

I like the cotton prints on the outside (on the other side of the water proofing) because they come in so many really cute styles and patterns.

Thank you Mommas.

Trin.

[melibee]

You can buy felt by the yard and use that.... just make sure it's wool felt and not acrylic.

[Trinitty]

Great, that's what I will do then. Buy felt by the yard and use that.

BUT, I have to keep the felt apart from other fabrics, right? I can't sew felt on the inside and cotton print on the outside because they need different care?

Trin.

[cristeen]

Right

I'd also feel that felt carefully before making a diaper cover out of it. Most of the wool felts I find locally are too scratchy to come near a baby's skin. If you have a good yarn store nearby, try perusing their wool yarn selection, see if there's something there that doesn't feel scratchy to you. I was just amazed by the softness of natural wool that hadn't been highly processed. Of course, that means knitting/crocheting instead of sewing, but wool can be dyed any number of fun colors, or you can even get it predyed in any number of colors.

You can also buy wool interlock fabric for covers that is quite soft, although you pretty much have to buy that online.

[mommy2abigail]

If you feel the wool is too scratchy, you can also soften it. Using regular hair conditioner and soaking the wool will help a ton, as will lanolizing, which you will have to do anyway. Wool interlock is very soft, and some wool yarns (BFL comes to mind) is VERY soft, even more so than some cottons! I don't know about wool felt being available at your local fabric store, I've never seen anything but acrylic. Alpaca (like a llama) wool is softer than sheep wool, and works well for diaper covers. So can mohair, but I've heard the fibers can come loose and fly through the air a bit, so maybe a mohair blend would work best. Some of the softest soakers/longies I've made are from recycled wool sweaters. One is like heaven, it's a merino/mohair blend, and I could just sleep on it! Another one I've made is from alpaca and it's incredibly soft as well. HTH