Question about diaper-making

[jlarsson]

I've read a few of the tutorials on the sticky on diaper-making now and I think I could pull it off. I just have a couple questions and maybe I'm making this too complicated for myself, but anyway:
A. If you make a fitted velcro diaper, what is the best material to use for the soaker? Terry, micro-fiber, flannel, a bit of each???

B. do you always need a diaper cover to go over your cloth diaper? What's the point of picking a cute pattern for your diaper if you're gonna put a cover on it?

C. And, lastly, if you do need a diaper cover, then what material do you use for that?... and what is PUL?

Sorry if these questions are already answered somewhere and i totally missed it. It just seems so confusing right now. : (

Thanks for any help!

[ReneeC]

Originally Posted by jlarsson

A. If you make a fitted velcro diaper, what is the best material to use for the soaker? Terry, micro-fiber, flannel, a bit of each???

Whatever you like, really I don't *personally* like micro-fiber as internal sewn-in layers, it can hold on to smells so I prefer to use MF towels as pocket fitted "stuffers" so that they can be washed separately (and rinsed thoroughly). I make my fitteds with 3 "body" layers of flannel, and sew a soaker section of heavyweight cotton terry to the "hidden" layer.

B. do you always need a diaper cover to go over your cloth diaper? What's the point of picking a cute pattern for your diaper if you're gonna put a cover on it?

Some people put just a fitted on their baby when they're at home, especially during the summer. You just have to be vigilant about changing when baby wets You can also get PUL made with cute prints to use for diaper covers or for the outside of an all-in-one diaper, although most of the print PUL is made with cotton wovens and will have a tendency to wick if the diaper underneath is saturated. You could also buy one of the more translucent diaper covers, like Dappi wraps http://www.babybestbuy.com/diapering-cover.asp and then you get a peak of the cute print underneath.

I like using cute prints for *me*, though...they make me smile every time I change a diaper And when baby gets a little older and is getting verbal, they will express their favorites too! DS loves any diaper with a monkey on it right now

C. And, lastly, if you do need a diaper cover, then what material do you use for that?... and what is PUL?

For diaper covers, you can use PUL, polyester fleece (the kind known as "polar", "alpine", "blizzard", and several other names), wool, and some nylons.

PUL stands for polyurethene laminate. It's a polyurethene film that is adhered to the back of a fabric, making the fabric waterproof. Most PUL is solid-colored 100% polyester knit fabric, but you can also get polyester prints and cotton woven prints that have had the PU film applied to them. The cotton woven kind is normally referred to as "DIY" PUL, although it's not really "DIY". Someone buys the fabric and sends it to the laminating company (generally Fabrite, the company that is best known for PUL and makes probably 95% of the PUL on the market) to be waterproofed. If you ever see a co-op for "DIY" PUL, it's a group of people who are collecting fabric so that they can send it all in at once and meet the 50-yard minimum order for having fabric laminated.

HTH! If anything is unclear or I said something that confused you more let me know and I'll clarify!

[jlarsson]

Thanks a lot. That really does help.
What kind of diaper do you recommend or use? AIO, fitted w/ velcro, ones with the pocket...? I have no idea where to start. I have twin 2 yr olds who are starting to potty train so I need something that's easy/quick to maintain/clean and very efficient... and easy for them to take on and off.
On the other hand, I'm due with a 3rd in May, so I would use another kind for a NB.
I can see how the cute patterns are mostly for the moms. : ) Just like when you buy really cute underwear. Noone is going to see them except you (or maybe your husband...).
Thanks again for your help!
Jocelyn

[love2bmom]

I'm an aio fan myself. I love the ease of them and so does dh

[cinnamama]

I actually use mostly pfds and covers. We have a few fitteds too. You may want to try a pullup type diaper for your twins - the mhm pattern can be made as a "training pant" type diaper and is very fast to sew.