Wool soakers leaking-help!!

[Pholkchick]

I knit up some newborn size wool soakers using Lite Lopi yarn, and I used them at first without lanolizing them. They worked okay but obviously needed some help, so I finally broke down and attempted lanolizing them. I melted a tablespoon of lansinoh in hot water, along with a small squirt of baby shampoo, poured them over my covers and soaked them in the basin of lukewarm water overnight. They seemed to leak even worse after this!

So next I attempted using some Eucalan wool wash to clean them, soaked them for an hour, drained the water, then did just the lansinoh melted in the hot water (no cleaner), and soaked the covers for 1+hour. I let them dry for 24 hours and gave them another go. Instant leakage, yet again. What am I doing wrong???? Is this a bad wool to use? Bad cleaner? Bad lanoline? Am I using the wrong amounts of something, or doing plain everything wrong?? I really want to use these soakers instead of the plastic covers, so if anyone out there has some advice, please chime in!!!

[thixle]

That's what I do.

[possum]

How is the pee escaping? Is it wicking through after the diaper is wet or pouring through as your baby pees?

With wool - unlike various plasticy covers, pee can of course POUR through if there is not enough absorbancy inside.

[Pholkchick]

I wonder if you're right about the lack of absorbancy with the diaper...because often the diaper is completely soaked when I go to change him - even when I know it's his first pee (not like he's sitting for hours in a wet diaper that's been repeatedly peed in). I think I'll try using a thicker diaper under the soaker; see if that does the trick.

Great thought; thanks!!

[mehndi mama]

Usually, if you're getting leakage every time, it has nothing at all to do with the wool soaker and everything to do with the diaper underneath. The diaper MUST slow down the stream of urine and soak it up quickly enough that it will not drip through the outside of the diaper. A soaker will only keep things dry if it can *passively* wick the moisture away by capillary action. Knitted wool cannot stop drips or streams, no matter how well lanolized, because wool can't absorb moisture that quickly.

[~Stephanie~]

Yes I was going to say diaper absorbancy is probably the problem as well.

Also when you lanolize them if you turn them inside out they seem to be more waterproof as the lanolin gets on the inside of the wool better.

[Pholkchick]

I'm still not having that great of success with these buggers! I'm still stubbornly using them, and having to change both him and I several times a day! I believe that I have lanolized them as best prescribed, and you have all convinced me that the problem is with the diapers...

SO, the diaper I more regularly use are newborn sized Bear Bottoms and I can see they aren't the thickest of diapers, so I understand they might be filling up too quickly and then pouring out. When I am really frustrated with the leakage, I use the AIO Motherease diapers, despite their bulkiness on my still-very-little babe; they are thicker and I would assume more absorbent, right? Yet these also leak through the soaker, and I wouldn't say the diapers feel sopping wet, just damp on the outside. AND even though he and I are wet from all this leakage, when I pull off the soaker, it is miraculously DRY! : (Does that confirm my problem is with the diapers?!)

Does my son just have an amazingly powerful stream of urine that no soaker can come against? What diaper would soak up the urine quickly enough...any suggestions?

THANKS to everyone who has helped me out with some great suggestions already...it is much appreciated.

[lyttlewon]

Originally Posted by Pholkchick

I'm still not having that great of success with these buggers! I'm still stubbornly using them, and having to change both him and I several times a day! I believe that I have lanolized them as best prescribed, and you have all convinced me that the problem is with the diapers...

SO, the diaper I more regularly use are newborn sized Bear Bottoms and I can see they aren't the thickest of diapers, so I understand they might be filling up too quickly and then pouring out. When I am really frustrated with the leakage, I use the AIO Motherease diapers, despite their bulkiness on my still-very-little babe; they are thicker and I would assume more absorbent, right? Yet these also leak through the soaker, and I wouldn't say the diapers feel sopping wet, just damp on the outside. AND even though he and I are wet from all this leakage, when I pull off the soaker, it is miraculously DRY! : (Does that confirm my problem is with the diapers?!)

Does my son just have an amazingly powerful stream of urine that no soaker can come against? What diaper would soak up the urine quickly enough...any suggestions?

THANKS to everyone who has helped me out with some great suggestions already...it is much appreciated.

I don't understand how an AIO is leaking. An AIO has a layer of PUL which is pretty waterproof. Are you sure it isn't coming out of the leg hole? If it is coming through the leg you need to get the diaper snugger around the leg.

[prettyflwrs]

could the diapers be repelling?

[rebeccalizzie]

How tight is the knit on the soakers? Is it pretty close together, no big "holes" in between stitches? I don't know anything about yarn (I don't knit) but is it a fairly thick 100% wool yarn? Can you post a picture of one of your soakers?

If the diaper is only slightly damp on the outside, I'm thinking it's a soaker issue after all. Unless...is the diaper only wet in one small place--in other words, could his "stream" be so hard that he's peeing right through it? Do you have any other soakers you can try, in order to compare?

[rebeccalizzie]

Originally Posted by lyttlewon

I don't understand how an AIO is leaking. An AIO has a layer of PUL which is pretty waterproof. Are you sure it isn't coming out of the leg hole? If it is coming through the leg you need to get the diaper snugger around the leg.

Good point. Also, are they lined in fleece, and if so could the fleece be repelling? Are you leaving him in them for a really long time? If the PUL is damp on the outside, that doesn't sound good.

[Pholkchick]

Originally Posted by rebeccalizzie

How tight is the knit on the soakers? Is it pretty close together, no big "holes" in between stitches? I don't know anything about yarn (I don't knit) but is it a fairly thick 100% wool yarn? Can you post a picture of one of your soakers?

If the diaper is only slightly damp on the outside, I'm thinking it's a soaker issue after all. Unless...is the diaper only wet in one small place--in other words, could his "stream" be so hard that he's peeing right through it? Do you have any other soakers you can try, in order to compare?

Unfortunately, many times the diaper is only wet in one small place, which does make me think he's got a crazy fast and hard stream coming out. If this is the case, is there no hope? Should I just go with the plastic covers...and wait until the stream slows down a bit (-will it??)?

Okay, my apologies...the Motherease diapers I am using are NOT AIO...I must have been confused about what that meant! These are just a thicker unbleached cotton terry diaper (thicker than the BearBottoms). Sorry for the confusion!!

[thixle]

Originally Posted by Pholkchick

Unfortunately, many times the diaper is only wet in one small place, which does make me think he's got a crazy fast and hard stream coming out. If this is the case, is there no hope? Should I just go with the plastic covers...and wait until the stream slows down a bit (-will it??)?

Make a lay-in diaper doubler with 6-8 layers of flannel. Yep, a big stack of thin flannel. The more thin layers, the slower the pee will go. You don't have to scrap your dipes or your covers, just add a dozen or so doublers.

[mehndi mama]

With Motherease One-Size diapers, I *always* had to put two doublers in - one laid flat, and a second folded in half and stuck in front, to make a "pee-pee pad". That was the only way I could get enough blockage to keep them from leaking. For as big and thick as they are, they really don't have a huge weight of cotton in them - they're more "fluffy" than substantial, and don't work so hot for forceful pee-ers.

So yes, given what you're saying (that the diaper is barely wet after getting peed on), I would say that the diaper is definitely not blocking the urine stream and he's peeing straight through it.

[lyttlewon]

I usually have success using prefolds as doublers. If you don't have any of those cotton t-shirts cut into strips work well too.