Does this work??

[mommy2cassy]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and relatively new to cloth diapering - I made a stash of 20 fitted diapers and about 8 covers, and we've been going strong for over a month now - I love it!

My question to those with much more experience in sewing CDs is this: I know that using cotton on the outside of covers can wick terribly (I know this firsthand, unfortunately), but when I was looking at some diapers being sold online (not sure about the rules for linking to sites on here), the maker of the diapers said she'd sprayed the outside cotton layer with Nikwax waterproofing spray to prevent wicking.

Very Baby sells the spray for 11.95 and includes the disclaimer, "Note: Nikwax products will NOT make a fabric waterproof which was not waterproof to begin with such as a cotton knit." It may not completely waterproof it, but does it do enough to stop wicking?

Please say yes! This seems like a perfect solution to be able to continue to use adorable cotton prints. I might use them anyway, as the wicking issues aren't too bad, but if I could prevent wicking altogether, I'd be ecstatic.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[jerri]

In my experience, the spray helps for a little while but then needs to be reapplied. That is not something that appeals to me. (the chemical spray, getting all the diapers out on the clothesline at one time, forgetting a couple, letting them dry, etc.) I phased out using any diapers that had cotton on the outside. I have found some cute polyester prints and used them on the outside of the pul with less wicking. You can also paint or stencils to embellish plain covers.

[mommy2cassy]

Thanks for the input. I'd never thought about what the spray was made from - duh. I don't like the idea of a chemical spray at all, so I'm not even going to try it. I've somewhat reluctantly switched to poly fabric only - I just try to look the other way when I pass the adorable cottons at the store.

[Roxy2007]

you can probably use PUL (waterproof) as your hidden layer and your cute cotton prints as outer layer. alternatively, if you are concern about breath ability, then you can use fleece or wool as covers/soakers.

[mommy2cassy]

My covers, which are made with a waterproof inner (not PUL, but it is a hospital grade waterproof fabric) and cotton prints outside and bound with FOE, do tend to wick just because of the cotton - the same covers made with poly outers never wick at all. So I imagine the same would be true for a pocket diaper made with a hidden layer of PUL - right? I'm planning on making some with hidden PUL, but with poly outside...