What can I make a swim dipe out of?

[AutumnMom07]

We are having a pool party and I need to make a swim diaper for my dd. I have seen some online but I haven't seen one in person so I don't know what materials are used. I guess they aren't supposed to absorb but just contain...would an empty diaper cover made out of PUL work? Something about the plasticy side of the PUL against her skin when its wet doesn't seem right to me...like it would chafe or something? My initial thought would be to use a diaper cover pattern in a smaller size and use pul sandwiched between swim suit fabric and some type of netting (like whats in boys swim trunks) to keep the pul from actually being against her skin, maybe bound with FOE... does this sound right?

[janasmama]

Well, I don't make diapers but I have just used one of my pocket diapers without an insert and it worked for swim diaper. It did hold some water in it and I had to kind of squish it out - it made him quite a bit heavier. Probably not very comfy for a toddler. I'm thinking you don't really need the PUL liner (that is what held the water into the diaper.) You could probably use the swimsuit fabric with a layer of fleece next to the skin and then just add fasteners.

HTH

[mom_of_boys]

I've always used my FB (sans inserts) as a swimdiaper. Any pocket cloth diaper would do. GL!

[IncompetentHousewife]

Yep, I just use the regular pockets I make. I use the Chloe Toes pattern, which is similar to Fuzzi Bunz. They're PUL on the outside, which as you said might not feel good right next to the skin without anything on the inside. The inner of about half my pockets is microfleece and the other half is Malden Mills Power Dry (or equivalent wicking sportswear fabric). I usually grab a Power Dry one for swimming because it's thinner than the microfleece.

If you want to make a special cover just for swimming, almost anything inside PUL would work. You know what would be really good and cheap would be the kind of mesh used for basketball jerseys. I see that in bargain bins at fabric stores. Flannel or anything absorbent might not be so great, but just look for something synthetic so it doesn't absorb.

Then again, if your child is just swimming (where their bum would be in water the whole time anyway) and not running around in the wet swim diaper afterward, then it's probably OK to use something that is absorbent as long as it is thin enough not to take on too much water and add 5 pounds to the child!