Questions From A Beginner

[flutterbudget]

Hi ladies! I'm totally new to cloth diapering. My little guy is almost 15 months and we are converting. Since I know it may make a difference in your recommendations, he is a kid who pees a lot all at once, but not terribly frequently.

So far we are not liking prefolds much. LO doesn't seem to like the feeling, I'm not a big fan of the wrestling it takes to get one on my squirmy toddler, and DH is just not keen on them in general. He thinks basically any other style would be fine with him. The other styles all can get pretty pricey, and a big part of out decision to try cloth was to try and save money. So I'm thinking I'll try to make some. I have sewing experience, but alas not a serger.

For some reason I really don't like the feel of most PUL I've encountered. I like the cushiness of a lot of fitteds, and I've seen some good tutorials for amking them, but I'm not sure how I'd like them with covers or if I could realistically go without a cover even part of the time. Maybe AIO's would be a better choice? Could I make a "fitted" type thing using fleece as an outer that would function as an AIO? I will probably have to try some different things.

So, what I'm hoping you can help me with is understanding which fabrics are best for what, and any suggestions you might have since I'm so new I probably don't even know what I don't know...

I really would like to use a "stay dry" inner layer. Which fabrics are best for that? I'm confused by the properties and best uses of suedecloth, velour, and what seems to be several different types of fleece. Where would you use terry, flannel, etc., and why? You want some parts to wick, but not others, right? Sorry for all the basic questions, I'd just really like to know the how and why of it all, so I can make something that will work for us.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this!

[Roxy2007]

there are lots of choices..i dont own a serger as well.

for us...i use fleece covers..i dont hv access to malden mills fleece so i buy regular fleece and use 2 layers. they work great and when the kids need changing, its almost like an indicator since i feel dampness but it wont wick on their clothing. for the inners, i use prefolds and fold it..it looks like a regular insert and though it can be "velcro" in place, i dont and they (the inners) hardly move in the covers.

i am not a fan of PUL. it took a while for my DH to be on board but he hates the pockets and so did it. i sew them myself too. so far we are on the prefolds inner/fleece outer combo. at night we use wool cover which are sewn from recycled sweater.

for liners..we hv washable liners..i havent seen them here, i got them overseas, they look like dryer sheets. some of my liners are microfleece and they worked fine too.

the downside of my combo, it is a little bulky since mine is one size for the 2 kids but i do hv some smaller size ones for ds esp when we go out so his bum dont look there are 5 toilet paper rolls stuffed into them..

my toddler is a heavy wetter and terry nappy insert works the best for her and a wool cover is almost always necessary on her.

i change both kids after 4 - 5 hours..no issue.

[bellee]

add me to the no serger club well i have one but don't know how to use it

I make pockets for my kids. I love then to death. I've tried every kind of diaper out there and have settled on the pockets. I do LOVE AOI's for on the go but I don't make those well, so I buy wahm made. I've got a tute on picassa for pockets: http://picasaweb.google.com/shelleef...ketDiaperTute#

[MyLittleWarrior]

For covers or outers, you want either PUL, thick fleece (polyester), or wool. For the inner layer of a pocket you can use suede cloth (polyester) or microfleece if you want a wicking stay dry layer. If you're trying to avoid synthetics, velour is a great inner. It's absorbant, but the pile helps it feel dryer against babys skin, and it's super soft. For the stuffers or inserts you want something super absorbant. I stuff my pockets with prefolds. Cotton terry is also a great option, and some people really like microfiber towles. You can find them in the automotive section of stores like target and walmart. Just be sure to get the ones that say "absorb water" not "grabs dust". For the frugal among us, I've had good luck making AIO's out of thrift store sweatshirts (at least 80% cotton) for the body and soaker layers, and thrift store fleece pullovers as the outer water proof layer. I do have a serger, but you can always turn and topstitch. HTH!

[3LittleC's]

I just recently started making my own pockets. My first try I used Windpro fleece (thicker & doesn't really pill) with diaper flannel as the inner. Although they are great for nighttime, I really don't prefer them. They are super thick and I really wish I used microfleece instead of flannel for the inner - but then again, it would be even thicker.

Yesterday I finally got my PUL and microfleece in and whipped up 4 diapers and LOVE them. The pattern I used is here : http://anayaliss.blogspot.com/

It's great and super cute and good, but not good for night time. The reason I like this pattern is I can make 5 diapers using the same amount of PUL as I would have if I made a standard Pocket with all PUL outside.

Personally, I love the PUL and am really disappointed using the fleece, although I think it would be great for a cover, it's not great for the pocket.

I either stuff the pockets with prefolds, microfibre insert (that came with the 1 Happy Heiny that I have) or ones I made using 3 layers of terry and 1 layer of diaper flannel.