The Liberal Arts Housewife: Projects : Cloth Diapers

I mentioned in my Baby #5 blog that making cloth diapers was becoming an obsession. I was not kidding. It is way too much fun. The first round of cloth diapers for Bria were pretty standard. I made some All In One diapers and some covers to go over a few newborn sized fitted diapers I had made in the past. I tried all different ways of making diapers such as wool covers from an old sweater, FOE(fold over elastic) to make the other five covers. I used velcro for everything because I do not own a snap press. There was a process of carefully selecting the fabrics I wanted to use. I bought two yards of hemp fleece and one yard of PUL (yellow with polka dots). My pattern was a tracing of an older (bought) newborn sized diaper. Before the baby is born it is hard to judge the exact measurements a diaper should be. I have also traced a newborn disposable diaper in the past too.

This time around I am trying to perfect my skills. I have an actual baby to measure and I found a pattern a friend of mine told me about for free on the internet. ( http://littlecomettails.com/2008/11/oldies-are-goodies-but-freebies-are-oh-so-sweet/ ) This pattern is called the Tighty Whitey Hipster diaper. I also attempted to make my own pattern along side of this with my own baby's measurements to see what I liked the best.

My supplies were slightly different this time around. I bought 3 yards of PUL in fun colors like Plum, Sage, and Spice from http://www.diapersewingsupplies.com. This stuff is really nice high quality stuff. I also purchased 1/4" elastic, 3 yards of loop tape, and 1 yard of hook. There is also a free trial product with purchase so I requested some FOE in vanilla (2 yds enough for one large sized diaper). Then I thought to save some cash I would search for old fabric to make the rest of the diaper.

I got together old pairs of sweatpants, receiving blankets, maternity tee shirts, and some old jersey knit pillow cases. Flannel and jersey knit work great for diapers. With a focus on AIO diapers this time I needed to find large enough pieces of fabric for the inside part of the diaper. One maternity shirt could make two diapers this way, or if it was cut fancy I would use the plain back for the diaper and the other side for insert layers. Flannel receiving blankets were easier to use. Both are nice fabrics against the baby's skin.

Next one needs to make six layers of fabric for inserts. This takes up more fabric that I imagined. I used left over pieces of shirts, blankets, and I even found some old tees just to cut up for inserts. It was a great way of getting rid of clutter in my closet too. I have to admit by the last couple of diapers I was running out of old cloth around the house, but somehow managed to find just enough to make seventeen diapers. I have enough PUL for 24 but at this point I was also all out of elastic. Due to my budget I am calling it quits with 17 diapers. This lasts about a day and a half, but I have been washing diapers every day since my first two diapers are a little bit big and Charis is wearing them (my second youngest). So really I am working with 15 diapers and a newborn.

I liked my own pattern enough to make two diapers out of it, but it was a bit smaller than the one I found on the internet, so I decided to make most of my diapers from the internet pattern. These are really cute diapers with lots of extra room. I love the fold in taps to keep the hook from getting stuck to other diapers in the wash. Also this allows for the diaper to be washed open making it cleaner and easier to dry. I must say I am not complaining. Even my one and half year old looks great in the larger version of this diaper and there are not major leaks. The leg holes are slightly large for my infant, but we have only had a couple leaks from her (usually when I have put off changing her since I do have 5 kids at this point and always something to do).

Now that my stash is full of newborn and size small diapers I am ready to start thinking about making medium diapers. This size will most likely be used for much longer than the smalls. My newborn diapers only were in use for around five weeks. I am out of old cloth, so I will most likely be looking at what kind of fabric I like the best and buying that.

Fabric choices are more complex than I thought. For an AIO diaper the biggest problem with fabrics like hemp fleece is that they take FOREVER to dry. Hemp is super absorbent making it a great diaper fabric, but I think I will stick to using it as one layer for the inside of the diaper or making boosters out it. I would like to try hemp jersey. Maybe a thinner fabric will dry better. Jersey has been my favorite fabric so far. The old tee shirt diapers are soft, easy to clean, and fast to dry. Flannel requires a longer drying time, but it has been fairly easy to remove toddler solids off of it. Everything depends on priorities. If I lived somewhere dry and hot I would just dry my diapers outside, but that is hardly ever an option in Port Townsend, WA. Keep your climate in mind when picking out fabrics. Dry time is important because sometimes you are down to your last diaper when the rest are in the dryer.

As for types of diapers, I have tried them all now. They are all great in different situations, but I would have to say a homemade AIO is the easiest diaper to use. There is less to put in a diaper bag for trips, less to teach your husband about, and it is the closest thing to a disposable diaper. If you make your own diapers, cost is less of a problem. One can make 18 to 24 diapers for around 30-50 dollars. If you combine buying PUL with old fabric, it is a fairly cost effective way to have a decent stash of cloth diapers.

If one wants to purchase diapers, consider getting a few AIOs for the road and maybe night changes. Then consider something like the Flip diaper for around the house and during the day. I like pocket diapers, such as Fuzzi Bunz, because one has more control over how many inserts are needed for different situations, but stuffing pockets all the time got frustrating and running around with inserts took up a lot of space in the washer.

Buying cloth diapers was a great introduction to the concept, but now I love making them. It would be hard to put my creative mind away and just buy diapers at this point. I love having control over the look, the feel, the exact size, and much more. If I have to change diapers for seven plus years, it might as well be fun. :) I am already thinking about the way of designing the perfect diaper bag for cloth diapering. I will post more on this project in the future. Enjoy the diaper photos.