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Wool Vs. Other covers
Wool Questions
Washing Instructions
What is a Prefold?
Cloth Or Disposables: What's better for the environment?
How many will I need? And what is available?
Q: Wool Vs. Other covers
Wool is so much more expensive than other covers, and it just goes on my baby's behind, so why use wool for diaper covers?
A:
Yes, I know, wool does tend to be more expensive than other diaper covers out on the market like nylon, PUL, or vinyl, but trust me, there is no comparison to wool. First of all, put away the notion of dry-clean only wool, or wool being hard to take care of.
Wool is actually very easy to take care of (check out the other FAQ on wool), and not that expensive when everything is considered. My husband and I have used no more than 4 wool covers in any given size for our son ever since he was born, and we've only used wool. Typically, we have 2 day covers in a wrap style for during the day. Son wears one day cover while the other gets some airing out, or drying out if it needs washed (usually once a month or so). The same routine with the night covers, only we tend to use pull-ons for nights. The pull-on covers are often thicker, come up higher over the diaper, and don't have velcro to catch on the sheets. With this system, you can actually get away with just 1 each day and night covers, or if you don't mind a little extra bulk, you can use only night covers.
Another favorite option is the wool longie. This is a pant that is also a cover. Wool longies are long legged (thus "longies") like pants, but they don't need a cover over the diaper- just your usual diaper (even a prefold fastened with pins or Snappi) and the longie. The long legs protect baby from the cold, rough crawling surfaces, and you from wetness and messes. Wool is also very absorbent, so it keeps baby dry and holds the moisture in the air spaces of the fibers (which are numerous) and away from your clothes as well.
On children over three months old, a wool night cover and prefold can easily last over night, and without changing a sleeping baby and risking a night's sleep. Wool is super breathable as well, which means good air circulation, keeping baby from getting irritated or a diaper rash. Our son didn't have any butt problems until he started eating large amounts of food (large being about the equivalent of a slice of bread a day) at around 11 months. Until then, we were diaper-rash free.
I think that's all I have to say about wool right now, if you can think of any other questions, feel free to contact me!
Q: Wool Questions
Here is a little bit about wool that I recently sent to a customer who had inquired. We are now carrying some wool items, and I hope to ad more as time goes on. This section covers recycled wool items, how to wash, and how to lanolize wool soakers.
A:
The recycled wool soakers are made from old sweaters or wool coats, and washed and lanolized prior to use.
As for washing after that, I just wash them every 4-6 weeks. Really I just rinse them; if you know some chemistry, you know that a basic substance combines with a fat to form soap. Well, urine is a base and lanolin is a fat. When the two combine (like when your baby pees in a wool soaker) a soap is formed. This soap that forms in the soaker is all that is needed for cleansing the soaker, and this process of chemical change also keeps the smell of urine away (because the urine is changed to part of the soap). If you notice any stains, discoloration, or if you just want to "be sure" you get the soakers clean, feel free to use a mild wool wash (like Euclan) or some of the wool wash bars by Sheepish Grins.
When you can start to smell urine, then it is time to rinse out the soaker and relanolize. To wash, simply hand wash in just enough water to cover, and then rinse well. To re-lanolize, melt lanolin (just a small amount- about a pea size) in enough water to cover the soaker. There are liquid lanolins available, and sprays, that make relanolizing easier, but you can use a cup full of tea-hot water with some Lansinoh or other lanolin for mamas, and then add it to the rest of the water. Soak the soaker in the lanolin wash until the water is cooled to room temp (about 15-20 min), then get out the water (wringing works, but hard on the soaker- I let drip for a while and then pat between towels) and let the soaker dry overnight.
Any other questions, feel free to let me know!
Q: Washing Instructions
How do you wash the cloth diapers?
A:
Washing cloth diapers has never been easier! Thanks to our very efficient washers, fleece lining, and flushable washers you will never have to really deal with poopy diapers.
If you baby is exclusively breastfeeding only then you can just throw the diapers all into the wash. Have your washer do a soak first, then a wash on hot, then an extra rinse. Ta Da!! You’re done.
If your baby is eating more solids, then his/her stool will be more solid so you can start using liners and any solids will be flushed straight down the toilet!! Then wash just as mentioned above. You’re done.
It's a really easy thing to do, just try it and you will see!!
Hints: - If you ever get any stains, place diaper in the sun to dry (voila! Stains are gone). If it's a nice day I like to sun the diapers because the sun naturally kills bacteria, bleaches away any stains there might be, and of course, saves electricity.
For the detergents I would recommend Sun, Allens Naturally, Planet Ultra, and Trader Joe's.
More Hints:
For those stubborn stains I recommend washing the diaper (do not dry) then squeze some lemon juice on it then sun.
For any smells that may happen I recommend putting a few drops Tea Tree Oil in with the diapers during the wash cycle. Tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant that smells very good. You can buy tea tree oil at your local Trader Joe's. Also, add a few drops of tea tree oil to your dirty diaper place and it will help keep any smells down there too!
 
Q: What is a Prefold?
What is a Prefold?
A:
Prefolds are similar to the cloth diapers of the "old days". Except, the prefolds of today are even better! Basically, back in the old days they would just have one big towel that they had to fold many times in order to get the fabric to be absorbent enough. With our prefolds the folding is done for you! The measurements 4x6x4 mean there are 4 layers of fabric on the outsides and 6 layers in the middle. Whoo Hoo! It's all done for us!!
And even better news, NO MORE PINS!!! Just use your Snappi Fastener to keep the prefold on your baby.
FYI: Prefolds do need covers. :-)
Q: Cloth Or Disposables: What's better for the environment?
Is cloth really better for the environment?
A:
YES! I know there were some negative remarks going around about how cloth diapers were actually as bad as disposables because of all the extra laundry and soap they used. Oh, those good marketers at Proctor & Gamble!
Do we throw away our clothes every time we wear them? No way!! That would be wasteful in every sense. Think of all the money we would spend on new clothes, and all of the trash we would generate in just a week, or of all of the natural resources we would use up to make these new clothes. Well, that is what happens with disposable diapers too.
Disposable diapers actually use 2 times more water just to make ONE DIAPER! Not to mention that over 25 million trees are cut down a YEAR to make disposable diapers! Ugh, and the trash they generate. Just in my city (the City of Sunnyvale) they generate over 840 tons of garbage EACH YEAR (this is from the City of Sunnyvale's pamphlet on why to use cloth diapers). They also say that it takes an extra 105 loads of trash to just carry the disposable diapers to the landfill, which in turn, adds to the cost of garbage collection bills. Also, there are costs to the environment associated with the actual packaging and delivering of the disposable diapers to account for too.
Thankfully, we are in the age of the internet and can educate ourselves about how using cloth diapers ARE better for the environment and not be swayed by a marketing plan!!
Q: How many will I need? And what is available?
How many will I need? What types are available?
A:
You can start with just one! Or you can get enough to last you for days. It's up to you. Unless you know which style you prefer already I would suggest getting a few different types and trying them out. I tend to like them all; they all work great for different things.
Prefolds and Covers: If you are going to use this system then I would suggest around 3 dozen prefolds and around 5 covers for babies under a year. You only need about 2 dozen prefolds for babies over a year because they go potty less frequently.
Fitteds and Covers: Ah, fitteds. These take out the folding worries. They are also great for really holding in the poo because they have elastic around the legs. Great for the breastfed babies! I would recommend having around 12 per day depending on how many days you want to wash. Also, you still need around 5 covers.
Pockets: Pockets are super easy! Just stuff something absorbent (a pre-made stuffin, a prefold, or microfiber towel) into the built in pocket and you’re set to go!
Same thing about the amounts needed. Younger babies tend to need a few more than older babies. Great thing about pockets is that you don't need any covers!! It's built into the diaper.
One way to start out could be to get around 4 pockets, 4 fitteds, 12 prefolds, and 3 covers. This will get you through one day and you can experiment with all the different types of cloth diapers available.
Hope this helps and if you have any questions at all please call or email me.
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| Angel Baby Lotion |
| $15.00 |
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| Flannelette Liners by Imse Vimse |
| $12.00 |
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| Pail Pals |
| $1.00 |
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| Felted Wool Ball |
| $10.00 |
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| Mother's Milk Tea |
| $6.00 |
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| Cramp Free Tea |
| $6.00 |
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| Happy Heiny's Solids |
| $15.95 |
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| Snappi Fitteds |
| $7.99 |
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