Someone give me the rundown on wool, please.

[Saartje]

I'm tired of being a wool virgin (and Ishie's outgrowing his L Bumpies... am I doing something wrong? He can't be *that* big!), so I'm thinking of trying a wool cover. (Other than my Bumpy Wool, which is machine washable & thus doesn't count, I think.)

How do I properly care for wool covers? Knowing exactly what products are good for lanolizing would help, especially.

What are your favourites, functionally? (I like cute, but having things WORK is much more important to me.)

Which are most cost-effective, besides knitting them myself (which I am doing ;))?

Which fit best under clothing?

[tarahsolazy]

I don't have time for long reply, pumping at work! Forrest is in XL Bumpys, and he's not much older than Ish. So, we've got big boys! I think that a Sugarpeas jersey wool cover (~$23), or a Fuzbaby Fuzeasy (~$30) are both nice covers to try out for wool. They are easily available, very soft and stretchy, and fairly reasonably priced. You can get the SP at naturalbabies, and the fuzeasy at www.fuzbaby.com . I like WOW liquid wool wash, which is available from many diaper sites. It is 50% lanolin, so you rarely need additional lanolin, just wash in the WOW, and it auto-lanolizes. It comes in very nice scents, too, mine is a citrusy one. Both of these covers are fairly trim, and will go under roomy clothes as well as a PUL, I would think. I think you would need a large fuzeasy, but those medium SPs seem to fit forever... www.simonscustomcloth.com also has nice covers for under $20, just get a jersey, so it will be stretchy. A soaker knit from Lion Brand Fisherman's wool is fairly trim, too. Mine fits under even our less roomy rompers. I need to knit one without leg cuffs, and I think then it would work even under pants.

[calebsmama03]

I don't have a ton of wool but am working on getting more for #2. As far as care goes, ITA about the WOW wash. I get mine from Sherry at
www.naturalsimplicity.net It is so easy - 1 tsp or so in a sinkful of warm water, gently swish, soak for 20 min (or 4 hours if you forget like me!), drain sink, roll in a towel to remove excess water and hang to dry! I use my wool at night so I do lanolize in addition to using WOW, but now I use the awesome lanolin spray from the same place. 2-3 sprays across the wet zone after rolling in towel, rub in gently, let air dry. I'll never got back to regular lanolizing again (not hard, but not as easy as this)! Sherry has tons of scents and really reasonable prices - often has a sale code at MDC's diapering pages. If you are at ALL interested in getting some, I'd order soon as it looks like she'll be moving soon and will be closed for a while.

I can't help much on the which is best front. I have an Elbee and a Kiwi Pie, which are both now majorly hyena. In addition to the ones Tarah said, I've heard excellent things about the wool from http://www.loveybums.com. Reasonable prices and trim. Also, http://www.crystalscloth.com/store (starts at $19 for jersey!)
For cuteness, http://www.woolybumbums.com/?Welcome+to+WBB%21 does crochet or recycled wool and has nice embroidery. As does http://tykiediapers.com These are all ones I'm investigating for 3@ and have heard great things about but not tried yet.

If you want to be REALLY overwhelmed with choices, you can check out these lists at MDC of places that do wool longies and pants - most also do covers and soakers :)
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=204675
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=204674

Good luck chosing! I LOVE wool, now am just trying top figure out how to make it workable with a newborn :)
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05

[Saartje]

Is wool appropriate for a heavy wetter? Just thought I should check since, though I don't think we've crossed into super-soaker territory, Ishie's becoming a heavier wetter as time goes by.

[mudder17]

For night time, the Aristocrat usually works great for DD and she has become a heavy wetter. During the day, I don't usually have leaks through wool covers, so I would say, yes, they'll work, depending on the wool cover. I've been told sugarpeas wool are great, but I don't have any of them. I have sort of an eclectic mixture of wool: an Angelluv, a cutie-pat-ootease pig wrap, a soaker made by the diaper fairy, a BJ Marketplace soaker, and a Tinker...ebay soaker. And of course, the Aristocrat. They all work fine, as long as the diaper is enough to absorb all the pee.

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 10 months and counting

[calebsmama03]

We use wool overnight and have never had a leak. Had some wicking once when DH put DS to bed without an appropriate amount of stuffing, but even then the wool felt "sweaty" and the PJ's (cotton zippers) damp, but not wet. I'd say for a heavy wetter make sure you order 2 layer covers, or covers with an extra layer in the wetzone. Most places will offer that, and you can always ask the WAHM which combo is best for a heavy wetter. The other option is to "overlanolize". I tend to do this anyway - super easy to do with the spray lanolin. It makes the wool a bit tacky feeling, but I don't mind that at all.
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And the stubborn "purple" baby due 5/25/05