switching to wool and fleece covers and other general questions

[knaidel]

Hi,

First off, everyone on all these boards seems to love prefolds. They didn't work for us- didn't seem to hold in BM. MAybe I was doing something wrong?

Right now, we are using a lot of FBs, Happy Heinys, happy hempys, and some other various hemp fitteds. When I use something that needs a cover, I use a prorap. But I see so much about wool and fleece covers. Why do moms use them? If we don't have diaper rash, should we use to prevent it?

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for making hemp inserts? I have a machine....it shouldn't be too hard?


One more thing: out of the 3 boards that I ask diapering questions at (here, the pin, and MDC) this is BY FAR the friendliet and most helpful. At the other boards, I feel that my questions "get lost."
KWIM?

As per the suggestion for us to switch over to hemp dipes for my heavy wetter (from a few weeks ago), its been working out well.

[Saartje]

Prefolds work better or worse depending on how you fold them. The method that often gets touted as simplest, trifolding them in a cover, I find ineffective: it's bulky on my baby and doesn't hold the poop in. My favourite way to use them is the bikini twist: put one end under his bottom, twist the other end 180 degrees so that the narrow, twisted portion sits between his legs, and fasten around his waist. Then I tuck the excess in around his thighs to form gussets; I find this holds everything in nicely. (DH's experience is slightly different, and he prefers to use the angel fold, so it really is a matter of what works best for you.)

There's nothing wrong with not liking prefolds, though. :) Many people do prefer fitteds; I simply find the simplicity (and price!) of prefolds appealing, and they do fit my baby well.

Regarding wool and fleece covers: I'm in the process of switching to wool and fleece covers. My baby has quite sensitive skin (though the switch to CDs has helped enormously with the diaper rash that plagued him as a newborn), and I'm liking the effect that wool has. My other reason for the switch is that I've never found a PUL cover I'm entirely happy with (either the fit isn't quite right on my DS or the cover uses aplix, and I'm tired of having the latter damage other things in my laundry). If you're happy with your Proraps and don't have diaper rash, stick with what works for you.

I can't give advice on hemp inserts, though I'm looking foward to reading someone else's response to that question. :)

And I'm glad you find this board so friendly and helpful. I like it here, too, and for the same reason. I'm also glad hemp is working out well for you.

[pittsburghgirl]

I'm about the least experienced CD'ing mama here, but here are some thoughts.

I haven't done much with PF's either, but that is mostly because I didn't start until DS was almost 12 months and he is not tolerant of diaper changes. Despite practicing, I can't seem to get the hang of snappi'ing quickly enough for him, and just trifolding in a cover is too bulky for me.

Right now I only have one fleece and one wool cover. Both Sugarpeas, the wool is jersey, yummy soft. I tried these first mostly because they are readily available and I have mostly Sugarpeas fitteds so they fit nicely.

I use the wool a lot for naps. The fleece I use when he's going to be running around the house without pants on, keeps him a bit warmer. I find that both are just so much nicer on his skin (no red marks!) than any of my other covers. I have a prorap, bummis sww, and bumpy day (the bumpy is my favorite of those for not leaving the red marks.)

I tend to use my pockets or AIOs when I go out, so I don't need to worry about the compression wicking that sometimes occurs in car seats with the fleece covers.

I like the idea that wool breathes, he is in PUL most of the rest of the time. Even the fleece seems like it will let in more air than PUL.

I expect that in the summer, I may want to use wool more. You wouldn't think that makes sense but I have read many posts that it's actually a lot cooler than PUL in the summer. I also plan on letting DS go coverless a lot.

We don't have a rash problem, I just wanted to try. I'm now eyeing some longies and soakers, waiting until I make some more $$ with my consulting work.

HTH.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050120/1/0/1/-5/.png

[daisymommy]

I am not a fan or prefolds either, but that's probably user error on my part ;) I can never get them to fit right. So, I love fitted diapers & pockets.

Why do I use all fleece and wool? Because I have yet to find a PUL cover that fits my chunky-monkey son well, and doesn't leave horrible red marks, scrapes, and welts on his skin. If I had found one by now, I would be using it. However, I prefer the soft natural feel of wool and fleece in my hands, think they probably feel more comfy and soft on him, breathe better, and come in many more colors, patterns, and designs. I am such a fool for works of fabric art! :)

[mudder17]

I love prefolds because they're simple, inexpensive, and when Kaya was a newborn, they actually held her BF'd poop the best, even better than the kissaluvs. I've recently started doing the bikini twist that Sarah was talking about, but I used to always do a version of the angel fold or newspaper fold (they're very similar to me). With a snappi and having the gussets, they really contained leaky poop, unlike any of the pockets I tried. Now that her poop has firmed up a little, most of her diapers can contain it.

However, it's perfectly fine if you don't like prefolds. In the world of CDs, I've found that it's best to stick with what works for you, and branch out more for fun. :)

I use wool and fleece because Kaya does have sensitive skin and is prone to rash. I found when I was using PUL, especially during the summer, she got rashes all the time. As soon as I switched to wool, and later to fleece, she got far fewer rashes. She's in the middle of some funky rash right now, so in the mornings, I'm letting her explore the bathroom without a diaper, and I think that'll help. When she starts walking, I'll probably let her go coverless around the house. I'm in the process of selling off all my PUL, except maybe two of them for backup in my diaper bag.

Several moms here make hemp inserts, but I'm not one of them. However, I do have a couple of suggestions. First, I would wash and dry the fabric at least three times before sewing with it, because hemp initially shrinks quite a bit, and in my experience, it's hard to estimate what the final size will look like. Also, certain types of hemp (like hemp fleece) shed quite a bit, so the initial washings will remove a large part of that. I think you should also decide on the number of layers you want, and then maybe sew half of them on one side to facilitate drying. So, for instance, if you want four layers, you could sew two of them together (with zig zag stitch if you don't have a serger) and then sew two of the pairs to each other, but only on one edge so that in the wash and dryer, they sort of flap open.

And I agree--I have found navigation on MDC to be quite confusing and all the moms here are so friendly, helpful and supportive. I've made some very good friends here.

I'm glad the hemp dipes have been working out for your son. It's definitely helped with Kaya, even if I've had to tweak my washing technique to prevent build-up.


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 11 months and counting

[KrisM]

I am a prefold girl. We did have a lot of leaks when Andrew was EBF, but only to the cover. Now, they're fine. I wasn't a fan of Prowraps, because I couldn't get the thighs tight enough without having red marks on the waist.

I ordered my first fleece cover a couple of weeks ago. It was shipped on Monday and I'm still waiting for it! I tried a fleece pocket last night and it was very nice. His skin was dry and a slight rash cleared up even. Breathability is good!

I read MDC sometimes, and there is so much traffic it's easy to get lost.