Monster Pants Cloth Diapers

Making diapers started as a matter of practicality. I have been a seamstress for nearly ten years, and so when a baby was on the way, making my own diapers seemed to make sense. I loved making Addy’s diapers and quickly made more than strictly necessary for one baby. Next I started to make diapers for friends and soon after that began to create my brand: Monster Pants.

 A run of the mill line up that includes a bridal gown (needed a new zipper and to be taken in), a couple of skirts (needed to be altered to a more modern fit to be worn below the waist), a bridesmaid dress (needed to be hemmed), a sundress (also needed to be hemmed), and a men’s suit (the pants needed to be hemmed, the jacket taken in, and the sleeves shortened). Not pictured are the diapers that I was making this week as well. Those can be seen at facebook.com/MonsterPants.

Before I discovered the joys of diaper making, I worked primarily on formal wear. I have fitted more brides than I can count! I love to see brides in their dresses. It tends to be a happy time for everyone and it is a joy to be a part of that. Finding time to work on huge, fluffy bridal gowns became difficult when Addy, my little monster, became mobile. Dresses with four-digit price tags do not come out on top after an encounter with a toddler. I never had a dress come to harm, but it was tricky to work on the dresses while Addy was sleeping or while DH was on baby-duty and ensure the dresses were ready by their due dates. And so, I have changed my clientele largely from the bridal industry to the diaper-wearing crowd.

I still do alterations to bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and suits. I also hem pants, replace coat and pants zippers, and patch holey clothing. But mostly, I sew diapers. It is easier to fit diaper sewing into everyday reality with a little monster running loose. I also just plain enjoy interacting with parents and helping them make cloth diapering work for their families. I have helped quite a few people onto the cloth diapering bandwagon and I am proud of it!

What was a major influence on your choice to use cloth diapers?

As a knitter and cloth diaperer, I have known about wool diaper covers since early in my cloth diapering career. I had not used it until recently and I am so glad I finally got started with it! Addy, in the picture above, is obviously stoked about her new wool cover. (Or maybe it’s the fact that she’s barely dressed. But I like to think it’s because of the new cover.)

A wool diaper cover is not the same hot, itchy material as that sweater in the back of your closet. Or at least, it doesn’t have to be. Wool can be soft as silk, is always completely breathable, and can be waterproofed. Wool also does not need to be washed as frequently as other materials. A wool diaper cover only needs to be washed (and lanolinized — more on that later) every 2-4 weeks. You’ll know it’s time to wash when you notice a funky smell or get a leak.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to wool over PUL (and way over disposables) is how well it breathes. Disposables are plastic. Just like the plastic bag in which bread is stored, it is essentially airtight. Great for bread — keeps it from getting stale in less than a day. Bad for skin — gives a lot of little bums rashes. PUL is a laminate-coated polyester. PUL is permeable to air but not to liquid. Waterproof, but not airtight. And wool, being a natural fiber, is even more breathable than PUL. A lot of rash-prone babies have marked improvement with the use of wool covers.

The waterproof aspect of wool is the most amazing. Wool comes from sheep. Sheep produce an oil called lanolin that coats their wool, protecting the sheep from the weather. Sheep are waterproof in the same way ducks and geese are; water rolls right off. When wool is sheered from the sheep and processed into textiles, the lanolin is removed and the wool is no longer waterproof. Lanolin is sold as a soothing, moisturizing skin treatment for humans. It is most often specifically marketed towards breastfeeding mothers. Lansinoh is a name brand of pure lanolin you can find at just about any store that sells baby products. You will usually find it near bottles and breastfeeding gear. A pea-sized amount of this magic ointment dissolved in hot water is enough to coat a wool cover, waterproofing it for several weeks. It seems unbelievable. Especially when you feel a wool cover. It simply does not seem possible that it could hold moisture.

You do need a diaper with the wool — it functions as a diaper cover, not as a diaper. So put your favorite fitted, insert, flat, or prefold on your monster, put the wool on over it, and say goodbye to rashes. Wool covers are especially beneficial at night, when the same diaper is worn for 8-12 hours. Some people who have had leak troubles at night have found a successful nighttime solution with wool as well.

The downside to wool is its care. PUL is so convenient; you can wash and dry it with the rest of your diapers. Wool cannot be machine washed. It must be hand washed in warm (but not hot) water, soaked with lanolin, and then laid flat to dry. The good news is this only needs to happen once every 2-4 weeks (or in the event of the cover being soiled).

Interested? Wool covers will be part of the Monster Pants line up in the next few weeks. If you absolutely cannot wait or have a rash problem that needs immediate attention, contact me for an early bird order.

Have you heard of wool in cloth diapering or used it before?

We had a slow week around here, waiting for colds to abate so life could return to normal. It started with Addy, who shared her germs with me. About the time we were both improving, husband caught it. There are some lingering coughs, but otherwise it’s back to business as usual!

It never ceases to amaze me how active a sick toddler can be. On my worst day of this cold, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch with a box of tissues and stare at the wall. Addy’s energy seemed immune to the effects of a cold. If it weren’t for other obvious signs, I wouldn’t have thought she was sick at all!

The first clue is that constantly-running nose! Which leads to wet spots on her shirt, if I don’t get a wipe in time. Perhaps the most amazing thing about a toddler with a cold is that her overall expression has the same glazed, lethargic look as I do when sick. She can’t possibly feel well! And yet she runs laps around the house as if she were training for the Olympic 100-meter dash.

PJ’s all day is a given during illness, though is perhaps more a sign of mom being sick than the toddler. Addy would just as soon not wear anything ever.

After days of all that nose-wiping, it’s sure to turn red. I apply copious amounts of lanolin to help keep it from getting too chapped and dried out. As long as I pretend to apply it to myself first, Addy is all about getting some too. She loves doing what everyone else is doing!

My favorite aspect of a sick toddler is how cuddly she becomes. Usually she is bouncing from one activity to the next, climbing on anything she can, running after whatever catches her eye. I know she is sick if she will pause, ask to be picked up, and just snuggle for a few moments.

Now that the household is mostly recovered, I have been trying out some new experiments! I have wool covers in the works. I am really excited to get these perfected for moms who love wool and for babies who are rash-prone! I have also been fiddling with my front-snapping pattern, just to see if there is something else I like better than what I am currently doing. So far, what I’ve been doing is still my favorite, but I have a couple more ideas to try before I am satisfied.

How do you know your little one is coming down with something?

Every Monster Pants diaper, cover, insert, and accessory is made right here. I intentionally didn’t tidy up before taking a photo of my workshop. This is the condition in which you will usually find it. Toys on the floor, something on the table waiting to be cut or sewn. Machines at the ready. I am surprised to see a trash bin on the floor. Addy must have been napping just prior to the picture being taken. Usually trash bins have to be on the table or else I’ll find piles of thread and fabric scraps strewn throughout the house.

In the background you see part of a bookcase. My dad and I built those just after Christmas. I am a huge book nerd. To quantify, I regularly read 60-75 books a year pre-Addy. In 2011, my first full year of being a mom, I read only 36 books. Makes me a little sad. But at least I get to sew surrounded by my books. Snuggling and playing with dear Addy is more than adequate compensation for reading time anyway.

To keep this room tidy, my fabric is stored in the basement. The shelves that held my books prior to the new shelving are now full of a variety of fabric. There are several shelves of PUL, both solids and prints. There are even more shelves of cotton interlock. Some flannel prints. Rolls of Sherpa, bamboo fleece, suedecloth, hemp, cotton flannel, and birdseye cotton line one wall. It is quite formidable. Which is why it doesn’t live on the main floor of the house. It also helps me stay focused on one project at a time. The fabric on the table is the project winning my attention. The hundreds of others buzzing around in my head are forced to wait their turn, until the table is cleared again!

Thanks for taking a mini-tour of the Monster Pants headquarters. If you haven’t already, be sure to enter the February Giveaway for your chance to win a bamboo snap-in insert. The drawing is Monday, February 6th!

Which gets you more excited: Crafting space or bookshelves (or neither!)?

Welcome! I am delighted to have you. My name is Melissa. My daughter is 15-month-
old Addy. She is the original monster behind Monster Pants. I have been a seamstress for
almost 10 years. Sewing my own diapers was an obvious choice when I found out I was
expecting. I loved making diapers so much that after making my own stash(es), I started
Monster Pants.

Monster Pants isn’t just a way for me to work while staying home with my sweet little
monster. It is my creative outlet, my way of relaxing, of enjoying my craft. I just adore
making such functional items.

I also love being mommy. And so the blog portion of Monster Pants will be broader than
strictly diapering in order to incorporate other aspects of being a crafty mom. Particularly
adventures in cooking, tutorials, non-diaper projects, parenting, and more.

A regular feature of the blog will be the monthly freebie. I will always ask a question
at the end of a post. On the first post of the month, leave a comment that answers the
question to enter to win the freebie. All that fun will start in February. Meanwhile, we’ll
practice with this question.

I used to think cloth diapering was gross. “Poop in your washer!? The same washer in
which you wash your regular clothes and dishtowels!? Eww!” And then my brother-
and sister-in-law had a baby. They use disposables. One day they were talking about
blowouts that happened in the car seat. And the swing. And the bouncy seat. I realized
that having a baby meant poop would be in the washer one way or another. And so my
road to cloth diapering was paved.

How did you get started down the road to cloth?