Monster Pants 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?