These aren’t your mother’s cloth diapers
Put aside your preconceived notions about cloth diapers. Cloth diapering has come a long way! The new designs are inventive, adorable, and easy to use.
When we picture cloth diapering, most of conjure up images of huge, flat cloth squares that require multiple, origami-like folds that are held onto a squirmy baby with sharp metal pins and then covered with noisy plastic pants. No wonder our mothers loved disposables!
Today’s cloth diapers come with elastic, hook and loop tape, and snaps. They’re as easy to use as a disposable diaper. Covers too, come in lots of different modern styles.
A wool soaker is basically a diaper cover made of wool. I know, it’s really hard to believe that a sweater can work as a diaper cover, but it really does! Wool does not wick liquids the way that other fabrics do that you are used to. So while it’s not strictly waterproof (if you pour water on it, it will go through the holes). It will work as a waterproof cover, as long as the soaker fabric is thick enough so that the wet diaper doesn’t come into direct contact with whatever is outside the diaper (like, your lap). If the sweater is made of lace it won’t work!
Why is wool better than PUL or other plastic covers? Isn’t wool hot?
My answer to this question is: have you ever spent a hot summer day under a plastic poncho? Wool may be a great insulator, but wool breathes. Nothing is hotter than being wet and trapped in plastic. Lots of moms find that their diaper rash problems clear up when they switch to wool.
Advantages of Wool
- Wool is more comfortable in hot or cold conditions because it is breathable.
- Wool is the only diaper cover option that is made strictly from natural materials and not petroleum-based plastic. Organic options are available as well.
- Wool even has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. How cool is that?
- Unlike plastic covers, wool can hold up to 40% of its weight in liquid.
- Wool may seem expensive, but you don’t need to buy nearly as many to use in a rotation because you can re-use each one several times. Wool really is “self-cleaning,” with no residual smell of urine. Chemically, urine combines with lanolin in a soaker to neutralize it. That’s why you can keep re-using wool soakers until they run out of lanolin. This is also what keeps the smell away for many uses. When they start to smell, that is when it’s time to wash and re-lanolize.
- Plus, they’re so dang cute!
