For those of you who make your own cd

[akmyilee]

Ok, this is what I am considering, I was given a link to a page with some great patterns but I was wondering if ya'll ever used micro fleece for Diapers? I saw a Martha Stewart blanket at KMart today for 16$ which is better than buying it. I think that I have seen fleese used for diapers haven't I? Also do I need a plastic cover? My dh is going to freak if she leaks all over him. Also, where do you get the snappy things? Ok, I also don't have a serger, I am just going to zig zag the edges, I saw that someone else had done this. Any one else have advice for this? TIA :lol

[Radosny Matka]

First you have to decide what type of diaper you are going to make. Different diapers require different types of fabric. Every cloth diaper needs some sort of waterproof liner. Depending on the diaper, it might be part of the diaper, or a seperate cover. It can be PUL, wool, or fleece. There are so many choices. You can get microfleece much cheaper at Joann fabrics - a yard for $8 (less if on sale or if you have coupon). Microfleece is not a good choice for absorbancy - it wicks the moisture away and makes a fabulous fabric to have next to babies skin. Your best bet is to decide what type of dipe you want to make, and go from there. I personally chose to make pocket diapers and I can make them pretty cheaply (about $6 for both diaper and insert). I hope that helps a little.

[lotsomama]

I have made a few fitteds, but mostly "prefold" style (you so don't need a pattern for these - my 7yo watched me a few times and made some by herself). I have also made some wool soakers out of sweaters for covers and my fabulous midwife is knitting me some :tu :heart. Snappies are harder to find IRL than pins. A lot of the online diaper stores sell them, but my nearest retailer is 300 mi away. I don't want to deal with the extra drying time, so I haven't added a microfleece layer to any of my dipes, because I don't think the absorbancy is that great compared to what I could use if I wanted to throw in an extra layer. Of course, this is all being done on speculation - I haven't had my baby yet and used a service before. I don't have a surger either I sew it, flip it right side out and top stitch. I might make pocket dipes in the future, but not for bf poo, so it will some time before baby and I are ready for those. I also joined some yahoo groups for diaper sewers so that I could get advice and see what other moms were doing. There are several on those boards who do this for a living and would be much more knowlegeable than ! am.
HTH,
Beverly

[akmyilee]

Ok, well it looks like the next step is to figure out what kinda dipe I want right? SO what do ya'll sugest? My dd is only 2 months old but she is a big girl (16lbs) she is ebf so I won't have to worry about anything except bf poop for a while. If I am goign to expect my dh to change her it has to be moderately simple, not that he changes alot of diapers but ya know :) TIA

[Larissa]

IF you want it to be dh friendly, then I would either go for fitteds with covers, or the pocket diapers with inserts.

My dh is not really a diaper changer....I don't think he's ever changed one of Aaron's diapers(he's almost 4 months), and he rarely changes Martin...who is now potty trained except for the diaper he wears at night....anyway...i think that dh does better with the pocket diaper than he ever did with a disposable.

[Radosny Matka]

Ok, well it looks like the next step is to figure out what kinda dipe I want right? SO what do ya'll sugest? My dd is only 2 months old but she is a big girl (16lbs) she is ebf so I won't have to worry about anything except bf poop for a while. If I am goign to expect my dh to change her it has to be moderately simple, not that he changes alot of diapers but ya know :) TIA


My son is also a Jan 05 baby, and I love my pockets. I like them because they are super cute, fast and easy to put on (they velcro on just like a disposable), and not as bulky as many other types of diapers. I also haven't had any leaks (okay, I had one poop leak out, but only one, so I think that's pretty good). So, my plug is for pockets, but it really is what you prefer.

[TheSweetLife]

Another vote for pockets. You can just stuff them with whatever insert you choose and have them ready to go under the changing table, this makes it a lot easier for me and dh when dd is rolling and wiggling and trying to get away during a diaper change.

[akmyilee]

Ok, so I have made my first one, a fitted with the padding sewn in but I still need to tweek it a little. Ok, If I was to make a pocket one I would just leave the top open and stuff it that way? I don't have any covers though, I went to hancock fabrics and they had no idea what PUL was. I bought some vinal/felt backing stuff, it is like a picnic table cloth. It was about 2$ a yard so I figured what the hey. It is too late tonight to do the cover but I figured it was a start. I one that I made is really cute, it is some froggy fannel, but that is about all I can say for it considering I haven't tried it out yet. Ok, so my guestion is what is PUL, can I only get it online? Also I thought I would just let you know that the ladies in the fabric store looked at me like I told them that I was making a time bomb or something when I told them that I was making CD :lol :lol It was the funniest thing. Ellie was in the sling that I had just made too and Kyle was talking about his feelings It was hilious :)

[lotsomama]

None of the fabric stores where I'm at had any either. I love it when sales people think I'm nuts - your kids sound so cute! http://diapershop.com/pul.htm sells PUL, but there are lots of others - just do a search. It stands for Polyurethane Laminate.

[Laura]

You probably will only be able to get PUL online. Can I reccoment NOT using the vinyl tablecloth stuff? You're wasting your time, it won't hold up in the wash, and there are a lot of studies questioning the safety of vinyl in children's clothes and toys. www.wazoodle.com sells PUL and procare, which is a similar fabric, or you can get it from diapershop.com, or many others. All of them ship quicly. I'd wait.

[anniegirl]

I just started making pocket dipes, so I'm all eager to share what I've learned with you :mrgreen

Here's a link that has lots of other great links about making dipes: http://www.thediaperhyena.com/reap.htm

I bought microfleece and no-pill regular fleece at joann's (50% off, I don't know if the sale is still going on). I used the micro as the inner layer against ds's skin and the regular as the outer layer. I washed the regular fleece in Nikwax Polar Proof first before I sewed them. They work pretty well although they do eventually get damp on the outside if I leave him in it too long. For going out I made some of them extra waterproof: I bought an Eddie Bauer rain jacket made out of polyurethane at the thrift store for $2. I cut it into 6x16 inch strips and sewed the strips into the "wet zone" on the inside of some of the dipes. Works great. The only thing I bought online was the velcro at http://diapershop.com/.

The thing I love about pockets (especially fleece ones) is they dry sooooo fast! I was getting sick of my prefolds because it was taking two dryer cycles to dry them and I don't have the option to dry outside. Now all the dipes and stuffers are dry in less than one cycle! :tu I stuff them with the yellow microfiber towels from Home Depot.

To sew the dipes I sewed around the edges inside out first but left the front open (another bonus of fleece is it doesn't unravel, so no need to hem the open part). Then I sewed the elastic on the legs and back using a zig-zag stitch, turn the dipe right side out and top stitch around the elastic (you probably don't have to do this part, but I think it looks nicer, it looks like the legs on a fuzzi bunz this way). Then I sewed on the velcro.

I love these dipes they're so easy to use, especially for dh, and clean up real nice too. :tu Joann's has a lot of cute colors too. I made mine with red outer/baby blue inners and navy outer/butter yellow inner.

[akmyilee]

Anniegirl -- about the Nikway Polar Proof, where do you get that????

[anniegirl]

i got it at a store called GI Joes. I think lots of sporting goods stores carry it. especially ski/hunting/fishing type stores. you can also get fleece (malden mills i think it's called) from diapershop that's pre-treated and supposed to be way nicer than the cheapie stuff. i just didn't want to spend the money since i was new at it. i think when we have another baby i'll make more dipes out of the good stuff.

[Radosny Matka]

You can also use Alova Suedecloth (can get that at Joann's) for in the inners on pocket diapers. I personally prefer it (I think it's easier to work with and sew than microfleece), but some don't like it. It works the same as microfleece. Also, you can join a co-op and get PUL cheaper than you can at an online store. If you are interested, I can give you the links of the 2 I belong too. I have had great service ordering PUL from www.diapershop.com.

Sara