Fashionable Friday! Something for the babies...

I am a convert to cloth diapering. I wanted to use cloth dipes with my first child 14 years ago and investigated my options. We didn’t own a washing machine at the time, so I was left with either hand washing or a diaper service. The diaper service was both expensive and a little disturbing to me. I couldn’t get my mind around not getting MY baby’s diapers back every time. So disposables it was, against my true desires.

The next babies were diapered in disposables after a habit – and convenience. When my 5th baby was born, we’d lived in our home for almost 4 years and had no plans to move. I re-investigated cloth diapering and could NOT believe how much it had changed. I ran the numbers too. I mean economy is at the top of the list when it comes to clothing, housing and feeding a larger family. To my delight, cloth diapering won!

I asked ladies that I knew what they liked, where to buy, how to wash, etc. I got so many great tips. I decided on getting a diaper that would grow with my baby. I bought 24 Eco Baby diapers. They’re made from beautiful thirsty sherpa (so soft!) and are not dyed. They have snap closures that allow you to adjust the waist and leg hole. Best of all – they came WITH the snap-in doublers. They were a little more expensive up front, but have saved me in the long run. I found that me newborn was still too small, so either handmade dipes or smaller all-in-ones (AIO) would be best.

I’ve used hand knit soakers (a delightful project) as well as purchased covers (Bummi Super Whisper Wrap). I am a real life refashionista now, so thrift store finds will certainly find their way onto my babies’ tushies! Below are some great resources for patterns and instructions. I have also included a link to my diaper lady (THANKS JULIE!).

All time favorite cloth diapering site is Fern and Faerie. There are both free patterns and patterns for purchase – LOTS of great tips on construction and care of cloth diapers. I love the Frugal Diapering Page. There is a cost breakdown based on different styles of diapers you could make. The emphasis is on using recycled clothing as diaper material. They are also the home of my favorite FREE Hand Knit Soaker pattern http://www.fernandfaerie.com/freesoakerpattern.html. There is also a longie pattern for purchase. This time of year – you could make longies for every day of the week – so CUTE! Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride wool is fantastic and comes in lots and lots of colors. Icelandic wool, cashmere, and merino are all very nice fibres for knitting soakers – I’m thinking of trying alpaca, too. Another great yarn resource is KnitPicks. They have really wonderful fibres in earthy, beautiful colors for cheap, cheap, cheap.

For purchased cloth diapers ready made, I love EcoBaby Diapers. You can get them from Julie at http://www.juliestuff.com/. She’s got a lot of other great natural products too!

Euro style cloth diaper
http://www.ottobredesign.com/en/print/pdf/vaippa_en.pdf

Bum sweater style soaker:
http://www.borntolove.com/frugal-column2.html

Mama Bird’s Diaper Patterns
http://www.geocities.com/rew4birth/Diapers.html

Making contoured Diapers from prefolds (OH! I wish I’d had THIS pattern before!)
http://www.mama2mama.org/contours.html

A Pattern for purchase – using recycled Tshirts and Jeans!
http://hyenacart.com/FernandFaerie/index.php?c=10&p=12

Kwik Sew has some diaper cover patterns (#3112) and (#2062)

UPDATED INFORMATION: Here's a list of diaper fabric buying co-operatives! You can join to purchase sherpa and other fleeces, PUL, notions, etc. WOWEE!!!

ComfyCreations - Items purchased varies from month to month but generally this group co-ops supplies for cloth diapers and pajamas. Here you'll find co-ops for prefold diapers, PUL, cotton printed knits, ribknits, Jiffy grip, sherpa, velour, patterns and various notions.

Diaperfabricscoop - Items purchased varies from month to month but generally this group co-ops Malden Mills fleece, PUL, suedecloth, elastic, aplix, scissors, rotary cutters, mats and various other notions.

Sewingsupplycoop - When it comes to fabric, if you need it, you can probably get it here. Common co-ops or for fold over elastic, PUL, lastin, fleece, flannel, sherpa, velour, jerseys, interlocks, knits, wovens, snaps, thread, and various other notions.

TheJoyofSewing - Common co-ops are for Malden Mills fleece, Huntington Mills fleece, Denim and Jersey prints, terry, panne, ribknits, flannels, Chamoise, Burts Bees products, patterns, Dharma dyes, Jiffy grip, and various other notions.

ThreadandMore - Common co-ops are for Malden Mills fleece, 100% polyester thread, Burley Knit Terry, and various other notions and supplies.

Fleeceandfabriccoop - Common co-ops are for microfleece, PUL, print fabric, polymailers, and various other notions and supplies.

Oh how I wish I had diapered all of my babies in cloth. When I think of the mess I’ve contributed to the landfill, I could cry. And there just isn’t anything more darling than a big cloth diapered bum on a baby!

Blessings,

Nissa