Diaper Saga...

I made these diapers the night before I discovered Benjamin had gotten a yeast diaper rash.  Cloth diapering---HALT!  I had some boiling of diapers to do (to kill the yeast spores) and a little boy's bum to heal.  I'm not sure if the rash came because he went out with dad and didn't get changed for three hours (it is going to take dad a bit more time to adjust to cloth diapers... you could go three hours in a disposable!), or if it is because he has been wearing non-breathable diaper covers, or if it is because of my flannel diapers that don't "wick" away moisture?  At any rate, I learned a lot from making all the diapers I did.  Here are a few of the things I've learned:

1.  PINS ARE HAZARDOUS TO YOU AND YOUR TODDLER when your toddler squirms, kicks, and otherwise HATES diaper changes.

2.  Pay attention when you pick out a diaper pattern to how that diaper is designed to be closed up.  If it says it is designed to use pins, DON'T USE IT!

3.  It is important what you sew into the diaper as an absorbent liner.  Don't just get an old towel.  Not if you want the diaper to be soft and flexible.  I found that several of the diapers pictured above, I am guessing the ones that I used an old towel cut up for the insert, had very chunky and hard middles.  Not very comfortable for an active toddler.

4.  If your baby has mushy #2's, leg elastic is really important.  When you sew it on, you have to pull it really, really tight as you sew.  Sewing it on will be the trickiest part of making the diaper.

5.  Snappi's do not affix to flannel, only fabrics like birds eye and terry cloth.

6.  You may very well have to order your fabrics online.  Local stores just don't have soft, quality fabric to make diapers.

7.  If you want your baby's bum to be able to "breathe" :), the only cover that will allow for that is one made out of wool.  I will be ordering some of those soon.

So, for now, Benjamin is in disposables, and I am getting ready to order some wool covers.  I'm also working on sewing a diaper similar to the ones above, but using an actual organic pre-fold diaper that I ordered from Green Mountain diapers.  For Benjamin, I could not just fold up a pre-fold and use that.  Elastic in the legs is a must. So I'm experimenting again.  I'm hoping to soon come up with the perfect diaper!  To be continued...