FAQ: Washing Wool Soakers

One of the most amazing diaper covers you will ever use is one made of wool.  I know, it seems crazy that something made with wool and all those tiny little holes will hold back liquid, but it does!  It is not waterproof, rather, it is water resistant and it's the lanolin in it that makes it such.  You cannot wash wool with the rest of your diapers, however, it requires a separate process.

How often should you wash it? 
You really only need to wash wool once every two weeks or when soiled.  I know it seems crazy, but I'll tell you from experience, that it's true!  You should air the soaker out between washes so that the liquid it absorbs will evaporate, but once it's dry it will be ready and fresh to go again!

What water temperature should you use?
I recommend cold to warm water.  Never use hot water.

Is there a special process to washing it? 
Use natural detergent, or better yet a wool wash and let your wool soak inside out in a tub of water and the detergent for about 10 minutes (look at the package of the detergent for clearer instructions on how much to use per gallon of water.  Next, rinse the wool by submerging it gently in cold water. Do not wring the soaker out, though you can squeeze it gently.  Roll in a dry towel to remove the excess water.

Can I put my wool in the dryer?
Putting wool in the dryer will cause it to shrink and felt, which is generally not the desired end.  You should lay your wool flat to dry.  It may take a day or two, so be patient.

Do I need to lanolize it every time I wash it?  
You only need to lanolize your wool (add more lanolin to it) when it starts to leak or become less water-repellant.  You can either use a wool wash with lanolin already in it, or use pure lanolin disolved in warm water added to a tub of water and repeat the steps used when washing wool.

Do you have any wool?  Is it handmade or store-bought?  What is your wool-washing routine?

FAQ: What about the poop?

I'm pretty vocal about my decision to cloth diaper.  I'm a cloth diaper show-off, really.  When people see my daughter's adorable fluffy butt, there is one inevitable question that is always asked:

What do you do with the poop? 

Breast milk Poop

When your baby is a newborn and is producing that liquid, breastmilk poop, there's no need to do anything with it.  You can put it right in the washer as is.  I don't know about formula poop, but I assume it's the same?  

Solid Poop

Once your baby starts eating solids--rice cereal, pureed veggies, etc.--it's time to put their poop in the toilet. You can do this through a number of methods

1) A diaper sprayer.  This is a simple device that attaches to your toilet and is used to hose off your diapers.  You can usually set the strength of the spray to where you want it.  It's a great device for removing solids from your diapers hands-free

2) Diaper liners.  Mostly, these are found in the flushable variety.  You lay them in your baby's diaper, and if they poop, the liner catches it and you just dump it into the toilet and flush.  If you manage to find cloth liners (which can easily be made with a bit of microfleece or microsuede), it will be much easier to dump the solids using them than not using anything.  

3) Shake it off.  Many people say that you can just shake the solids into your toilet, but this doesn't always work.  However, in certain cases, the poop does just "shake" off into the toilet.  If you cant get it off this way and you have no sprayer or liners, you can dunk your diaper in the toilet water or use toilet paper to pry it off.  

What about the poop residue that stays on the diaper?  I hate to break it to you guys, but your washers are MADE for cleaning really nasty stuff off your clothes! It's not going to hurt it to get a little poop in there.  It will not contaminate your clothing! Trust me, I've been doing dirty diapers in my washing machine every 1-2 days for nine months now and my other clothes still come out fresh and clean! :-D

So, are you grossed out?  Are you wavering in your decision to cloth diaper just because of a little poop?  Well, there's one more thing I have to tell you:

Disposable Diaper Poop

According to the instructions on the package of disposable diapers, you need to shake the poop off of them into the toilet when soiled.  Human feces are not meant to dwell in landfills because they can pollute and contaminate the water, the soil, and even the air .  Human poop is meant to be disposed of in the sewer system.  So, no matter how you slice it, you will need to dispose of your baby's poop in the toilet.  You might as well do it with adorable cloth diapers that save your baby's skin, the environment, and tons of dollars!!!

So how do you deal with poop?  Do you do it differently than any of the ways I mentioned here?  Do you have a tried and true method?  Did I leave anything out?  I'd love to hear your expert advice! 

Into EVERYTHING!

Is this the scene at your house lately?  The key phrase in my daughter's rapid development right now is persistent exploration.  

New in my Shop: Fishies Wool Soaker

Okay, so the more I get into knitting, the more I love it and the more bored I get with the basics.  Boredom was the reason that this wool soaker is so amazing!!! If you love it and want it, I'm listing it for only $27 in my etsy shop which is a fair price, I feel, for the huge amount of work that went into the aquarium on the butt.   If you like it an it's the wrong size, let me know and I'm sure I can make a custom order for you.
Here are a few other angles:

The octopus is my favorite.  In fact, I like him so much that I think I might have to dedicate a wool soaker to him alone!

Let me know what you think. I'm still so new that I haven't made a single sale, so I could really use your feedback :-D

Bundle Your Joy Giveaway

My friend Jess is giving away the most adorable crocheted hair bow over at Adjusting to the World.
She usually doesn't have too many entries so your chances to win over there are incredible! And while you're there, check out her blog.  She always has such inspirational things to say.  Her insight on the world touches my heart.  You'll like her, I promise! 

FAQ: How many diapers do I need in my stash?

One of the most common questions I hear about cloth diapering is "How many diapers do I need?" 
Well, the answer to that can range from 12-36 or even more if you're like me and are somewhat of a cloth diapering enthusiast. 


For Newborns: 24-36 for full time cloth diapering because they require more diaper changes.

Toddlers: 12-24 for full time cloth diapering because their diaper needs to be changed less frequently.

Part Time
  I think 12 is a good number of cloth diapers to have if you're only going to use them part time (as in, you use disposables at night, with your sitter, or when you leave the house, etc.)

More than one in Diapers: I feel you'd need at least 36 diapers if you want to cloth diaper two babies at once full time.  48 is a more generous number because you'll get a laundry break!

Type of Diaper
  If you have sized diapers, you'll need to repeat the number of diapers needed for each size.  That would be 12-36 XS diapers, 12-36 S diapers, etc.  If you buy One Size diapers, you'll only need to buy your stash once.  There are positives and negatives to doing both. 

What do you think?  Do you agree with these numbers? Did I leave anything out?  How often do you cloth diaper?  How many babies do you have in diapers and how old are they?  How many diapers do you have/need in your stash and why?  I'm not the only cloth diapering "expert" (ha!) out there, so I'd love to get your expert advice as well.

Away

Since I'm away on vacation, I haven't had time to really post to here.  Instead, I'm relaxing.  Unfortunately, I was so overwhelmed before leaving that I didn't have time to let everyone know that I won't be posting.  But I'm still here, just not here.  In any case, here are some pictures of what we've been up to these past few days.

If you read Adjusting to the World, you might recognize Leah.  Bunny got to meet her for the very first time this week!!!

Sort of difficult to get a picture of the two of them together, though.  Bunny's 8 months younger than Leah which is a BIG DIFFERENCE when they're this young! She just can't keep up!

Have a good week! I'll talk to you more when I get back!