My
ultimate purpose in life is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ
by living my life in gratitude to Him and sharing the gospel
with others. For more info, you can visit the site
below:
Please bear with me, as this page
is a work in progress! I will happily take your suggestions (plus spelling
and grammar corrections, and other general editing).
1) Do your diapers require covers? How can I tell which diapers require covers?
"Fitted diapers" require covers. The one-size fitteds, Growing Cheekies, and Little Cheekies all require covers. Some people (me included) do allow their children to run coverless in a fitted diaper with no pants on. The diaper is not waterproof and the outside will feel wet after the baby or toddler pees.
"Pocket diapers" do not usually require covers. The outer layer of a pocket diaper is made from waterproof PUL (polyurethane laminate), which will protect your child's clothing, bedding, your lap, etc, from getting wet.
2) How many diapers do I need?
Most babies need to be changed at least every 2 hours. Newborn babies may need to be changed more frequently. How many diapers you need depends on your personal preferences and when you will be using cloth diapers. You should plan on 10-12 diapers per day. If you plan to wash diapers every other day, a modest amount of diapers would be 20-24. If you are using fitted diapers and covers, you do not have to have one cover for every diaper. You can reuse covers between washes. You may need only 6-10 covers for a 2-day rotation.
3) How do I know which kind of diapers to buy?
I think the best thing to do is to try a variety of diapers before buying a whole stash. Diapers vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Diapers that fit one baby really well may not fit your baby as well. It is a good idea to search for product reviews on the diapers and companies you are looking to buy. Ask your friends what they recommend (the ones who use cloth, that is!). You can read reviews of my diapers on
the Diaper
Pin, Hyena
Cart, and on some message boards such as
Diaper
Swappers. If you have tried my diapers and feel you can write a review that will help others decide if the diapers will be right for them, please do so!
4) How much do they cost?
As of February 10th, 2009, I can no longer sell my diapers due to the new CPSIA. If the law changes, then I will update the site with current prices.
5) Which fabric is the most absorbent--organic cotton, hemp, or bamboo?
Some of my best info came from a study that was sponsored by cotton incorporated. You'd recognize that company's logo if you saw it--it's a tree.
If you are as nerdy as I am, you can read it here
(pdf download) until the link dies. Anyways, their conclusion is that thickness of a fabric has a great deal to do with the absorbency of that fabric. Therefore, a layer of terry is more absorbent than a layer of flannel. I know that seems really
obvious... This is why all of my diapers have a layer of terry sewn in the wet zone--not much to it, but it's a GREAT absorbency boost.
It also adds "texture" to the diaper and helps it to maintain a soft
and squishy loft to it rather than the fibers becoming packed together. I think that people think they need to pay more for a fabric for it to be a better
absorber, and this is not always true (noted in the case of using terry). The
study also concludes that the more a fabric absorbs, the longer it takes to
dry. In my experience, organic cotton fleece takes the least amount of
time to dry and bamboo fleece takes the greatest amount of time to dry.
Absorbency tests, in order to be accurate, are complicated and detailed as far
as the scientific community is concerned. They use special equipment
connected to computers that I can't even wrap my head around. I rely on
gut instinct, experience, and recommendations of other diaper makers. When
trying to decide on a fabric, consider that the thickness and density of each of
the fabrics I use is the close to the same, so I deduce that the absorbency of
the fabrics is so close most diaper users would not notice a significant
difference. The fabrics are nice and thick--either french terry or french terry that has been "brushed" to be a fleece. This is not like a t-shirt jersey. Double all that with the cotton terry layer, then the layers of velour, and you have a jam-packed awesome absorbent dipe.
Oh...did I just give away a trade secret?
6) How do I buy your diapers?
I have an instock store where you may be able to find diapers up until February 10th, 2009. You may manage to snag used diapers on for sale or trade (try
Diaper
Swappers).
7) What is the difference between the different outer fabrics for a fitted diaper?
My favorites lately have been the knits. I also love velour. When Malachi was a newborn, my
favorite was sherpa--looks like a little sheep's bottom. They look beautiful with a colored serging thread used, and matching snaps. Flannels and wovens are fabrics that I like mainly for the very cute prints. Flannel absorbs better than some knits, and I usually put a hidden layer of flannel under cotton wovens. The drawback to both of these is that they do not stretch, so your little one will grow out of them sooner. Some flannel fabrics wear out faster than others (ie: the prints fade, or the surface gets pilly)...it's really hard to know which flannels will do that and which won't. I have not figured that one out! Most cotton wovens stay looking great for a long time. In summary, the biggest features to consider when choosing an outer fabric: look, fit, and durability.
8) Can I send you fabric? How much fabric do you need to make one diaper?
Possibly in the future. Plans for providing sewing services are in the works.
9) Can you put a hidden layer of PUL in a fitted diaper to make an AIO? Can you put a layer of knit or other fabric on the outside of a pocket diaper?
No. In my experience these diapers wick badly and do not work the way you are expecting them to. The one exception is putting a layer of minkee on the outside of a pocket diaper. Since the minkee is not absorbent, this actually works well. The cost to put a layer of minkee on the outside of a pocket diaper is $2.
10) Do you make AIO diapers?
No. I have tried several different construction techniques, and haven't found a system that I feel comfortable making nor using.
The new AI2 design has an outer shell that is similar to the one-size pocket diaper. It has snaps inside and sized inserts can be purchased to snap into the shell.
11) What are the difference between the inner lining fabrics for a fitted diaper?
Most people either choose velour, sherpa, or microfleece for an inner fabric on a fitted diaper. Velour and sherpa are soft, stretchy, and absorbent. Sherpa may actually feel rough after many washings in contrast to the velour (but some velours also feel rough too as they age). It is important to remember that all natural fibers will break down with age and many washings. Though we would like them to last forever, they won't. But we do want them to last as long as possible, so I work hard to select the best fabrics available to me. Microfleece is a "stay dry" polyester fabric. It is also soft and stretchy, but it is not absorbent. It will help your baby's skin to feel dry even after wetting. It cleans easily, and doesn't hold on to stains. I sometimes call it a "cheating" layer, because it cheats you out of an absorbent layer in the diaper. If you baby needs more absorbency, you may have to add a doubler or consider putting velour in the inner of the diaper and microfleece on top of the
snap-in soaker only. I do not recommend using suedecloth in the inner of a fitted diaper because it does not stretch, and it "pulls" against the other fabrics in a strange way.
12) What is the difference between 1 and 2-layer covers?
1-layer covers have the shiny side of the PUL facing in, so if the cover gets soiled, it can easily be rinsed out, hung to dry, and reused. They are also more trim. The FOE (fold over elastic binding) commands a great fit around the legs and waist, working well to prevent leaks. The drawbacks are: some people really dislike the inside of the PUL touching baby's skin, which is a possibility (but never bothered my babes). The FOE can be irritating--it is soft when it is new, but it does get rough with age (I wonder if hanging to dry would extend the life of FOE). 2-layer covers avoid the problems of 1-layer covers by having a soft inner fabric which rolls out along the legs, forming a modified gusset. This modified gusset also works well to prevent leaks and gives good coverage around the legs of a diaper. The elastic is gentler, and the fabric, if it gets next to baby's skin, is softer. 2-layer covers can be used as swim diapers if needed, even when they're outgrown for use as a diaper cover. 2-layer covers are harder to keep clean and don't rinse out for reuse as easily. If the diaper gets really saturated, the inside of the cover will get damp. It can be hung to dry, but odors may build up, meaning you may only use the cover twice or three times between washings.
13) Can you put velour on the inside of a pocket diaper? I would really like to have a natural fabric next to baby's skin.
My diapers are designed with the inner fabric "rolling out" along the leg elastic. This is gentler, and in my experience it fits better and causes less wicking. I have seen many other brands of diapers which sew a casing around the leg elastic, mine do not have this feature. The surface of a velour fabric is very absorbent, so moisture will spread across the surface of the fabric (a process known as "wicking"). It is my opinion that the moisture would easily spread to the elastic areas and beyond--onto pants or the outside of the diaper. If your child needs a "natural" fabric next to his/her skin, then there are other brands of diapers (Swaddlebees) that may be able to
accommodate your needs.
14) Do I need to purchase liners or inserts?
If you are buying either the one size fitted diapers or the Growing Cheekies, you do not need liners/separate inserts. They have lots of absorbency. Later you may find that you need an extra doubler, but that can vary from baby to baby and even during each season of life.
If you are buying the one size pocket diaper, then you would need an insert. I have some recommendations for the best
inserts.
15) What is your "ideal" stash?
A typical diapering stash to last for two days may look like this:
15-20 regular daytime use diapers. These could be a combination of growing cheekies, one size diapers, and one size pocket diapers. If you use the fitted diapers, then you will also need about 4 covers, and you can reuse these between washings. If you use pockets, then you will need 1 insert per pocket diaper.
2-3 nighttime use diapers. I recommend either the one size fitted diapers
with bullet proof covers or *solid* colored one size pocket diapers with double the normal amount of inserts.
1-2 AI2 or pocket diapers for the diaper bag.
1-2 hanging wetbags for soiled diapers
1 travel wetbag--I have the zippered ones pictured on my site, but I also can make smaller versions of the large hanging one, or any size you need
You may find later that you need doublers, and by then you will probably be able to figure out how many.
I could see you finding it very easy to cloth diaper your child (if using one-size diapers) for a cost of around $550.
If you resale your diapers, the cost impact will be even lower!
16) Do you make sized pocket diapers?
Yes.
17) Do you make training pants?
I have a few "imperfect" patterns, which I do not consider good enough to sell.
18) How do I place a custom order?
I am closed for custom orders while my business is restructured to comply with the CPSIA.
