Guest Post: One Mom's Path to Cloth Diapering and Love of Wool

The woman I refer to as "my wool guru," Corrie Palmer, has written a wonderful narrative about how she got started cloth diapering, and then ultimately using wool.  It was Angela's creations from Wild Coconut Wear (check out our Wild Coconut Wear giveaway TOMORROW!) that was the start of Corrie's love of wool, and the solution to her leaky diapers.  Let me tell you, Corrie knows her wool!  She introduced me to a number of brands, and you can see some of her coveted collection here on her beautiful daughter.

By Corrie Palmer:

The first time I ever saw a modern day cloth diaper was about three years ago. One of my friends had posted a photo of her newborn baby boy on Facebook in a tiny little diaper with a big G on his bottom. It was the cutest little baby bottom in a diaper I had ever seen! Day after day, she kept posting these adorable photos of her little guy in all these brightly colored diapers. I think I was secretly jealous of her baby’s bottom!

My third daughter was wearing disposable diapers at the time. Her diapers were NOT that cute. Functional, yes. Fashionable? Not really. Wasteful? Definitely.

I asked my friend about all these cloth diapers she used and she invited me over to her house for a play date with other local cloth diapering mom’s in our circle. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into! You see, it wasn’t just a play date, I later found out. It was a “convert this mama to cloth” party. And it worked! They all brought over their favorite diapers for me to try on my daughter. I was overwhelmed by the colors and styles and even bought a few while I was there. And that’s how my obsession started.

Within a month, I had a full daytime diaper stash. I had a couple of this brand, a couple of that, one minky (ooh, I loved the purple minky!) Washing and folding laundry was finally fun too. Sometimes I wouldn’t even put them away because they were so pretty to look at. I also started taking pictures… of diapers. My family now thought I was crazy.

In the beginning, we only used our cloth diapers around the house. They seemed to leak when my daughter would sit down after wetting them and at least once a day, she would wet on my husband’s lap. He wasn’t very happy about these new diapers and refused to use them when he changed her. We tried using them a few times on short errands but she would end up wetting them as soon as we pulled out of the driveway. I was getting really tired of washing the car seat cover too. I almost gave up cloth diapers because I didn’t understand how having to deal with accidents was worth the investment. Then a bigger part of me knew I should keep trying, and if I wanted to completely get rid of the disposable diapers, I would need to find a solution to these constant leaks. This meant trying more diapers.


I bought a used fitted diaper and was so impressed by how absorbent it was. I needed more! I also needed something to cover that diaper with so I grabbed a few PUL covers too. They were nice, but she started complaining of being hot. Summer in Texas is hot when you’re naked, but even more so when wrapped in plastic. The search continued for a better diaper cover and then I read something about wool. At first I had a hard time picturing myself dressing my daughter in sweater-pants (as my husband called them) in the middle of our 100 + degree summer. I had nothing to lose at this point, so I bought a little pair of wool pants to try out.

And she cried. She was not having it. It was scratchy and itchy and “ugg-a-lee”. My poor girl. She would swat at her legs like I stuck her in a fire ant bed. This was not good. I tried a few knit covers and she hated those too. I tried shorties. I tried more longies. In fact, each time the mailman delivered a package, she knew what was coming next. Me chasing her through the house saying “look at your pretty new woolies!” I was beginning to lose hope so we kept using the PUL diapers until I found wool that she would wear without crying. I felt like crying too, because I saw all these photos online of little ones wearing wool and they looked so happy!

One day, I was on Diaperswappers and found a pair of shorties that were in my price range, so I got them. They were interlock wool. I hadn’t tried interlock yet and was actually really scared to. The picture made them look like felt. You know, the stuff you can craft with? Really thick felt. Well, that’s what it was… felted wool. It arrived, and to my surprise, it was buttery soft. And she wore them! I may have even done a happy dance.

The first pair of wool that she would wear and not cry, was made by Wild Child Woolies. (She has since changed the name of her company to Wild Coconut Wear.) But these shorts were really amazing. They were soft, fuzzy and stretchy and just perfect. And they worked just as promised, with that fitted diaper I had. The best part of all, was that she soaked that diaper and her wool shorts did not leak. Not one single bit.

And in a last ditch effort for a pair of beautiful “sweater pants” I decided to finally try out a pair of knit longies from Sustainablebabyish. When they arrived, just as I expected, she ran to her room crying. But let me tell you, I have never felt wool as soft and silky and dreamy as these little pants. I slipped my arm up a leg hole to see how they felt on my skin and all I could say was “Oh my goodness, these are amazing.” We fought through the tears of trying them on, but after a minute or two, she stopped. She kept the pants on and did not act like she had prickly bugs eating her. I should have just started out with these we would have avoided all that distress.

Slowly I began selling those other colorful synthetic diapers and replacing them with more fitteds and wool. Within a couple months, I had interlock wool from Twee Baby, Rainbow Waters, Bumby, Little Green Honu, Sproutling Love, Guerilla Fluff and Woollybottoms. These were all functional, but some of them I just didn’t love as much as others. Some were softer, some were stretchier, some had prettier colors to chose from, some fit better than others. But in the end, we successfully found a cloth diapering solution and my husband no longer worried about our daughter leaking on his lap.

Cloth Diapering with Wool: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know (Part One)

I knew long before I even conceived a baby that I would cloth diaper.  I researched and researched (shocker!), and am not surprised that as we approach end of potty learning at age 3, my daughter has not worn a single disposable diaper since the day we got home from the hospital.  However, as passionate as I was about cloth diapering, I was still put off by wool diapering.  The reusing and lack of washing seemed icky to me at first, and I was overwhelmed where to start.  Then my daughter's thighs got chunkier...and chunkier... and I hated seeing red marks left by some of her diapers - particularly overnight.  So we started with wool at night, and then once I familiarized myself with it all I grew to love it.  Eventually we were diapering with wool about 80% of the time by the time she was about 18 months.  I hope this will serve as a primer to demystify diapering with wool for those who are interested but uncertain as I was.

CONTENTS:

• Why wool?
• Using Wool: How does it work?
• Types of Wool
• Wool Diapering Lingo
• What diapers can I use with wool?
• Purchasing wool (where to buy)
• Part 2 on Wool Care 

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MANY GUIDES I'VE PUT TOGETHER.  MAKE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT TOO!
- The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic, Eco Friendly Baby Gear
- Eco Friendly Children's Lunch Products (many of these ideas you won't find anywhere else)
- Non-Toxic Summer Fun (Including PVC Free Swimmies)
- The 6 guides I put together for Mothering.com's The Ultimate Guide to Green School Supplies

WHY WOOL?

• NO SYNTHETICS: It is a fabulous, sustainable way to diaper your child with a renewable resource and without the use of any plastic.  It is naturally moisture repellent (we'll get to that later), so it can be used as a moisture proof barrier on the outside of a diaper in place of PUL (Polyurethane Laminate) covers.  PUL is a fabric - anything from cotton to polyester, that is laminated with a plasticized coating.  Typically for cloth diapers the coating is applied to polyester.  PUL is the outer material of All-In-One (AIO's), All-In-Twos (AI2's), pocket diapers and traditional, non-wool covers, with the exception of the a few "Wool-In-Two" (WI2's) available, which I'll cover below. 

• IT'S CLOTHING TOO: Once we used wool almost full time, I loved the fact that I never had to shop for additional bottoms for my daughter.  Plus, I love finding unique things for her to wear, and wool pants, or "longies" as they are referred to in the wool diapering world, could not be more unique and adorable!  The same goes for covers, skirties, shorties and the rest.  I can't tell you how many times during a super cold spell I was so grateful that my daughter had nothing but the coziest, snuggliest pants to wear to keep her warm.  However, many covers and wraps also fit under other clothing.

• BREATHABLE: Yes, it's nice and cozy in the winter, but it's also one of the best things to diaper with during the summer!  That's because wool BREATHES.  It's porous cell structure allows air to pass through, whereas PUL covers do not.  It also helps to regulate temperature.  Bedouins in the Sahara Desert wear wool! 

• ABSORBENT: Wool can absorb approximately ONE THIRD it's weight in moisture before feeling wet or clammy.  So your baby (and you, your sheets, etc...) stay dry, dry, dry!  Wool is an excellent solution for heavy wetters and nighttime diapering when maximum absorbency is needed, but really it's just great all the time. :)

USING WOOL: HOW DOES IT WORK?

• ANTIBACTERIAL/ANTI-FUNGAL: This is where the magic of wool happens!  Lanolin is the natural oil produced by the sheep's skin that is found in the sheep's wool, and its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties help protect the sheep's skin from infection.  It also protects the sheep from moisture, so it is naturally moisture repellent.  It is a fatty acid (hence, has a slightly acidic pH), and urine is typically slightly alkaline.  When the acid and base combine, a chemical reaction occurs and they "neutralize each other if an equal number of hydrogen and hydroxide ions are present.  When this reaction occurs - salt and water are formed." 

• WASHING/WEARING: What does this chemical reaction mean for wool diapering? It means when the urine hits the lanolin in the wool, it is neutralized into salt and water. Wool may smell like urine as soon as it's peed in, but once it dries it will be fresh and smell clean again, until the lanolin (the acid you need to neutralize the urine) wears off and salts from this reaction build up in the wool - then it's time for a wash!  So wool covers can be worn, hung dry and reused many times before needing to be washed.  Depending on how frequently it's used, how much lanolin is used, and whether the rest of the wool is soiled from wear, this can be approximately anywhere from one week to four weeks between washing. 

• WON'T IT STRETCH OUT?:  So all that repeated wear and no time in the dryer...won't that mean your wool will get all stretched out?  Certainly, it stretches a little between washes as it usually is nice and tight immediately after washing, but ultimately, the answer is NO.  Yet another unique property of wool!  According to this article, "It's the internal structure of each woolen fiber - a 3D corkscrew pattern...that gives wool its elasticity...accounts for their enduring resilience.  Wool is naturally a strong fiber.  It can bend back on itself 20,000 times without breaking.  Compare this to cotton at 3200 times"  In others words...it takes a lot to wear your wool out!

 

• WHAT IS "FELTING?": Wool fibers are covered in microscopic scales.  Shocking wool with a drastic temperature change or agitation can cause the scales to lift up and lock down on nearby fibers and form a tighter and tighter mass.  The result is that wool will have a more matted appearance.  This photo from the Curious Knitter blog shows the unfelted piece in the bottom right corner, and the others were felted in various temperates of water - some by hand and some in a washing machine. 

• DO I WANT "FELTED" WOOL?:  Some wool diapering moms prefer felted wool and refer to it as "bulletproof" when it comes to leaks.  This is because felted wool is denser and therefore tends to be more absorbent.  Interlock and some recycled wool (see "Types of Wool" below for more info) are generally felted first and remain stretchy.  However, for many who use knit wool, "felted' is a dirty word.  Most like to preserve the integrity of the stitches and prevent that matting from occurring because when it comes to knits, felting also means losing some elasticity.  I'll cover more on felting and how to avoid it in the wool care section. 

• DO I NEED TO HANDWASH?:  That depends on the type of wool you have.  Knit wool and most recycled wool ALWAYS needs to be handwashed or it will felt, whereas interlock can go on a wool cycle in the washing machine.  After washing, most wool will need to be "lanolized."  This is the process of soaking the wool in a bath of lanolin (covered in the care section below), and it must be melted and prepared and cannot be done in a washing machine.  With knits and recycled wool it is pretty essential to lanolize, but there are some who use the machine washable interlock that do not lanolize, or only rely on spray lanolin (I'll get to that) or wool wash with lanolin and skip this step. 

TYPES OF WOOL:

Angela, of Wild Coconut Wear, did a tremendous job detailing the various types of wool, as well as photographing them.  She gets into great detail about various types of interlock too.  I highly encourage you to read her full post and look at the photos here. 

• Machine woven wool.  It's double knit so there is no wrong or right side.  Generally it is felted (shrunken) beforehand, allowing it to be washed in the washing machine if desired, though many still handwash.  It's recommended on a wool cycle, but I've never had one so I just use "delicates" and it comes out fine.  Interlock may or may not need to be lanolized depending on your needs, because of its dense, felted structure.  However, with extreme temperature changes in water, it is still possible to felt/shrink it even further, so care must still be taken with washing.  Interlock is extremely durable and virtually impossible to snag, and most interlock pieces are nice and stretchy.  Interlock is typically a solid color and can be embellished with applique or embroidery, or it can be pieced together in stripes of many colors. 

Check out the Wild Coconut Wear GIVEAWAY and the Disana Leggings GIVEAWAY
going on now!

• WOOL CREPE/WOOL JERSEY: Thinner than interlock, but machine knit in a similar manner with only one right side of the fabric.  Crepe has more texture than interlock, and jersey is nice and smooth.  Crepe and jersey are typically used to make wrap style covers (see wraps below) that are desired for their trimness and nice fit under clothing.

• Can be handknit or machine knit (with larger stitches than interlock) like Sustainablebabyish wool.  Knits are more delicate than interlock, but while interlock can be soft, knits are even softer.  Knits must be handwashed and lanolized, and greater care must be taken to avoid felting.  Knits come in an endless selection of beautiful colors, and handknits can be done in just about any pattern or design. 

• Generally wool pieces that are made with old sweaters. These were my first pieces of wool (from Woollybottoms) and I bought many more throughout the years. They are typically a little less expensive, and equally effective! They can also have unlimited designs/patterns from the sweaters they are sourced from. Unless it's been heavily felted first, most recycled wool is treated like knits, and must be handwashed and lanolized. 

WOOL DIAPERING LINGO (click to enlarge):

These go by a number of different names. They are wool wraps with snap in inserts.  Pictured left to right: Loveybums-In-Ones, Chelory Wool-In-Two, Fuzbaby Almost-In-One, Sugar Peas Wool-In-One  You can also find another Wool-In-Two by One Love Diaper Co.



These covers are constructed of a single layer of knit, and are trimmer for wearing under clothing.  Pictured left to right: Engel Nappy Pants, Sustainablebabyish Underwoolies and Storchenkinder Nappy Pants.

WHAT DIAPERS CAN I USE WITH WOOL?

• FLATS: Typically made from a single layer, and shaped in a large square that is approximately 28 x 28 inches, these are the diapers our grandmothers used, and are very traditional.  They have the advantage of being easy to wash and super quick to dry, and you can accommodate any sized baby and adjust the fit just by folding in various ways. They need to be fastened (click on each type in the link to see more details) to stay shut, and always need a cover to be moisture proof.  They are the most economical choice, and many moms swear by their versatility!  They have the bonus of being easily reused as cleaning cloths or any number of things, and can also be made out of simple materials like baby blankets.  This post from diaperswappers.com has a ton of different images compiled on folding, and there are also a number of video tuturials for flats and prefolds on youtube.

• PREFOLDS: A little less folding is required with prefolds (hence the name!), but they still need to be fastened and also need a cover.  They are split vertically in three sections, and the middle section typically has 8 layers, and each section on the right and left has 4 layers.  These are probably the image most have in mind when they think of cloth diapers, and again have the advantage of being easy to wash and dry, with the bonus of turning into cleaning rags.  Prefolds are made by many brands, out of everything from squishy, absorbent bamboo terry to traditional birdseye.  The prefolds pictured here are by Green Mountain Diapers, and are pretty much the gold standard of basic prefolds.  You can find lots of photos of them on babies if you scroll down on this page.   

• BETWEEN A PREFOLD AND A FITTED: People are most familiar with contour diapers as something between a prefold and a fitted.  They typically still need a fastener, but may or may not have elastic around the legs and are shaped more like a fitted so there is no folding involved.  But there are quite a few other brands doing various things that are a cross between a prefold and a fitted - some closer to prefolds, others simply fitted diapers without snaps.  Tabbed prefolds that have extended wings that cross over the front for easier fastening are becoming more popular.  Tiny Tunas has started making snapped flats from bamboo terry (also available at Kissed by the Moon), which are essentially prefolds that can be snapped.  For those seeking a favorite budget friendly option. Green Mountain Diapers Cloth-Eez Workhorse Fitteds come with snaps or without, and look like prefolds turned into a fitted diaper.  Tinkle Traps makes something similar to these and come in a range of dyed colors, and Imagine have started making these as well.  Finally, Sustainablebabyish makes the very popular "Snapless Fitted" pictured here, highly praised by cloth diapering parents for its versatility in size and customizable fit, not to mention squishiness, trimness and absorbency!  Cloth diapering parents like them because they can fit an infant and a large three year old, so the investment is a lasting one. 

• FITTEDS:  These look the most like a disposable diaper with elastic around the legs and back, and are held together with snaps or velcro.  The snaps can be on the front or the sides.  These are the most absorbent type of diaper you can find.  All of the diapers hailed as heavy wetting and/or nighttime diaper solutions are fitted diapers.  So if you have a heavy wetter, fitteds are probably what you need, and wool will only help keep things drier.  Out of all the options here they are the most expensive, but also provide the greatest convenience and ease when it comes to putting them on.  Some fitteds are even trimmer than some of the options above, while still providing far more absorbency.  Most are sized, but the Growing Greens One-Size fitted pictured here by Babee Greens can be used from infants to toddlers. 

PURCHASING WOOL:
Places to find handknit wool, either custom made or used:

• Diaperswappers ("All Things Wool" in the "Marketplace" tab)
• Hyena Cart
• Spots Corner on Hyena Cart
• Woolswappers on Facebook
• Wool Swap on Facebook
• Etsy

Smaller, mostly WAHM-based manufacturers of wool:

• Wild Coconut Wear - stocks weekly (usually Fridays) on Hyena Cart
• Woollybottoms - stocks weekly in store, and available at these US retailers and these worldwide.
• One Love Diaper Co. - custom orders taken through store
• Loveybums - in stock store
• Bumby - store with in stock items and also preorders stocked at Kissed by the Moon
• Little Green Honu - weekly stockings on Hyena Cart and occasional custom slots
• Rainbow Waters - does preorders and occasional ready to ship stockings, also at Figgy Fuzz
• Red Barn Cloth Diapers - in stock items at store
• rebourne - in stock items at etsy store
• Amyzing Creations - instock items at etsy store
• Tiny Tunas - custom orders taken through store
• Fuzbaby - custom orders taken through store
• Llamajama - in stock store
• Storchenkinder - available in the US at Little Spruce Organics, in Canada at Ava's Apple Tree
• Ruskovilla - available in the US at Nova Natural, in Canada at Nest European Toys + Home
• Engel - available at Little Spruce Organics
• Chasing Zen - in stock and custom orders taken through etsy store
• My Eco Baby - in stock items at etsy store
• Lily's Dreams - in stock items at etsy store
• Kiya's Naturals - in stock items at etsy store
• Chelory - Wool-in-Two orders taken on website
• Guerilla Fluff - in stock items at etsy store
• Turtle Soup Company - in stock items at etsy store
• Sproutling Love - orders taken through store
• Little Stitch - periodic stockings on Hyena Cart
• Tootiewilly's Place - in stock items on at etsy store and occasionally at Kissed by the Moon
• Twee Baby - currently on break, available on Hyena Cart

Companies available at many cloth diaper retailers:
(specified if they only carry one wool piece in their collection)

• Sustainablebabyish  
• Babee Greens
• Disana
• LanaCare
• Aristocrats
• Sugar Peas (wrap with snap in inserts available)
• Organic Caboose (wrap)
• GroVia Kiwi Pie (interlock pull on cover)
• EcoPosh (knit pull on cover)
• Baby Beehinds (wrap)
• Kissaluvs (knit pull on cover)
• Imse Vimse (wrap)

Part 2 on Wool Care


Many, many thanks to all the moms out there who sent me these beautiful photos of their gorgeous children to use in this post!



© The Mindful Home, 2013-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

My Favorite Cloth Diaper Inserts/Doublers

Even as a seasoned cloth diaperer, I am a little shocked at the amount of choices flooding the cloth diaper market these days.  In just three short years from when I began looking into diapering options for my daughter, the industry has catapulted into popularity, and now so many companies offer what can seem like an overwhelming selection.  For instance, just three years ago there were basically two diaper pail liners to choose from, and companies like Kissaluvs only had fitteds, Rumparooz mostly had pockets, etc...  Now just about every manufacturer has its own pail liner, every type of diaper all the way up to trainers, every accessory from diaper sprayers to flushable liners to detergent and more.  Not to mention there are an ever increasing number of new companies and WAHM-made diapers hitting the market everyday. 

Point being...I cannot even begin to cover them all.  Every avid cloth diaperer has their own go-to favorites that they swear by, so I can only speak of what I've tried, and what I love.  I will start with the basics - diaper inserts and doublers.  They are useful in every type of diaper - not just pockets, but even fitted and all in one/two users will find themselves needing extra absorbency at times, or even stay dry inners. 

I am very partial to natural fibers, particularly bamboo.  It is my favorite material for inserts and doublers, and I think the most absorbent.  The next would be organic cotton, and finally hemp.  I've tried microfiber, and even combinations of microfiber with hemp, and natural fibers just always seemed (to me!) to have it beat in absorbency and trimness.  As with all natural fiber cloth diaper products, it is important to prep them first with at least 4-5 complete wash and dry cycles to wash off any oils and also to shrink up the fibers a bit and pull them together to create better absorbency. 

We always needed a stay dry layer, as my daughter's skin is super sensitive.  I found that I preferred to have a little something extra attached to the fleece stay dry layer, because those flimsy fleece liners would either get scrunched up and leave her red in spots anyway, or more importantly, they are extremely difficult to spray clean.  I preferred using trim stay dry doublers that had hemp backing on the fleece, which solved both those problems and added absorbency as well.

So here's the breakdown of my favorites that I think are the best cloth diaper inserts and doublers:

POCKET INSERTS:

AppleCheeks One-Size Rayon from Bamboo Insert - you just cannot beat the trimness and absorbency of these inserts.  I mostly used these with just the single lengthwise fold in the size 2 AppleCheeks (my favorite pocket, by the way!), but now I think my very nicely shrunken inserts will still be trim with a tri-fold for the size 1's if we ever have another child. 

These do get more tightly knit and smaller with the first couple dozen washes, which makes them trimmer and more absorbent.  These served us well and were my go-to insert from about 6 months (would've been sooner but that's when I first got them) until around age 2.  Then even with an added AppleCheeks doubler I needed a little more absorbency, but trimness was no longer an issue with a tall two year old so we could move on to thicker inserts.  The only con to these was that since I use my dryer to dry, they shrunk so much that even with a girl I always had to make sure I had the insert all the way up front, as they eventually did not span the complete length of the size 2 diapers.  However, as long as it was stuffed all the way up front it wasn't too much of an issue.  They also make a 3 layer insert, but at that point I wanted to find something longer. 

Rumparooz 6r BAMBOO Soaker - This soaker comes in several materials, but I've only tried the bamboo and I love it!  This was long enough to get end to end in my AppleCheeks, and so, so, so absorbent!  They have fold down snap settings and are adjustable for smaller sized pocket diapers, and also come with a snap-on newborn insert.  These trim up SO MUCH with washing.  I'd say they are half the thickness now than they were when I brought them home.  They lose a little bit in length and width as well, but mostly in thickness.  After at least a year of use my full size inserts are approximately 14.25 x 5 inches and 3/16 of an inch thick, and the newborn inserts are approximately 11.75 x 5 inches at the widest point, 3.25" across the center, and maybe 1/8 of an inch thick.  I love the two piece system too.  I use the main insert in my pockets, and the mini newborn insert to add absorbency to just about anything - but mostly to add to my nighttime diapers.  I really hope we get to try those newborn inserts on an actual newborn, because they are insanely trim and unbelievably absorbent for how thin they are.  I can use the two paired inside an EcoPosh fitted and they will go all night, even for my nearly 3 year old.

Flip Organic Cotton Insert - This is the original insert (now being marketed as a nighttime insert), not the new and recently released daytime insert.  I had actually tried one of these when my daughter was about 6 months old, and sold it because it just did not compare to the trimness of my beloved AppleCheeks inserts at the time.  However, fast forward a year and a half later when my daughter was a lot taller and we needed more absorbency, and I think these are just about as absorbent as the Rumparooz, but I wouldn't trust them overnight (now for an almost 3 year old - I'm sure they would've been great overnight when she was younger!) and they are not as trim as the Rumparooz.  Again, the lack of trimness is not an issue with an almost 3 year old.  The only thing I didn't like is that they shrunk up into a square (mine are now approx 14.25 x 14.25 inches), making their whole thing about being able to adjust from small to large by changing the direction completely impossible, but they will hold a ton of pee.

BabyKicks Hemp Doublers - I realize these are in the insert section, but that's because I always used them as inserts.  I have had my BK doublers since day one, and I still use them all the time!  Now I use them more as doublers, but way back when I used them to stuff my pockets, and when she was just a few months old only one doubler worked for the whole night.  Lately they go in my fitteds, as they have trimmed up substantially, but they still hold a TON!  After
nearly 3 years of almost constant use, these are still in fabulous shape but they are a lot thinner than when I bought them.  They are now approximately 12 x 5 inches and 1/4 inch thick (again, after almost 3 years of use).  Even initially I'd say they went down to about half their thickness after a few dozen washes.  I wish BabyKicks would make these in more sizes like the Premium JoeyBunz, which I tried in both the small size early on and the large size about a year ago, but don't think hold nearly as much.  Sure, the JoeyBunz are super trim, but I almost think they're too thin and don't hold enough.  Those doublers though - durable, useful and really soak up a lot.

DOUBLERS:

BabyKicks Hemp Doublers - in case you skipped the section above just looking for doublers, please see just above in the insert section.

Sustainablebabyish Bamboo Fleece Doublers - Generally, since we always needed a stay dry layer, if I was going to bother with a doubler it was usually fleece covered, but as my daughter grew that was not always enough. If you're looking for a skinny, crazy absorbent doubler that can transform some diapers into a nighttime diaper, then this is your doubler. They even make them in an extra small size now for newborn diapers! These are the same doublers that come with their famous organic bamboo fleece fitted diapers, which are hailed as the "magic" diaper by many, and with reason. It is a savior for many for nights, and was for us as well. (more on that in my post on fitted diapers later!) Plus, Sustainablebabyish makes durable, superior products and has phenomenal customer service.

Knickernappies Stay Dry Hemp Doublers - I love, love, love these doublers!  They are ridiculously trim, have a stay dry fleece lining and actually hold a good amount for how thin they are.  The hemp layers help keep the stay dry layer in place, and are much easier to hose poop off of than a thin, flimsy single layer of fleece.  These are hard to find these days, and the manufacturer website carries them, as well as Diva Diapers. 


Green Mountain Diapers (GMD) Stay Dry Doublers - When I couldn't find my favorite Knickernappies doublers and the fleece started wearing out after almost 2.5 years of constant use, I tried these.  They are thicker than the KN doublers, but are starting to trim up substantially after a few months of use.  I got a few of each size.  I love the smalls to fit inside my extra trim fitteds like Sustainablebabyish HLC's (my favorite fitted, by the way!).  They fit perfectly!  Diapers with a skinny width between the legs can be great trimness wise, but difficult if you absolutely need a stay dry layer.  The larges fit in many of my large and extra large fitteds, and the nighttime size is quite large.  It does fit in my large Loveybums fitteds, but would definitely only fit in size large or extra large diapers.  These are not as absorbent as I had hoped for the thickness, but as I said, they are just now really starting to get trim, which also tends to mean they are getting more absorbent.  The fleece is thicker than I remember my KN doublers starting with, but it really is an exceptional quality fleece.  I really, really love the small size in all my skinny fitteds!  I also think the small size would be an excellent newborn insert popped inside a cover with nothing else.  NOTE: These eventually got nice and trim and very absorbent!

Softbums DryTouch Mini Pods (stay dry microfiber) - I know I spoke of natural fibers and these are microfiber, but I absolutely must mention them, because these are the only thing in my stash that I can say have been in constant use since day one, and they are still kicking!  I was really NOT a fan of anything else Softbums - I hated the super long insert that you'd have to keep from falling in the toilet, and even my daughter who was off the charts (on the high end) for both height and weight had these just sagging between her legs with all that insert in there.  But... the newborn pods I kept because they are extremely handy.  They've thinned out too, but they fit in everything for a nice stay dry layer with enough heft to help keep them in place to wash off poop.  They fit great in skinny diapers as well - even Bottombumpers all in ones (my favorite AIO, by the way!).