Saturday, May 3, 2008

soakers?

i know i'm probably being really naive that i'll be able to cope with looking after a baby and still have time to consider using cloth nappies, but don't these soakers look ever so cute? there are 220 projects on ravelry, it must be a good pattern... i wonder will i knit one in newborn size or should i go up one size as i won't have time to dress myself never mind do extra loads of washing and try folding muslin for nappies? what about allergies, what are these soaked in? i have quite sensitive skin, i wonder would my baby be able to wear wool? how often do you (hand?)wash the wool soakers?

3 comments:

  1. I was super concerned about the chemicals and allergens in disposable diapers, so we decided to use cloth. We got the "fitted" style, which has snaps, and elastic around the legs and waist, but no cover attached. This has proved to be easy-peasy. No folding, no problem. Then I felt like, if I was committing to cotton diapers, I shouldn't use a synthetic diaper cover that doesn't breathe, so we went with wool covers/soakers. We LOVE them. They are fantastic. They don't hold the moisture in, and they don't have to be washed often. Once you have the cover well-lanolized (use a fairly large amount of lanolin before you use it), they didn't need to be washed but more than every 4-6 weeks in the early part of infancy. With a toddler, it's more like every 2-3 weeks for us.

    Good luck -- it's fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for your info, the fitted nappies, do you have to buy them in different sizes or are they adjustable? is it a big investment? do they dry fast enough without a dryer? i was thinking of maybe trying to make these: http://www.geocities.com/myfreediaperpattern/

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you're on Ravelry, you should check out the groups "We're Expecting!?" and "Knocked up Knitters" -- lots of support for pregnant ladies, and one of the two forums (I can't remember which!) has a fantastic thread about how to use soakers.

    I think there is also a group just for soaker-knitters!

    ReplyDelete