Why use fleece covers?

Fleece offers a waterproof, but BREATHABLE, barrier between the cloth diaper and the outer clothing. While it is not a natural fiber, it is highly reusable (I've had some that are going on 2+ years old) and is very effective. (For some pros/cons between fleece and natural wool covers click here).

A fleece cover/soaker is used over a fitted, prefold, or flat diaper (or any non-waterproof cloth diaper). It can also be used as extra protection over a pocket, AIO, or disposable diaper. When being used over a waterproof diaper, it can only provide an extra layer before it hits the clothing - it cannot force the liquid back into the diaper to re-absorb. Make sure all edges of the diaper underneath are completely covered to get any extra protection in these cases.

• Fleece does not absorb anything. Without a diaper underneath, it will leak. Depending on the effectiveness of your diaper, you could get leaks out the legs of a fleece cover (for example, a poorly secured prefold diaper).
• Fleece can be washed with regular laundry or diaper laundry, with no special care (100% polyester won't shrink). 
• Fleece does pill with wear (Click here for examples).
• Fleece offers a breathable barrier - this being said, you may feel "dampness" or humidity on your baby's clothing if you're getting used to fleece covers. It is not a puddle or a wet spot, but you feel the heat/moisture exchange a bit. To me, this is a good thing because you know your baby's skin can breathe!
• The more often you change the diaper, the more effective fleece will be for wetness protection. For night time, a soaker with a double layer of fleece in the wetzone is helpful and often gets babies through the night (again, depending on the diaper absorbency). There is also thicker fleece (200 or 300 weight) which provides more reliable protection (though a bit bulkier and more expensive). 
• Some people find fleece is bulky under daytime clothing, compared to a PUL cover. However, for others, they are already sizing up in clothing to make room for a fluffy diaper :) In my case, it helped to keep the pants on my skinny 2 year old! 
• There is no elastic in the legs/waist which is a benefit if your little one gets irritated by it
• Soakers can be worn on their own during the summer months with baby legs for a cute outfit! You can also get fleece shorties or longies that double as a cover and clothing at the same time.
• Fleece soakers on their own are not a suitable "training pant", since there is no absorbency. However, once children are at a stage where they stop their flow upon realizing they need to go, soakers can provide that extra layer of protection before it hits the clothing. (If they are still having full accidents, a soaker over training pants is not your best solution). 
• There is a fabric called "eco fleece" that is made from 89% recycled pop bottles - great solution for an even more eco-friendly product (and it's the thicker, 200 weight)! 

If you'd like to see more fleece covers in action, visit my Facebook page to see customer photos! 

Do you have other questions about fleece as a cover? I'd love to hear! Leave me a comment.

Stripe it Rich!

I finally have my ducks in a row, and am excited to have my first listing up for the new Stripe it Rich! collection. Right now they are at Hyenacart because their system is a little easier to do multiple pricing (for size and doubler selection). If you want one through Etsy, just contact me and I'll create a custom listing!

And for a limited time, when you order one of these soakers I'll include a sample of Crunchy Clean diaper detergent! 

Here are the current available colorways:

Ribbit! Ribbit!

I was thinking of something to make for Earth Day, and settled on some cute frogs - frog populations are dwindling and nobody is quite sure why...but is seems likely its an environmental indicator of something not so great. However, I am inspired by springtime and the insanely LOUD frogs that live near us; maybe the frogs are making a comeback! Here are some froggy soakers to celebrate them! :)

(Some of these are stocked at Etsy and some at Hyena Cart. As always, if you want to make a purchase from both, I gladly combine shipping, or I can "transfer" the item to the other store so you can purchase other things at the same time together.)

Help....I don't know what to do!

Well, this is a new record....I haven't washed a diaper in over a week! HELP!!! Is it true? My cloth diapering days are over? (sniff sniff). My youngest has been day trained for a year and he is finally wanting to be trained at night...and has successfully stayed dry for a week. And my diapers are getting lonely! It's true my stash has been downsized to the bare bones, but its just weird to think of being done.

My continuing link to the cloth diapering world is my business, and I truly enjoy making soakers and longies - even if they won't be for myself anymore :) So please continue to send me photos of YOUR little ones in their Winkydinks items so I can live vicariously through my customers.

P.S. - As an upside to this story - my little sister just announced she is expecting in December...AND is considering following in my footsteps by cloth diapering. So I may just be able to continue my fluffy habit after all through a new niece or nephew. Oohhh, and newborn fluff too.....*sigh*

Who are YOU, CD mamas?

The thing I noticed fairly quickly about the cloth diapering community is how everyone is so helpful and supportive. I found the diaperswappers forum and was able to ask so many questions and learn so much about diapering...and other topics too (parenting, green living, etc). I also know there are many other forums out there as well. Whether we have other things in common or not, sharing the "bond" of cloth diapering has brought people from all walks of life together.

So, other than cloth diapering, what makes you YOU? I thought it would be fun to profile a different cloth diapering mama on my blog every now and again and find out more about how we're the same...and different. (Here's me on a ride at Legoland with my son...I WANT to ride the rides and then realize that I get motion sickness even on the smallest ones, or the back seat of a car, or a train, or a cruise ship...)

If you're interested in sharing a bit about yourself and your CD interests, and maybe a few photos, please contact me through my shop, or email me at info.winkydinks[at]yahoo[dot]com! I'll send you some questions (you can answer any or all of them) and then share them (anonymously if you prefer!).

Why I love re-purposed wool

I LOVE working with re-purposed wool for many reasons. (I also choose to work with fleece - mostly because it is inexpensive, holds up to repeated washings, takes no special care, and has super cute patterns and prints. But my all time favorite is wool!)

• The thrill of the hunt for sweaters at the thrift store - Does it have big holes? Is it thick enough? Is it big enough? Is it soft enough? Cute enough? 
• Once its felted (washed and dried), how did it change? Sometimes I'm disappointed that it didn't felt enough and is too thin even though its a great pattern. You never know how the wool has been manufactured and how it will turn out. 
• I love creating something new out of something old. Trying to make the most out of each sweater takes a lot of planning and re-designing pieces to not "waste" any of the material. It's a challenge for me, and I enjoy it!
• There are NO two soakers or longies the same. Even if two sellers find the same sweater, they will do something different with it.
• I love how wool works as a diaper cover - it is breathable, all-natural, and works so well to contain wetness. Sometimes people are wary of wool because it needs to be hand washed, but the great thing is that you don't have to do it often - only every couple of weeks (depending on usage). 
• It is less expensive and less time intensive than crocheting or knitting a new soaker from yarn (oh, and also because I don't know how to do either of those!). Customers can get several re-purposed wool items for the same cost as some knit items - granted, who wouldn't LOVE to have those...but not everyone can afford them.  

Whether you call it re-purposed, recycled, or upcycled - taking an old, unwanted, unloved sweater and turning it into something people can use over and over again is what keeps me doing this -I hope you enjoy them!

Fleece wear and tear photos

Piggy backing on the previous post, I thought I'd show you how a fleece soaker will wear over a bazillion washes. The soaker my son was wearing was worn probably every two weeks for 2 years. Fleece really can take a beating. I washed them with diapers (hot wash/hot dryer), as well as with clothing.

You can see that after 2 years of heavy washing they are still very cute and  functional, and held up very well.  Here are some photos to show it will look about the same after so many washes, whether anti-pill or not.

This soaker was made from blizzard fleece


This soaker was made from anti-pill fleece

There are different quality fleece fabrics available, but I know from my own experience that the fleece I use will wear well over time. Also, I get quite a few questions regarding the difference between anti-pill and blizzard fleece. I honestly feel that they will wear the same in the end, so I offer both types (mostly because I can get different prints and colors in blizzard fleece). Blizzard will start to pill faster, but in the end, I don't feel like there's much of a difference, especially with regard to function. Hope the photos will help those of you with questions!

A look THEN and NOW...

I thought it would be fun to share a then and now photo of my son in the very FIRST fleece soaker I'd ever made (long before Winkydinks evolved). This goes to show that fleece can last a LONG time...some people even say their soakers work better the older and more pilly they are!

Age 1

Age 3

It's a good example of how every baby is different size-wise. He wore this Med/Long cover from the time he was about 9 months old, and still when he was 2! After he was out of diapers, I used it over his underwear to protect his pants from those little "piddles" that reminded him it was time to go. It still fits TODAY at age 3 over his underwear - and I put it on him to help take up room in his pants to keep them from falling down! Now, most babies do not fit this size range very long....he's always been skinny, and doesn't have much rump to cover!

Night time diapering

I recently wrote a guest blog article for the Etsy Cloth Diaper team about night time diapering. Rather than re-post it here, head on over and check it out! (Check out the weekly Fluff-a-Rump giveaways too while you're at it!). I'll be giving a way a custom fleece soaker in June via the Fluff-a-Rump on hump day promotion.

The Etsy Cloth Diaper Team

I've been busy working on a team promotion over at the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team blog, so I haven't been doing much on my own blog. Come check out our team, and enter to win the "Fluff-a-rump on hump day" giveaways (happening every Wed in Feb, and then every other Wed after that). We're also featuring a team member each week. Lots of fluffy goodness out there!!!

Words from a retired cloth diaper addict...

For my non-cloth diaper followers, this may seem a little strange, but there IS such a thing as being a cloth diaper addict! I was one of them...albeit not as obsessed as some, but much more than I ever dreamed I'd become. It's fluff. It's soft. It's beautiful (beautiful you say?? YES!). It's a hobby. It's fun.

Now that my youngest is potty trained, I am left with my boring (but effective) night-prefolds and my wool covers. My stash has been downgraded. My diapers have been lent out, donated, or sold. It was actually a little hard for me to let them go--I remember waiting for my fluffy mail to get them!

There are a few things I learned were part of the CD-aholic syndrome that I didn't notice until I was retired:

1. Staying up to 2am to catch the current stocking phenomenon is a rush, but is truly not necessary.
2. Getting bummed that my child poo'd in a silky smooth Goodmama is bizarre - they ARE diapers aren't they?
   
3. It is not normal (or necessary) to smell your laundry before and after putting it into the dryer 
4. Writing down everything you did during a laundry routine to figure out exactly what cured the "stink issues" is not something most people do
5. Organizing (and re-organizing) diapers is really just a way to admire them, not really get organized 
6. (5a) Admiring a diaper is crazy.
7. "Fluffy mail" is really just something we call it to make it ok that we keep buying diapers
8. Nobody can really understand what a CD-aholic goes through unless they've been there themselves
9. Charities like Miracle Diapers benefit from people like me when my obsession is over :) 
10. There is a whole group of awesome mamas out there, and if it takes diapers to bring us together, then so be it!
11. Cloth diapering is NOT less expensive than disposables when you can't stop buying them. (But in my opinion is still more eco-friendly).
12. Pushing cloth diapers on your non-CD friends is just a ploy to enable yourself 
13. (12a) your friends all thought you were crazy but didn't say anything
    

If you're currently obsessed with diapers, it's ok... just know you're not the only one, and you will get through it (AND your babies will grow up, and you'll be forced to retire as well). But, it will be all worth it :)

- Jen, A reformed Cloth diaper addict

Do you have any similar revelations? Share them here, leave a comment!

How to measure for longies/soakers

In most cases, sizes for cloth diaper covers are not as helpful as actual measurements. Here is a visual on how to calculate your child's measurements. If you don't have a flexible tape measure, this method also works with a straight ruler. (Or, you can take a piece of string and measure your results.)

Sometimes it's easier to measure a well fitting pair of pants than your squirmy child :) Keep in mind that if the pants you are measuring have an elastic waistband, you need to account for how much they are stretched when worn to get a good waist approximation. Also, remember to account for the bulk of the diaper you'll be putting underneath (hips and rise). Of course, if you have a cooperative child, you can also measure their body with a flexible tape or string.

When purchasing covers, remember that listed measurements are often "at rest" (which is what is shown below), but usually include a range that it will stretch to. If the item says the waist fits from 15-17" and your baby is 17", they will fit tighter but still be in the right range. Also, if you are at the maximum waist measurement, getting the cover over a bulky diaper might be difficult.


WAIST: The part that sits 1" or so ABOVE the diaper, near the belly button. Measure one side of the pants, then double for your waist measurement. Here the result is 16". (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string around their waist like a belt for your result). Remember that the waist measurement must also stretch enough to get up and over the HIP measurement (see below).

RISE*: This is the measurement from front to back, through the crotch. You can start at the back, loop through the crotch and measure the result. Here the result is 17". (If you don't have a flexible tape, use string. Or simply measure the front, then add to the back. Often the front is slightly lower than the back, depending on design). Tape is slightly crooked to show the tape at the back. You should measure straight!

THIGH: Measure just below the crotch, at the fatty part of the thigh. Double your result for the thigh measurement. Here the result is 10". (Often you want longies to fit loose at the thigh, more like pants.)
Thigh measurement on a soaker (which usually you want to fit snug). Here the result is 9". (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string all the way around their thigh for your result)

HIPS: This is the part just below the waist and hip bones (where the cloth diaper is). Measure across the front, and double your result. Here the result is 19". More room in the hips also allows for a more bulky diaper underneath. (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string around their hips and OVER the diaper you'll be covering for your result).

INSEAM: Crotch to ankle measurement. Measure straight down. Here the result is 8".

*Notes about RISE: This measurement makes sure you have enough coverage to get the cover to actually cover the top of the diaper at the waist. When covering a fluffy bum, you need to make sure there is enough extra (or enough stretch) to allow for the bulk of the diaper. Otherwise, your rise shortens by an inch or two and you'll wind up with a cover that doesn't cover the waist of the diaper. Most wool stretches plenty to allow for this, however fleece does not stretch vertically, so be sure to add some to your actual rise measurement.

These fish longies are available for purchase here!

Cloth wipes

If you're already using cloth diapers, cloth wipes is an easy transition! You can wash them with your diapers and not need to worry about tossing disposable wipes separately (Or having them go through the wash on accident).

It's EASY! You can use regular washcloths, baby washcloths, make your own, or buy them from wonderul Etsy sellers! I've found that terry cloth and flannel works the best for us, but you can also find them in velour, sherpa, and other fabrics. The terry seems to really have "scrubbing power", if you know what I mean.

I fold them and keep them in a basket with a foamer bottle of wipes solution. You can also use a spray bottle or spritzer bottle. Some people also use a wipes warmer and keep wet cloths handy (just be carefuly of mildew problems). My favorite solutions are Booty Cubes (cubes or liquid) and Monkey Butt Soap Bits. You can also make your own! If you use them in a foamer, they don't get super foamy but work just fine for us. Or you can use the liquid and get much more foam (but also uses much more liquid).

Wool or Fleece? Which soaker to choose?

I sell both fleece and wool soakers at my Etsy shop, Winkydinks, and get quite a few questions about which is better. In my opinion, neither are better, they both are SUPER! Each has its pros and cons. I thought I’d share my opinions, in the hopes it helps someone else!

The way a soaker works is that it absorbs/repels liquid from the prefold/fitted/flat diaper before it leaks to the outer garment. This is compared to a PUL cover which is waterproof with elastic to hold it tight to the body/legs to prevent leaks.

Wool can hold wetness up to 30% of its dry weight, while still remaining dry to the touch. It contains natural lanolin, which acts as a moisture repellant and has anti-bacterial properties (which is why you want to wash it with a wash containing lanolin). It is also completely breathable, helping keep baby’s skin healthy while not getting too warm. Fleece is a synthetic material that has water repellant properties. Unlike wool, it does not absorb any moisture, but acts more as a barrier between the diaper and the outer clothing. A double layer of fleece in the wetzone (i.e. crotch) of the soaker is popular with fleece because it adds another layer for moisture to seep through.

The success of a soaker depends on how heavy your wetter is, how often you change, how absorbent your diaper is, the cover itself, etc. Fleece and wool will both compression wick. That means that the outer garment may feel damp to the touch, especially if the child is sitting or laying in one spot for long periods (car seat, crib). This is something you get used to, especially after having used waterPROOF covers. I personally have never had leaks to the point where the clothes are wet puddles.

The Comparison:

• Wool will absorb extra liquid, fleece repels.

• Both are breathable (some people argue wool is more so).

• Wool is a natural fiber.

• Fleece is inexpensive compared to wool.

• Fleece can be machine laundered with diapers or regular laundry, wool has to be hand washed with special wash containing lanolin and laid flat to dry (which can take 2-3 days). On the flip side, fleece has to be washed often (I use mine a day or two, however some people wash them after each use) whereas you can air wool out and re-use it for several weeks between washings.

• Wool is generally more stretchy than fleece (good for night time diapers). The bonus here is that it might last longer before you need the next size.
  

• Depending on the thickness, wool is sometimes bulkier under clothing.
  

• Fleece comes in many prints and colors, wool is available in many yarn shades and can be knit or crocheted. Recycled wool (i.e. sweaters) offers some nice patterns/prints as well.

My personal choice:
I love wool for night time. A heavy weight wool will have no leaks (in my experience). I also like wool at night because its more stretchy than fleece and I can get it over a huge night time bum more easily. I personally like fleece covers for daytime because they are so easy to care for. I use prefolds or fitteds under a single layer fleece cover and have no leaks. To me, fleece is more "grab and go" and I don't worry about ruining it, but I also love the properties of wool – therefore my stash is about 50% wool AND 50% fleece!

(This article was originally published here back in March on the Etsy Cloth Diaper team blog.)