Leg warmers - clothing your cloth diapered baby

Clothing a CD baby in mainstream commercial clothing might be getting harder due to trim disposable bums becoming more and more trim.  But the CD clothing world has some of the cutest options to compete. 

                       (Monkey's 1st day)

So let's talk baby leg warmers (commonly called baby legs).  I adore these.  My only complaint is they didn't have these for my other kids lol.  Baby legs come to us CD moms from the elimination communication community.   Leg warmers vs pants make EC easier as access to the bum is quicker.  With cloth diapering we can keep the legs warm without trying to squeeze skinny jeans over a fluff bum.

                         (Grey stripes)

 

Aside from easy to clothe;  baby legs make diaper changes easy,  no pants to pull down! Just change that diaper and go!  Also no compression leaks if using HF's, or fleece covers.  And no leg wicking issues if using AIO'S or pockets. 

And my very favorite part of baby legs?  We get to show off our super cute diapers and/or covers and really, that right there is exactly what every CD mom wants to do. 

  (Baby legs compliment a wool cover)

Can't get better then showing off your adorable diapers?  Well let me just blow your mind:  monkey is wearing the same baby legs now at 9.5 months and 22lbs as he did the day he was born at 8lbs 3oz!!  Save money and resources - it warms my lil activist heart lol.   There is one small downfall: they are like socks and tend to escape when your doing laundry to never be seen again, but I've only lost 2 pairs. 

         (Home made baby legs & shirt                     made to match fleece cover) 

        

You can buy baby legs online, you can find in some shops (especially boutiques and cloth diaper or eco shops).  And of course you can make them either out of yardage,  up cycling or from ladies and Women's socks or men's dress socks. 

(All boys love trains, slides and the park with dad)

Clothing your CD babe - longies, shorties, skirties

Clothing your cloth diapered little one is different then clothing a disposable diapered baby.  This is because CD babes have fluffy bums and disposable babes have increasingly trim bums.  As disposable bums get trimmer commercial clothing for babes and toddlers get trimmer too making it much harder to clothe a CD babe in commercial clothing then it was when I had my older children.  Thankfully as cloth diapering gets more popular (particularly in the states, cuz they have a much bigger population then there is here in Canada) more options come along for CD families. 

Today I am going to talk about longies, shorties and skirties.  Traditionally these are wool,  but they can also be water resistant fleece.  They can be knit, crocheted, sewn from yardage, upcycled or purchased (particularly online). 

These are a brilliant option that is both a diaper cover and clothing or pj's all in one piece!  The are adorable too.  Longies are wool or fleece pants.  Shorties are wool or fleece shorts.  Skirties are longies or shorties (or a soaker cover) with a skirt attached. 

Wool is an amazing textile for clothing in that it is temperature regulating.  So they are great whatever the weather.  They can be more then just pants and shorts too.  Overalls, jumpers and old school rompers are all possible in wool and fleece.  You can also make or buy wool or fleece sleep bags, cocoons and themed outfits.  The other great thing is no worries about damp clothes from pul leaks, the clothing is the diaper cover, and wool is known for its bullet proof leak protection .  Allergic to wool? You'll love soft cuddly fleece.

Baby might not be able to wear those skinny jeans like the baby down the street but the adorable options will have your neighbours oohing over your fluff bum and fluff bum clothing.    Stay tuned for more adorable options in future posts.

OT: yutkan wojapi ki - eat up the blueberry soup

Today I made some wojapi.  It is a traditional Lakota soup made of berries.  I used blueberries.  It is very versatile and can be eaten hot or cold, as a soup, over ice cream or roast, or for dipping your frybread into.   My family loves their wojapi. 

We do not speak our language fluently as both my husband and I were scooped (adopted out), but we go to language nest on weekends to recapture some of what has been taken from us.  This is our family's phrase of the week.  My husband is Swampy Cree and I'm a plains girl (Lakota), he thought this was weird till he tried it.  He is slowly deciding plains food is yumny too. 

Tomorrow is Wohanpi
(Wild meat and roots soup), being urban Indians it will be beef.  How does your family keep traditions alive?  We like language and food, there is much heart in language and food. 

On a cloth diaper side, wojapi requires a good rinse on the cloth diaper lol, I wonder if pooped out berries will stain, we will find out tomorrow lol. 

Hidden PUL / Fleece info (aio's and hf's)

So let's talk AIO'S,  Hybrids and hidden layers: 

Sometimes people are confused by the multitude of variations in cloth diapers.  This is completely understandable. 

So an all in one (aio) is a fitted diaper with PUL attached to the outside of the diaper.  This is done so you don't have to use a cover, cuz its attached.  Now PUL comes in many wonderful prints and makes the diaper cute and attractive.  But some moms aren't a big fan of the feel of pul or just found a super cute print in another fabric.  So they cover the outside of the pul, this makes the pul hidden.  Its still an AIO weather your pul is hidden. Or not. 
Read more about AIO'S here

Hybrid Fitted's are much like an aio in function.  A Hybrid is a diaper with water resistant fleece on the outside so that you don't need a cover (most of the time).   If your "fitted" has water resistant fleece then it is an HF and not a fitted.  They are generally constructed differently too.  Now much like AIO'S sometimes a mom wants a different fabric on the outside and not the fleece.  Most common reasons being they want a certain print or don't like how fleece pils.  So the fleece is covered by the decorative outer and the fleece is hidden. 

Read more about HF's here 

Just to be clear AIO and HF doesn't imply that there is a hidden layer.  Hiding the pul or fleece is a completely optional choice.  Below is a photo showing two diapers.  On the left monkey is in an HF with hidden fleece.  On the right the fleece is not hidden . 

OT: A bedtime nursing story.

Monkey is bathed, story read, fitted diaper and longies on.  We are having our night time nursing session before bed.  He's starting to look like he is almost done.  Playing with my hair, touching my face.  I smile. 

Yes I smile cuz it's sweet, mostly I smile cuz I am self congratulating myself.  Bed time is in less then 2 min and it looks like he will finish nursing exactly on time.  I  am the mommy master! 

The smile was my mistake. 

Monkey smiles.  Then he cups my breast in a perfect C compression as though he were Dr. Jack Newman himself, demonstrating for the masses of new nursing mom's or a W.H.O summit on breastfeeding.  Then deep solid swallows and clear jaw movements assure me that  Monkey has begun swallowing giant mouth fulls of milk. 

Mommy 0 / Baby 1
Bedtime will be 10 minutes late tonight folks. 

Fitted Diaper Tutorial.

This tutorial is on a fitted diaper.  Fitted's are made of 100% absorbent fabrics with the option of a decorative outer and stay dry topper.  

 You will need: 

• •Diaper cut pattern piece
• • soaker pattern piece
• •absorbent fabric 
• •thread
• •elastic
• *optional: stay dry fabric, decorative outer, snaps or Velcro.

**you do NOT need PUL or water resistant fleece as these are not used in Fitted's.

Prep:

Cut two diaper cuts. (I used hemp fleece)

Soaker cuts for soaker pad.  (I used 1 hemp fleece, 3 flannel would be its equivalent)

Soaker cuts for snap in or flap style soaker (I used 3 flannel and one stay dry micro fleece. 

*iron all fabrics, clean bobbin run, use fresh needle.  Straight stitch except where specified.
I do not use snaps.  If you wish to add snaps before sewing.

Step 1: 

Lay your pieces for the snap in or flap style soaker with middle pieces on the bottom,  bottom piece next (face up), the top piece face down.  

Sew around edge leaving one side open. 

Cut off seam allowence and turn right side out.

Step 2

Pin open side closed and top stitch around the whole soaker.  About 1 inch in from hem stitch an oval (contour stitching helps spread wetness).  

Set this piece aside.

Step 3

Next place soaker pad piece(s) on the center of your inside diaper cut, on the wrong side. 

Sew around the entire edge of the diaper pad near the edge. 

Step 4

Now place both diaper cuts right side together and pin.  Sew the two pieces together leaving the front of the diaper open.  

Next tack your elastics in place at the back and the legs.  Do this step with a zig zag stitch .  Tack down one side of elastic, stretch to fullest, tack other end and then cut off remaining elastic.  There is a tutorial on this under the tutorial section at the right side of the page. 

Next trim off seam allowence except where the elastic is tacked.  

Step 5

Turn right side out.  Pin opening closed and set machine back to straight stitch. 

Sew opening closed.  As you come to the beginning of an elastic come out beside the elastic.  Lower needle into the fabric.  Stretch out the elastic and sew along side of the elastic (not threw it).  When you reach the end of the elastic come back in along the hemline.  

Step 6.  

Sew the soaker to the front of the diaper and your done. 

How Do I Prep My Diapers

So you've bought or made cloth diapers for your little one and your ready to use them.  But first those diapers need to be prepped. 

What is prepping?
Many fabrics contain oils from the plant they were originally derived from. These oils will prevent the fabric from absorbing.  Sometimes they dyes used to colour the fabric can also prevent absorbing.  There are probably other factors also.  So you need to wash out these oils etc. 

How Do I Prep? 
Simple.  Wash, and wash and wash again.  It is generally advised to wash 3-8 times before using.  You don't need to dry in between washings.  You can wash 3 times and dry once.  That said I find the dryer helps with the prepping process.    You need to use a laundry detergent that does not contain any softeners and do not use fabric softener during washing or dryer sheets (etc) when drying.  These prevent absorbency.  If you like softeners vinegar added to the wash works.  If you like dryer sheets, use a dryer ball instead. 

My New Diapers Leak
First when I say new, I am referring to brand new or just made, not new to you.
Did you prep?  Ok so prepping starts to get them prepped, especially if prepped 3 times.  They won't repel anymore but there is still more washings needed.  Be patient and keep washing.  The more they are washed the more absorbent they get.  I tend to use new diapers during the day at home till they are fully absorbent.

How Do I Know When They Are Fully Prepped?
They will be really soft, soft like an old flannel shirt or favorite pair of sweat pants.  At this point a diaper of the right number of layers will last 2-4 hours (more for night time diapers).  From there they will actually get better with each use, unless there is a problem in your wash routine or they are worn out.  Yes they can wear out, all fabric does eventually.  That takes several years though (or regular bleaching).

I Want Them Fully Absorbent When Baby Arrives.
You can wash them with your regular  laundry (with no softeners or dryer sheets) every time you do a load of laundry.  This way they will have gone through many washings.