Why Do We Love Fleece Diaper Liners?
One of the cheapest ways to diaper your baby is cloth flatfold (which I hate) and prefold (which I don’t) diapers. Four to six diaper covers, two to three dozen prefolds, a wetbag, and bam! You’re in business.
But, with this set up, you’re missing one of the best features of pocket diapers: the fleece (or other wicking fabric) liner sewn onto the cover. The fleece layer goes against baby’s skin and wicks moisture (you know: pee) down into the insert. Ta-da! A dry bum for baby, and you didn’t even have to use chemicals.
You can still get this with your cheaper prefolds and flatfolds – just add a fleece liner on top of the diaper, then add your adorable (or ugly; I’m not judging your child) baby on top of that.
What’s it Gonna Cost Me?
You can buy pre-cut fleece liners for about $1 a piece. If you have two dozen diapers, that’s $24. Well, I’m way too cheap for that! Go to your local fabric store and check the remnants for fleece. You don’t need a lot – just a quarter to half a yard or so depending on what size liners you are making and how many you want to make. For about $2, I got enough cream-colored remnant fleece to make two dozen small liners.
The 5 Minute Tutorial a 6 Year Old Could Follow
Wash the fabric first on hot, dry it, and then just cut to size. I measured out 10 inches on the short side and cut a long strip. I then cut the long strip every 4 inches or so to make 10″ x 4″ liners. Ish. I have wider ones for my daughter’s prefolds and the last batch were the set I made for my son’s smaller diapers. Confession: I didn’t really “measure”. I held the diaper up to the fabric to figure length and width, so mine aren’t straight and pretty. For something that gets pooped on, I’m surprisingly unconcerned about it.
Oh, and guess what? No sewing! Fleece won’t fray. Just don’t get confused and buy flannel (which is great for making your own wipes, but does need to be sewn to prevent fraying) instead.
Hi! I found your link on a blog about beating eczema through cloth diapering. My baby girl of 5 months has eczema. I’m a little confused as to what cloth diapers to use. I’ve read that the organic cloth diapers may be too rough for a baby with eczema. My bay girl can’t wear anything, but 100% cotton. Do you have any advice for me? What have you been able to use successfully with your little one?
I use Diaper Rite prefolds with my homemade liners (aff. link: Diaper Rite at Diaper Junction). The liners are just whatever fleece I find in remnants. The big thing I’ve found for my daughter’s eczema is that I have to be careful what creams/ointments to use because she is sensitive to lanolin and lavendar. Pretty much any cloth diaper “safe” diaper cream will give her a nasty chemical kind of burn. She also can’t use disposables because of her eczema. I use Desitin (and sometimes neosporin if she has a nasty outbreak) and then I strip my diapers regularly with Calgon (I also have hard water, so I use liquid Era, Oxyclean, and Calgon for every wash. When I ran out of oxyclean, I wound up with yeast!).
I haven’t heard about organic vs. non being a problem with eczema, but the only way to know would be to try it and then see how her skin reacts. Unfortunately, fleece is partly synthetic, so she may not be able to use that either! I don’t know of a 100% natural fabric for wicking the urine away from baby’s skin, which would just leave you with having to change her diaper extra often to prevent her from sitting wet too long.
Awesome! Thanks for the great tips! 🙂