Wool, fleece soaker/cover?

[CheleBelle84]

Can someone please educate me! I get that you put on the cloth diaper (prefold or fitted), then put the wool or fleece bottoms over - am I right so far? Question is, how do these "covers" make them waterproof? For some reason in my mind, I just see it all getting soaked when baby pees! Sorry if this is a stupid question - I am a CD newb!

[tomandkara]

Wool is anti-microbial so it doesn't hold onto the odor of urine. The wool wicks moisture away from the diaper and the lanolin keeps it from absorbing back into the diaper. Then the moisture can evaporate and the lanolin changes the composition of the urine so it doesn't hold it's smell. A well-lanolized cover can last several uses (ours go months) before needing to be washed and relanolized. Air out covers between uses and, of course, wash if it gets soiled with poo.

Fleece works best when washed with fabric softener, pretty much the opposite of how you'd want to wash cloth diapers. The fleece wicks moisture away from the diaper and the fabric softener keeps it from going back into the diaper so the moisture can evaporate. Because fleece is synthetic it is not anti microbial like wool and it needs to be washed after each use. Fleece is also subject to compression leaks if a diaper is very wet.

Hope that helps!

[CheleBelle84]

Thanks so much! That def helps!

[tomandkara]

You're welcome!

[boysniris]

I want to add about fleece: if you do want to wash with fabric softener, then just put the fleece cover in with regular laundry rather than diaper laundry. I do not consider it necessary to regularly wash fleece with fabric softener though, and sometimes too much fabric softener can make the fleece smell when it's damp (but it's easily remedied, just wash a few times w/o the softener to remove it).

Like with wool, there are different thicknesses and qualities of fleece...some is better for daytime and some is thicker/denser and more appropriate for a nighttime diaper.

[CheleBelle84]

Great points - thank you!