Diaper Swappers

**FernHollow** · 02-21-2013, 03:29 PM

We used to be an ONLY woolies family for years. My kids had very expensive handknit wardrobes consisting of lots of beautiful longies, sweaters, etc. and I was always knitting more for them. When baby #4 was born, #3 was having some significant behavioral problems and #2 had recently been diagnosed with a serious, life threatening health condition. The wool was just too much for me to keep up with, even though it was very loved in our household. I had some huge realizations about that the wool was taking up too much valuable time that I would rather spend with my family.

We sold off every bit of fancy yarn and our woolies stash. Seriously they are so addictive and it is easy to end up "collecting" without meaning to. They were a labor of love, but I don't miss them at all. We ended up switching to flats and prefolds and Flip covers. We had a few simple natural colored soakers we used at night, but I put my kids into regular clothing instead. Woolies are soft and cozy, and can be wonderful for sensitive skin...but I would much rather let my kids roll around in the dirt in their $5 pants from Target without stressing about that I'd have to scrub it out by hand.

You can always go the cheap route for wool, but I find that typically ends up with scratchy stuff I wouldn't want to wear myself. Really if you want to do wool and have the time for it, that is great. Just realize that it likely will cost you more than you would spend on disposables and it is more of an enviromental/health/lifestyle choice. It does have a lot more upkeep involved too. I wouldn't go back down that road even if someone gave me woolies for free (which happened and I turned them down!). Life is short and I have absolutely no desire to handwash baby poop out of wool covers and scrub dirt out of longies

viettasgirl · 02-21-2013, 03:32 PM

I used wool (handmade, interlock, etc) for the longest, especially for nights, but after kid #3 I just couldn't bear washing and lanolizing all the time. And I never knew if I had lanolized well enough until the child was in it, and then boom- leaks- time to do it all over again. I just didn't have the time or energy. Now we use Thirsties day and night and it's fine.

viettasgirl · 02-21-2013, 03:34 PM

FernHollow said it better than I could!

Christylkeller · 02-21-2013, 03:51 PM

Well, I have never been able to use wool. I am very allergic to it as well as lanolin, so it hasn't been an option. But, if I could use it, I think I would only use it as clothing. And I do find it super adorable and in a way, I am super glad that I can't even touch it!

Annedee · 02-21-2013, 04:33 PM

The cost is NOT insignificant for fitteds and wool covers. I have 6 wool wraps, 12 snap in soakers that snap into the wraps, 20 fitteds, 1 interlock soaker, and 1 fleece soaker. The total cost for buying these new (including lanolin and a wool wash bar): ~ $1040 And - after I'm done replying to this thread I need to get off my bum and wash 4 of the wraps before I run out of clean wraps to snap the soakers into

At least I can wash them all in the same bucket.

Dry time for me isn't a big deal, but that must be cuz my wraps are pretty thin. They'll be dry by morning if all goes well and they get laid out to dry in a couple hours. I live in a humid, damp climate, too.

junvwekt · 02-22-2013, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FernHollow

Life is short and I have absolutely no desire to handwash baby poop out of wool covers and scrub dirt out of longies

Yeah. That is probably the most important reason I think it might not work for me. Even as cute & fun as it can be w/ cloth, I don't want diapering my baby to become a hobby, or something that takes up a LOT of the time I could be spending w/ my family, or on other things I enjoy. I already have hobbies I love (that don't involve poop at all!) that I can actually use to MAKE money!

Aaaaand, with my budget constraints, I wouldn't be one of the people who has 237 woolies for each kid, so, realistically, I would have to wash more frequently. I also think my babies will be close together in age, so I could potentially have 2-3 in diapers at once. Yikes! The wool might last through all those kids, but I don't know if my patience would.

Thanks for all the input, y'all!

disneylindsay · 02-22-2013, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by junvwekt

Yeah. That is probably the most important reason I think it might not work for me. Even as cute & fun as it can be w/ cloth, I don't want diapering my baby to become a hobby, or something that takes up a LOT of the time I could be spending w/ my family, or on other things I enjoy. I already have hobbies I love (that don't involve poop at all!) that I can actually use to MAKE money!

Aaaaand, with my budget constraints, I wouldn't be one of the people who has 237 woolies for each kid, so, realistically, I would have to wash more frequently. I also think my babies will be close together in age, so I could potentially have 2-3 in diapers at once. Yikes! The wool might last through all those kids, but I don't know if my patience would.

Thanks for all the input, y'all!

You see I really don't think it takes all that much time to do. I fill the sink drop them in along with the wash and lanolin, and then I move on to something else that needs to be done. I let them soak, come back to check on them, if they need a swish I do..If I think it needs more time to soak then I do. I wring them out, roll them in a towel and hang them up..easy peasy...I'm not sure about it taking lots of time, I have next to no spare time though and am always busy with my own four children and a full home daycare of 5 children, so maybe I don't realize.

You should try it, then you will know if it is for you or not. I purely tried it since my heavy wetter was leaking out of everything at night. so I got wool for a night system,along with a SBISH OBF to try and I was amazed at how it works and how much easier my life was...I may have had an extra piece of wool to care for, but I had dry sheets every morning, and pjs that could be worn again..so for me the trade off was not bad at all!

leighsie · 02-22-2013, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disneylindsay

You should try it, then you will know if it is for you or not. I purely tried it since my heavy wetter was leaking out of everything at night. so I got wool for a night system,along with a SBISH OBF to try and I was amazed at how it works and how much easier my life was...I may have had an extra piece of wool to care for, but I had dry sheets every morning, and pjs that could be worn again..so for me the trade off was not bad at all!

It sounds like most of us have tried it? I have and just came to the realization that for good fitteds (which aren't even my night preference) and wool, it's more money than I want to spend (having btdt) and I really couldn't find time to wash them (the wool, I washed the fitteds, lol). They sat in the bottom of the laundry for weeks.

I do think its relative, what some view as "too much time" etc. ETA - even though something is great, it may not be for everyone. I loved our wool and cute fitteds but, meh, underwhelmed in general, so even though there's all the pros, it's still not for every family.

02-21-2013, 03:29 PM	#41
FernHollow Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,397 Ratings: 153 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: What do you NOT like about wool? We used to be an ONLY woolies family for years. My kids had very expensive handknit wardrobes consisting of lots of beautiful longies, sweaters, etc. and I was always knitting more for them. When baby #4 was born, #3 was having some significant behavioral problems and #2 had recently been diagnosed with a serious, life threatening health condition. The wool was just too much for me to keep up with, even though it was very loved in our household. I had some huge realizations about that the wool was taking up too much valuable time that I would rather spend with my family. We sold off every bit of fancy yarn and our woolies stash. Seriously they are so addictive and it is easy to end up "collecting" without meaning to. They were a labor of love, but I don't miss them at all. We ended up switching to flats and prefolds and Flip covers. We had a few simple natural colored soakers we used at night, but I put my kids into regular clothing instead. Woolies are soft and cozy, and can be wonderful for sensitive skin...but I would much rather let my kids roll around in the dirt in their $5 pants from Target without stressing about that I'd have to scrub it out by hand. You can always go the cheap route for wool, but I find that typically ends up with scratchy stuff I wouldn't want to wear myself. Really if you want to do wool and have the time for it, that is great. Just realize that it likely will cost you more than you would spend on disposables and it is more of an enviromental/health/lifestyle choice. It does have a lot more upkeep involved too. I wouldn't go back down that road even if someone gave me woolies for free (which happened and I turned them down!). Life is short and I have absolutely no desire to handwash baby poop out of wool covers and scrub dirt out of longies Last edited by FernHollow; 02-21-2013 at 03:31 PM.

02-21-2013, 03:32 PM	#42
viettasgirl Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,184 Ratings: 130 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: What do you NOT like about wool? I used wool (handmade, interlock, etc) for the longest, especially for nights, but after kid #3 I just couldn't bear washing and lanolizing all the time. And I never knew if I had lanolized well enough until the child was in it, and then boom- leaks- time to do it all over again. I just didn't have the time or energy. Now we use Thirsties day and night and it's fine. __________________ Mama to Julia, Ella, Asher and Maya- 1, 3, 5, and 7!

02-21-2013, 03:34 PM	#43
viettasgirl Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,184 Ratings: 130 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: What do you NOT like about wool? FernHollow said it better than I could! __________________ Mama to Julia, Ella, Asher and Maya- 1, 3, 5, and 7!

02-21-2013, 03:51 PM	#44
Christylkeller Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 947 My Mood:	Re: What do you NOT like about wool? Well, I have never been able to use wool. I am very allergic to it as well as lanolin, so it hasn't been an option. But, if I could use it, I think I would only use it as clothing. And I do find it super adorable and in a way, I am super glad that I can't even touch it! __________________ Daughter of the Risen King, Loving wife to Joe, Homeschooling mom to A- '01, M- '05, E- '08 and G born 3/5/13 VBA3C Always missing my 17 weeker E 7/25/11

02-21-2013, 04:33 PM	#45
Annedee Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 120 Ratings: 4 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: What do you NOT like about wool? The cost is NOT insignificant for fitteds and wool covers. I have 6 wool wraps, 12 snap in soakers that snap into the wraps, 20 fitteds, 1 interlock soaker, and 1 fleece soaker. The total cost for buying these new (including lanolin and a wool wash bar): ~ $1040 And - after I'm done replying to this thread I need to get off my bum and wash 4 of the wraps before I run out of clean wraps to snap the soakers into At least I can wash them all in the same bucket. Dry time for me isn't a big deal, but that must be cuz my wraps are pretty thin. They'll be dry by morning if all goes well and they get laid out to dry in a couple hours. I live in a humid, damp climate, too.