we're in love...

with wool. i thought i knew everything fabulous about cloth diapering, but i had no idea just how wonderfully wool fits into the mix. lucy had recently begun leaking in her overnight diaper--that girl produces a heck of a lot of pee in 12 hours. i was putting her in a double-stuffed bum genius 3.0 (which is supposed to hold 24 ounces of fluid), but alas, every now and then she'd wake up in the morning with her jammies soaked. requiring a sheet change by me. not fun.

enter the disana organic wool diaper cover. jeremy refers to this as lucy's "nighttime sweater," and indeed, it does look pretty comical on her. i'm trying my best not to shrink it at all while washing--at $30 a pop i sure don't want her to outgrow it any time soon! it's on the large side though--when not folded down, the waist of the cover goes all the way up to her lil' armpits, and the legs openings hang around her knees. i figure it's just another layer to keep her warm on these chilly nights!

anyway, this cover is made in germany from ultra-soft merino wool, and is designed to be snug around the legs and at the waist to prevent leaks. i pair it with a bamboozle fitted, and add a hemp/bamboo velour doubler for extra absorbency. the end result is a super-bulky, yet super-absorbent overnight diapering solution. we have not had a single leak in 2 weeks. success!

wool, i'm learning, is excellent for diapering. it's a natural fiber that takes the place of PUL (a waterproof synthetic--today's answer to plastic pants of the past). substituting wool in place of PUL allows air to circulate, helping little bottoms stay rash-free. wool is also naturally antibacterial, and is apparently cool in the summer, warm in the winter because of its breathable properties.

i was pretty apprehensive about caring for wool, but i'm finding it simple. i air the cover out during the day, and wash it about every 5 uses. washing basically equates to filling the bathroom sink with warm water, adding a bit of ecover delicate wash and letting it soak. i roll the cover up in a towel to absorb extra moisture and set it outside to dry. to lanolize the cover initially (that's what helps it repel moisture) i used leftover lanolin i had on hand from my early breastfeeding days--i melted the lanolin in a pot of boiling water, let the water cool to a warmish temperature, and dipped the cover into the pot several times to pick up the oils of the lanolin.

i've got another wool cover headed to our house, intended for daytime use. it's much trimmer, and has a velcro closure instead of being a pull-on variety. i will post a review when it arrives and we've had a chance to try it out. hopes are high!