Friday, October 19, 2007

Attempt at a Cloth Diaper

If this doesn't work, it was only a half hour, a single cloth diaper and some muslin wasted -- but maybe you other mommies, aunts and grandmas can tell me if I've gone crazy with this one.

Mark and I were talking about the potential of using some of the cloth diapers Mark's mom gave us when Bazooka is born. I was telling her (in my tummy) 'You'd better hurry up so we know what size to stock up on!' Well, I cruised around and found this site DiaperSewing.com. I used one of the diaper samples that was in my bag from the childbrith seminar for a template. I stretched the diaper sample out to it's max and added a little bit for sewing allowance. A half-hour later I had the following...


Two layers of cloth diaper with an extra bit that was left over sewn into the center.


Cut two muslin covers, one for each side.


Cut some very simple 'tabs' and sew the two covers around the inner lining with the tabs on one side. I think the tabs have to be a more permeable fabric next time, this poly/cotton is hard to put a pin through!


Fold it up like this diagram site showed


Secure with a pin or some other closure.


Think it will work?
I've got to try some different closure techniques, pins, velcro etc... not sure what will work the best.
My mom says the 'kite fold diaper' was the only style of fold she ever used with cloth diapers. She used the kite diaper on my older brother, and he was a very small skinny baby when he was born.

2nd Attempt!



Now I know that Bazooka will be bigger than our model here, Alien Baby toy - but she gives a moderately good example. I made the second diaper much simpler, with long tabs on both sides for wrapping and tying. There are two layers of birdseye diaper cloth inside the two woven surfaces that you see (but not in the tabs). The tabs need to be even longer and thinner for nice tying if I make more of these. A small safety pin keeping the back ties together will eliminate the baby lying on a knot, I hope. It seemed to work well with the doll.


Fold diaper around doll


Tie back ties together in front, fold down front, secure front ties around back with a small pin or tie together.


I can see this working well over a flat-folded birdseye cloth diaper as a cover, and it would be much quicker to change in and out? I'm shooting in the dark here, but hoping that my instincts will be right about construction if not size.

13 comments:

mrspao said...

That is very clever!

Kris B said...

Wow, looks like you guys are ready. I remember making cloth diapers. Yours are more elaborate, the ones I made were just a rectangle, with a major extra padding strip down the middle.

Jennifer said...

Very interesting! Babies grow very fast in the first few month, so expect lots of diaper size changes at first.

Ladeewolf said...

I did something similar with my first one and my second. Only I took two diapers one on top of the other and folded them in rectangles and stitched them into prefolded diapers. I had to make several dozen of these. My first couldn't wear disposables-she was allergic to the scents they put in them.

Tessa said...

Ooh - the cloth diapers are a great idea, and I just love your model, alien baby toy!! :)

Hope everything is going well with you - sounds like you've been busy! Good luck at the fair this weekend.

Jennifer said...

I've left you a treat on my blog!

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Good job!