Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Using Wool



Once I started using wool covers (Soakers, Shorties, Longies and Footies) I was addicted to them.  They are so lovely and soft and do such a phenomenal job of keeping little ones dry.  Plus wool is so darn cute!

Soakers are pull on covers that just cover the diaper area and are usually worn under clothes.  Shorties, and longies do the job of shorts or pants and a diaper cover all in one piece.  Footies are wool pants with little feet attached.  They are wonderful in chilly weather (see photo above).

You can use many different things under wool covers.  Snappied flats or prefolds work well.  The most common thing to use is a fitted diaper. Cotton fitteds work, but bamboo or hemp fitteds with extra inserts make for very absorbant diapers.

There are many many products available to wash and lanolise wool, some with lovely scents. The easiest/cheapest things to use are baby wash and lanolin nipple cream. 

Method 1: fill sink with room temperature/warm water & a squirt of baby wash or wool wash (I like Eucalan) Put soaker in, swish around, rub out any stains. Drain water and refill sink to cover soaker with warm water. In a small bottle put water, another big squirt of baby wash and a couple big gobs of lanolin. Microwave until quite hot and the lanolin melts. Shake really well. Add hot mixture to sink. Swish around. Let wool soak for 20 min or so. Lightly squeeze out water and then roll into a towel. Lay flat to dry. 

Method 2: wash with baby wash ( or a wool wash) as above but skip the lanolin stage. Once dry turn inside out and put a gob or 2 of lanolin in the palm of your hand. Stir with your finger until your body heat melts the lanolin. Spread out over your hands and gently pat the inside of the soaker making a thin layer in the wet zone. Massage the lanolin into the wool. 

For really bullet proof soakers you can use both methods.