Wool- the Perfect Diaper, Day or Night

If you've ever had to deal with leaky diapers, especially during the night, you'll appreciate and possible fall in love with wool diaper covers.  Wool is such an amazing, natural solution for diapering that has been used on babies for centuries!  It seems odd that a natural fabric without any type of plastic or laminate can really be waterproof, but it is!  We have never experienced any leaks using wool.  It breaths very well, which helps prevent most of the overnight ammonia smell that can occur during the night hours.  Wool's breathable nature also makes it ideal for preventing diaper rash, or for times when baby is recovering from a rash.  The best thing about wool diapers is the luxuriously soft, fluffy baby bottom!  Seriously, wool must be grandma's best kept diapering secret!

I use cotton prefold or flat diapers attached with a Snappi fastener under the wool cover.  You can find wool covers in several styles.  Soakers are typically underwear shaped, just covering the diaper itself.  Shorties have longer legs, fitting like a pair of shorts.  Longies are basically wool pants, coming down to baby's ankles, which are nice for cooler months.  Additional clothing should not be worn on top of the wool, because the clothing will likely wick the moisture out.

The one thing that initially held me back from trying wool diapers was the washing process.  However, after trying it, I wish I had started using wool earlier.  It's really easy to wash wool and they only need to be washed once every 5 days or so!  When wool diapers start to smell a bit like ammonia or you feel a bit of dampness on the outside of the cover, it's time to wash.  If you have several covers to rotate, you'll really only need to wash once a month or so.

In a bowl of lukewarm water, mix about 1 Tbsp of wool shampoo and a pea-sized amount of lanolin.  Swish to melt the lanolin in the water.  Leave the diaper to soak in the water for a while, approximately 20 minutes.  I usually wash wool at bedtime, then leave them soaking overnight.  After soaking, gently squeeze the majority of water out of the diaper, and roll the diaper in a towel to eliminate even more water.  Lay flat to dry.  The lanolin boosts the waterproof quality.  Some wool shampoos come with lanolin already mixed in.  If there's solid waste on the diaper, do a quick pre-wash with just the shampoo, no lanolin or soaking.

Washing wool diapers is quite easy!
  I use Imse Vimse Wool Shampoo and Lansinoh HPA Lanolin (the same lanolin that's great for new nursing moms). 

Ready for bed in her wool shorties.