All About WOOL Diaper Covers

Some info on wool diaper covers, including how to care for them. Please let me know if you have any questions :)

[@leandraainlove]

This was so helpful!! Thank you!!

[@corteneyloyola647]

I'm switching to wool from pocket diapers and it's a whole new way of doing things :) You answered all of my questions on how to care for my new covers! Thank you!

[@christines1924]

Ellen I realize you made this video years ago and you don't use wool diaper covers anymore (I knit and partially felt mine) but I've heard you say it multiple times. Wool diaper covers are lanolinized to keep them repellent not "absorbent". Wool is good because it is breathable and wicks liquids.

[@kristianduke410]

i realize it's pretty randomly asking but does anyone know a good site to stream new series online ?

[@sincereivan8538]

@Bentlee Issac yup, I have been using flixzone for months myself :D

[@kristianduke410]

@Bentlee Issac Thank you, I went there and it seems like a nice service =) I really appreciate it!!

[@bentleeissac9557]

@Kristian Duke Happy to help :)

[@YennieKim90]

lanolinizing is to make it waterproof, not to make it absorbant

[@MaryAlisa]

Thanks for the help! Expecting my first in May and I'm starting to wonder what to do about diapers. I love the pre-fold and wool cover idea you explained. Thank you!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

You're welcome- Congrats on your coming baby! :)

[@mandarin42]

This is a fantastic breakdown on wool. I've been on the fence about trying it, but you've convinced me to get a cover or two to try in my rotation when my little arrives. Thank you!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Thank you for the nice response. I no longer use wool since I learned sheep are often severely mistreated in the process. I LOVE Sweet Iris fleece pull on covers though and really recommend them. They function in the same way as the wool Disana pull ons, except you'll want to wash more frequently, and they can be machine washed.

[@mandarin42]

+Ellen V.S. Oh, good to know!

[@bridgetlapenter1042]

Hey Ellen, I know you don't Endorse wool anymore, but I really appreciate that you've left this video available to the public. It is very informative! Thank you

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Bridget LaPenter You're welcome! My thinking is if people do choose to use it, it's best to take care of it well so it lasts.

[@NattyBirthMama]

Ellen V.S. Why do you no longer endorse wool?? I missed something.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Stefanie Weber I've seen too many videos and reports of supposedly "humane" farms sheering sheep in ways that are in no way humane. The animals were also very poorly cared for between sheering. So unless you have your own sheep and do it yourself, you just can't trust all sources.

[@NattyBirthMama]

Ellen V.S. even organic? I know what you mean though. It's an internal conflict for me. I also researched synthetic textiles and how horrible they are for the environment. I decided to stick to natural but organic. Not sure if that changes anything.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Stefanie Weber Organic could be better (perhaps they would care more for animal welfare and the environment if they go that route), or it could be worse in that animals don't get the antibiotics they may need for illness because it would compromise their "organic" labeling. Synthetics are terrible for the environment, you're right. It's hard to win here! I often find myself in these situations being a vegan and environmentalist and being concerned about human rights in sweat shops. Textiles are extra tricky in this regard.

[@ohmystarnes8199]

They will dry a lot fast if you have a drain and spin only cycle in your washer. I do that with my super thick sbish and it drys in 1.5 days. No felting issues.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

+Nicolle Starnes Cool, great input, thanks!

[@CarolynnMarkey]

Wool is my favorite diaper cover!

[@stephenandkarli8417]

Thanks for posting this! I just decided to try a wool cover and I had no idea where to start..now i do :)

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Good I'm so glad, thanks for watching! :)

[@sarahanderson104]

Thank you very much for uploading this video. I read about wool diapering a while ago but felt it was too overwhelming to try. Now that my son is soaking through most night diapers, I'm revisiting it and hope to have more success.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Glad it was helpful 😀 Hemp is another great fabric for overnight. I use a large flat wrapped around three thin hemp inserts stuffed into a big pocket diaper at night and that has been working well!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Emelia Assel- It won't let me reply directly to your comment for some reason. It's not recommended to dry in the sun due to possible shrinkage, but I've done it and haven't had any issues.

[@emilycaudill8762]

GREAT explanation!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Thank you!

[@Fairmaidenteacup]

Your video was so helpful! Thank you!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Awesome thanks!

[@Metamorbrrr]

Hello there! My baby is due in 4 weeks and it's been a while since I decided to use cloth diapers. But only now I'm starting to find out how wonderful wool covers are. I'm very glad I came across your Awesome video! It's very informative and helpful, so thanks for sharing your experience :) Have you tried Engel brand wool covers? A lot of people say they are just as good as Disana brand. If you have, please let me know what you think! Thanks!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

I hadn't heard of Engel brand wool covers before, but I looked them up and they look identical to the Disana ones I have! I'm sure they'd function just the same. Congrats on your new one on the way! (we must be due about the same time, I'm having another in a few weeks ;) Hope you enjoy cloth and get some wool covers in your stash :)

[@laciek5098]

I've been having trouble with my belly sleeping boy, and wondered if snaps could be the issue?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Possibly... We use AppleCheeks at night and they have snaps, but when my daughter leaks out of it it's usually at the leg. I really recommend their covers for tummy sleepers!

[@emeliaassel917]

Can you dry wool outside after the wash to speed up the process?

[@TracyDIYMom]

Thanks for the video. I have a baby due in may and will be new to cloth diapering I have chose gDiapers for daytime use but would like to make some wool covers for nights. Which style wool cover do you like best a pull on style shorties or ones that have a front closure?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Sorry, never saw this question come through! I like pull on covers best, they never leave any red marks and cover a lot of area, especially for night. Disana are my favorite, but there are some nice ones on Etsy too :)

[@Steele389]

Hello! I started the whole organic diapering with my first. I didn't even buy anything dyed. I soon found out my baby and my second son all seem to run hot. So, wool has been hard for me to continue. I really wanted to stay with it. My husband was not liking how his boys looked either. He wanted normal pants and to fit on them. He called them gypsy children. I ended changing to Thirsties duel wrap system and grovia aio. I like how they look, but they are more work in the long run. My husband hates the smell too. It seems no matter how much I deep clean them once the boys even lightly pee in them they smell. My husband just wants me to do disposables, I can't go that route. I hate that the shells are not natural. I am trying to come up with a way to go back to wool, but able to be able to dress them normally. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!

[@janinedear-barlow]

Bigger sized clothing?

[@Lilianpryor]

puppi wool covers are much slimmer than other brands

[@davidsurfacemusic]

I was wondering, what are the different wool covers you have in this video? I am looking to start, and i don't often find any that are the snap kind (which would be helpful as it could grow with baby i think, then i wouldn't need to buy as many). But also wondering what the other one is called.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

davidsurfacemusic The pull up is disana and the snap is loveybums. Pull ons fit longer than you’d think because they stretch. My son wore the disana medium for years. He wore it a little big at first but it didn’t leak bc it covered him up fully.

[@wclee575]

I would like to buy some Disana wool soakers. I have a newborn on her way and wondering in your experience what the largest size I could get for her and maybe fold it down so that the size I get would last as long as possible when she grows. Would you recommend getting the large (86/92) size in Disana? Also do you think Disana wool soaker would be too hot during the daytime as I live in a climate that can get up to 90's or 100's in the summer? Are there any thinner wool diaper covers that you recommend for summer? Thanks.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

My son has been wearing his his size medium Disana wool cover from about 5 months old and is still wearing now at almost 3. It was huge on him at first, but worked, and now is a little on the snug side, but still comfortable. (Just FYI I find my natural undyed one to be a little more stretchy than the navy one I have.) For my newborn I have coming any time now I ordered a size small. It's going to be huge for the newborn phase, but she'll grow into it soon enough. So unless you end up with a really large toddler, my guess would be small and medium could get you through! I do think that day use during 100 degree weather would be a little hot for the thickness of these covers... Etsy is a good place to look for thin wool covers, the descriptions will say if they are thin or thick wool. I don't have any thin commercial brand ones so I can't point you in a direction there, but know they exist! Good luck :)

[@laciek5098]

With your prefold a under the wool, do you have trouble with your baby feeling wet? It seems like they are so great for absorbency, but the baby feels wet?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

My son always did fine with a prefold against his skin, but my daughter gets red. So I put a fleece liner between her and the diaper so it gives her a stay-dry feeling.

[@tiffanywilliams9501]

What brand and size is the fitted diaper?

[@GreenISHKatie]

I have 2 newborn/3-6 months woolies for my baby due in December. Do you think I should go ahead and lanolize them or wait until closer to my due date?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

I'm not sure how long it stays in there when not in use...so I would probably wait until within a month of your due date to be safe 😀 how are you feeling?!

[@GreenISHKatie]

OK. I guess I'll lanolize them right after Thanksgiving (along with installing my carseat and everything else!!) I'm doing good! I have 10 weeks left!!! I just sold 8 diapers this week and bought 2 brand new diapers from the money! I just got bumgenius elemental and a grovia O.N.E.! I'm prepping them now! I'm so excited! How are you feeling? No more hospital visits I hope!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

+GreenISH Katie 10 weeks left! Awesome! Yay for new diapers :) I'm okay... still having some stomach issues so they are doing more tests trying to figure out why... it's annoying but not near as bad as before! So that's good :)

[@paisleyfeathers1]

What is the snapping wool cover you have in this video? Thanks!

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Loveybums Organic Wool Diaper Cover :) You can find on her site or Amazon.

[@laciek5098]

Also. What made you decide to file the snaps?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

A snappi cut my finger badly one time, they are sharp!!! So since then I've always filed them so they don't go through the diaper and poke their skin.

[@aprillovely6499]

You talked about getting poop on the sides of the diaper if you are using a prefold. Do you have any tips for this not happening? I am jelly rolling my prefold diapers and am experiencing this quite often. I want to try wool but don't want to have to clean the cover all the time due to poop getting on the side all the time. Thanks in advance.

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Have you tried the angel fold? I'm usually able to get a pretty good leg seal with that. Or Green Mountain Diapers has organic cotton fitted diapers for around $5 that I've never had poop escape! 😀

[@smw502]

So every time you wash do you gave to lanolize?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

Not every time. Just when you notice they aren't absorbing as well.

[@creativevirgo12]

Why do SO many talkers lip smack? Agh! sounds like air kiss or tock sound. Good thorough tutorial

[@madelinefirewick7295]

Is wool hot in the summer?

[@ellenv.s.4913]

It's very breathable.

[@rochelle123ist]

No thank you to cloth diapers