Wool as a Diaper Cover

Why Wool?

Wool is one of the best natural fibers for diaper covers. Why? It can hold up to 40% of its weight in moisture before feeling wet and it breathes well, causing less diaper rash. Wool also contains lanolin, which creates a natural waterproof barrier and acts as an antibacterial agent. Because of this, wool doesn't need to be washed after every use, just hung to dry. Unless dirty, you can wash it once a month or so, and re-lanolize it every 2-3 months. There are lots of cute wool soakers out there, and you can also get wool longies/pants, shorties, capris - even skirts. Many moms fall in love with wool because of the cuteness factor alone, I think.

Wool soakers are an excellent choice for nighttime diapering, along with an absorbant fitted, or even over a pocket diaper or AIO as back-up. Two popular, affordable choices for nighttime soakers are the Aristocrat soaker and the Disana soaker. These are both mass-produceed, but are good quality and nice thick wool. I have used both with success.

Many people prefer to buy WAHM made soakers, which run from affordable to decadent. Hyena Cart can be a great place to browse for these. To see a list of wool WAHMs I like, see below under recommended wool WAHMs.

While wool can be pricy, there are several ways to mitigate this. One is to buy used on one of the diapering boards. Another is to buy recycled wool, which are wool soakers. longies, or shorties that are made of old sweaters. My favorite recycled wool WAHM is listed below. Keep in mind that good wool products have a decent resale value if well-cared for.

Wool care

You can find many recommendations on wool care on the web. I am simply going to tell you two wool care routines I have used that worked for me. In general, wool should be washed in lukewarm water and laid flat to dry. Don't use Woolite, as it will strip wool of lanolin.

Using wool wash

This is my current routine. I use a liquid wool wash from Northern Essence that has lanolin in it. I simply put a few squirts in luke warm water and soak my wool for an hour or so. I then gently squeeze out the extra water (don't wring the wool!). (There is no need to rinse with this type of wash.) I sometimes put the wool in my washer and do a spin cycle to get all the excess water out, spray on a little spray lanolin (also from Northen Essence) while it's still damp, then lay it flat to dry.

I love using the wool wash and spray lanolin because I find it easy and it smells so yummy! (Both are made in an endless amount of scents.) However, you do have to order these products special and they are a little pricy, which is why I started out using the wash routine below.

Washing with Dr. Bronner's and Lansinoh

Squirt a blob of Lansinoh into a bowl and mix with a squirt or two of Dr. Bronner's (whatever scent you like) and mix until there are no lumps. Add to lukewarm water and soak wool for at least an hour. Rinse gently with lukewarm water, then gently squeeze out the extra water. As stated above, you can put wool in a spin cycle, or you can also roll it up in a towel to get rid of excess water. Lay flat to dry.

Getting out stains

For stains, a wool wash bar is great - amazing, even. Get an unscented one to use for this purpose. If you have lanolin staining or want to really clean the wool item (maybe for an item you bought second hand), use a small amount of Dawn. This will strip the wool of its lanolin, so you will need to do a good lanolizing afterwards.

Recommended Wool WAHMs

Again, I only recommend places I have personally used and liked.

Baby Bear Diapers

Baby Woolies

Lotus Knits

The Royal Ewe

Sweet Pea Soakers

New Life Woolens *Recycled Wool*

While I have not bought directly from the following WAHMs, I have gotten their work second-hand and loved them.

Mosiac Moon

Knit in Your Pants

The Cushie Tushie

From left to right: New Life Woolens, The Royal Ewe, Disana Soaker, Aristocrat Soaker, The Cushie Tushie, Mosiac Moon, BJ Marketplace, Lotus Knits, Baby Woolies
Pink shorts pictured above done by Sweet Pea soakers