Plastic free cloth diapers
More and more caregivers want to choose organic diapers and plastic free cloth diapers for their little ones. And that is surely possible. Or at least with as little plastic as possible.
To cloth diaper successfully without plastic or synthetic fibers we would recommend using cotton and hemp absorbency and wool or alpaca outer covers.
Plastic free absorbency could for example be cotton birdseye or cotton muslin flats, cotton or hemp prefolds or inserts. Cotton is very affordable, soft on delicate skin and washes up nicely. Cotton diapers have also been proven to work. Organic cotton diapers are readily available. Cotton and hemp work very well together. Cotton is a fast absorber and wicks the liquid to the hemp, which holds a lot but is slower to absorb.
Cotton Fitted diapers and preflats are also a good choice if you don’t mind using diapers with elastics or spandex.
For the water resistant outer cover we would recommend a soaker or a cover made from Wool or Alpaca. Both are a great option, wool is more common and there are many good options out there.
Wool is amazing.
It is a natural fiber
It is breathable
It can absorb up to 30% of its own weight
It is antimicrobial and antibacterial
It is odor resistant
Is easy to care for when you’ve learned the basics
Many companies make both wool soakers (shorts and long pants) and wool covers with snaps or velcro. There are at least few makers that offer Alpaca covers. Making your own wool covers or soakers is also possible. If you sew you could for example upcycle old wool sweaters or if you knit or crochet you could do that as well. These options work well as long as you make sure the wool is not superwash and contains at least 80% animal fiber, and doesn't have any absorbent fibers in the mix.
When wool is washed it needs special care, but it doesn’t need to be washed after every use. Wool is antimicrobial and wool diapers only need to be washed when they smell when they are dry. Usually that is only every 2-4 weeks. But it does depend on use, how many covers you are rotating through and if you solely use wool. If poop gets on them they need to be washed, sometimes spot cleaning the cover is enough.
Allergy for wool is not very common, but it does happen. And is often an allergy to lanolin, the natural oil in wool. Alpaca is different from wool in a way that it doesn’t need to be lanolized after being washed. Alpaca is therefore a great alternative for those that have lanolin allergy or can not use sheep wool for any reason.
Other diapering accessories can also be found in natural fibers, like cotton or wool changing pads and cotton wipes.
