Wool cloth diapers
Wool is amazing! It is temperature regulating, breathable, natural and a plastic free option for diapering. Cloth diapering with wool can sound intimidating at first. But with the right care diapering with wool can be simple and amazing.
If you are planning to use plastic free diapers for your child, wool is a great contender. Wool or alpaca covers can together with cotton and hemp absorbency make a great diaper. Both wool and alpaca are great options. Using wool is more common than using alpaca, and there are many brands and options out there.
Wool is amazing incredible
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) or wool covers with snaps or velcro. There are at least few makers that offer Alpaca covers. Making your own woolies 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.
Making your own wool soakers or covers works just as well and can be very affordable. Just make sure animal fibers are at least 80% of the fiber content used, and that there is no fiber that can absorb, like cotton, bamboo, silk, lyocell etc.
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 frequency of use and how many covers you have in rotation. If poop gets on them they need to be washed and possibly lanolized before using them again.
Allergy for wool is not very common, but it does happen. And is often an allergy to lanolin, the natural oil in wool. Alpaca fibers are different from wool in a way that it doesn’t need to be lanolized, and therefore makes for an allergy friendly option.
Wool soakers can be used over flats, preflats, prefolds, fitteds or other absorbency that is folded around baby. Wool shells/covers can be used with inserts as well as with absorbency folded around baby. Some wool covers even have snaps to snap in inserts.
After each use, the wool is left to dry until next diaper change and a new wool cover/soaker is used with a new absorbency. Two wool covers can therefore often be enough to rotate through out the day, with new absorbency. If the wool gets soiled it should be washed before it is used again. If the wool covers smells when it is dry again, it is time to wash.
