Thursday, October 11, 2012
Diaper Fit Testing - Round 3
My son is now two months old and weighed in at 14 pounds, 10 ounces. I updated the reviews of each pattern with current action shots and fit comments. My son is in the 95th percentile for weight and 75th for height, so please keep that in mind...the diapers that are getting snug on him now would probably still fit great on an average size two month old. Overall, I am very surprised (and pleased) at how long the newborn diapers have continued to fit him. I honestly thought that I would only get about a month of use out of the newborn diapers, but the majority of them still fit him now, and some still have growing room. I made the fitted diapers out of stretchy fabrics, so that has helped me get more use out of the diapers than if I had used non-stretchy fabric (like flannel) or fabric that is only moderately stretchy (like PUL). So, go check out the patterns and see how they look on a chubby two-month old! :)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Diaper Fit Testing - Round 2
My son is one month old now! I updated the posts and added action shots for all of the diapers that currently fit him. He is a big boy...at 4 weeks old he weighed in at 11 pounds, 1 ounce (85th percentile). So, please keep that in mind when I mention that he is already outgrowing some of the diapers...they are likely to fit much longer on a smaller baby. Likewise, some of the diapers that are just starting to fit him well may not work for a smaller baby until they are a few months old.
Overall I have been loving the cloth diapers and almost all of them are fitting well at this size!
Overall I have been loving the cloth diapers and almost all of them are fitting well at this size!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Diaper Fit Testing - Round 1
My son is here and ready to test out all of his newborn diapers! He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz.
I plan to update with fit info for the first days/weeks when baby has skinny legs and still has the umbilical cord stump. Then I will do another round of updates once baby plumps up a bit and loses the cord stump. I will also try to note when diapers stopped fitting him.
He is a kind of big newborn, but I will try to take note of whether the diaper looks like it has growing room for larger newborns, or whether it looks like it would work well for smaller babies.
Please keep in mind that all of my diapers were fitteds made with stretchy materials. If you make fitteds out of non-strtetchy fabric or AIOs made from PUL, then I would expect them to have smaller weight ranges and fit snugger.
A couple of notes about features that I found that I have and have not liked when diapering a newborn during the early days:
1 - I find that I prefer the umbilical snap vs. umbilical scoop. The snap seems to do a better job of keeping the diaper away from the stump, and it seems gentler if it does rub the stump. It also looks cute :)
2 - For diapers that don't have a snap or scoop, I like snapping diapers better than hook & loop because you can tuck the front under on a snapping diaper, but that doesn't work with hook & loop because it is too stiff and then the loop tape can rub the stump.
3 - For covers, I prefer fleece or wool because if they rub against the stump they seem much more forgiving than PUL. I also don't like FOE bound covers because the FOE is stiff and seems rough if it rubs against the stump.
So, go ahead and check out the various diaper pattern posts to see if I've tested them yet! If they don't fit properly during this first round of testing, then I'll get them in the next round. I have action shots of some of the diapers...depending on whether or not baby was in the mood for modelling!
I almost forgot to mention - I am loving cloth diapering a newborn!
I plan to update with fit info for the first days/weeks when baby has skinny legs and still has the umbilical cord stump. Then I will do another round of updates once baby plumps up a bit and loses the cord stump. I will also try to note when diapers stopped fitting him.
He is a kind of big newborn, but I will try to take note of whether the diaper looks like it has growing room for larger newborns, or whether it looks like it would work well for smaller babies.
Please keep in mind that all of my diapers were fitteds made with stretchy materials. If you make fitteds out of non-strtetchy fabric or AIOs made from PUL, then I would expect them to have smaller weight ranges and fit snugger.
A couple of notes about features that I found that I have and have not liked when diapering a newborn during the early days:
1 - I find that I prefer the umbilical snap vs. umbilical scoop. The snap seems to do a better job of keeping the diaper away from the stump, and it seems gentler if it does rub the stump. It also looks cute :)
2 - For diapers that don't have a snap or scoop, I like snapping diapers better than hook & loop because you can tuck the front under on a snapping diaper, but that doesn't work with hook & loop because it is too stiff and then the loop tape can rub the stump.
3 - For covers, I prefer fleece or wool because if they rub against the stump they seem much more forgiving than PUL. I also don't like FOE bound covers because the FOE is stiff and seems rough if it rubs against the stump.
So, go ahead and check out the various diaper pattern posts to see if I've tested them yet! If they don't fit properly during this first round of testing, then I'll get them in the next round. I have action shots of some of the diapers...depending on whether or not baby was in the mood for modelling!
I almost forgot to mention - I am loving cloth diapering a newborn!
Wazoodle PreMe
Wazoodle released a free preemie pattern after I had already finished sewing diapers for my blog. I haven't sewn one up myself, but people often ask me which diapers would work well for a premature baby, and this pattern looks like a really nice one. If you sew one up, please leave a comment so that other mamas can know what you thought of the pattern!
The link to the pattern is here:
I was confused at first about how to download the pattern. Just add it to your cart and go through the checkout process. The pattern is free, so you don't have to put in any payment info. Then, go to your account and click on the "My Downloadable Products" link, and you'll be able to download the pattern from there.
Rocket Bottoms Newborn Pattern
Rocket Bottoms released a free newborn diaper pattern after I had already finished sewing diapers up for my blog. I haven't sewn one up myself, but want to make sure that people know that this free pattern is out there. It looks like a nice pattern, and Rocket Bottoms has lots of great paid patterns; so I'd be confident that this pattern is worth a try! If you sew one up, please leave a comment so that other mamas can know what you thought of the pattern!
The blogpost about the pattern, along with brief sewing instructions, can be found here:
http://rocketbottoms.blogspot.com/2012/08/newborn-fitted-diaper-free-pdf-sewing.html
The link to the pattern is here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxYtVipoYIdTeENZOTNkU0cwXzA
The blogpost about the pattern, along with brief sewing instructions, can be found here:
http://rocketbottoms.blogspot.com/2012/08/newborn-fitted-diaper-free-pdf-sewing.html
The link to the pattern is here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxYtVipoYIdTeENZOTNkU0cwXzA
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Personal Update
I just want to let everyone know that I haven't disappeared! Although I have finished sewing up my newborn diaper stash, I have still been VERY busy at my sewing machine! I started an Etsy shop, so I have been having a lot of fun with that. I also have been sewing up clothes for my daughter and for the baby...and I even managed to sew up some nursing tanks for myself!
My new diaper tester is due in one month, so I am very excited to be able to test out all of these newborn diapers very soon! I plan to update the blog posts with fit information and action shots once I get to test these diapers out. I'll be posting on my facebook page (Alley Cat Baby) to let you know when I have added updates for each pattern; so you may want to keep an eye on facebook to know when the blog posts have been updated.
My new diaper tester is due in one month, so I am very excited to be able to test out all of these newborn diapers very soon! I plan to update the blog posts with fit information and action shots once I get to test these diapers out. I'll be posting on my facebook page (Alley Cat Baby) to let you know when I have added updates for each pattern; so you may want to keep an eye on facebook to know when the blog posts have been updated.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
“Arfy” Prefold2Fitted – NB/Small
About the pattern:
This is a free two-size pattern for a fitted diaper that adjusts between NB and Small sizes. It is snap closure (although I think that loop fabric would also probably work well on this pattern). The pattern does not include instructions.
My test diaper:
I made a fitted diaper out of stretchy materials. I really like the way this diaper adjusts between the two sizes. To use the diaper on the newborn setting, just snap down the umbilical snap, and then use the lower row of snaps on the front panel. To use the diaper on the small settting, just use the upper row of snaps. Very easy! The diaper is really cute, here are some pictures:
Newborn setting:
Nice tiny leg openings:
Small setting:
Laid open:
She has several other free patterns on her blog; so I also went ahead and sewed up a cover from her NB-S FOE cover pattern. The pattern actually has a squared-off front panel; but I rounded it b/c I’m not sure how to start/stop the FOE on corners. Here are pics of the cover:
Newborn setting:
Small setting:
The fitted diaper and the cover together make an awesome set! The cover is wide enough for the fitted to fit inside nicely, and the rise on the cover is high enough to completely cover the fitted. Here is a picture showing the cover next to the fitted:
Overall opinion:
I really like both the fitted diaper and the cover, and I like that they are two-size diapers; so rather than just fitting for the early weeks, they will continue fitting for a few months. If used together, the fitted & cover would be an awesome diapering system for the NB and infant stage.
Fit update:
Before umbilical cord falls off:
At around 8.5 pounds, this diaper fit my son awesome! I snapped down the front so it didn't rub against the umbilical cord, and that worked perfectly. This was a great fit at this size, and he wasn't on the tightest setting, so probably would work for babies starting around 7lbs.
Action shots:
Fit update:
Before umbilical cord falls off:
At around 8.5 pounds, this diaper fit my son awesome! I snapped down the front so it didn't rub against the umbilical cord, and that worked perfectly. This was a great fit at this size, and he wasn't on the tightest setting, so probably would work for babies starting around 7lbs.
Action shots:
4 weeks old - 11 pounds:
At this size, I now use the diaper on the top row of snaps. This diaper has a nice snug fit and fits great on the thighs. I think I will make wing snap covers to cover the second wing snap so that I can continue to use this diaper even once my son reaches the largest setting, without having to worry about the second snap pressing into his side.
2 months old - 14lbs,10oz:
This diaper fits on the loosest settings now, but the thighs don't have much room to grow; so this will be retired soon.
Get the pattern:
You can find all of her diaper patterns here:
http://prefold2fitted.blogspot.com/2012/10/online-free-downloads.html
She has TONS of great patterns, including additional newborn patterns that I didn't review!
http://prefold2fitted.blogspot.com/2012/10/online-free-downloads.html
She has TONS of great patterns, including additional newborn patterns that I didn't review!
The link to her fitted diaper blog post is here:
The link to her cover blog post is here:
Please feel free to comment about your experience with Arfy’s patterns or with any questions about my review!
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