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!

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:

http://wazoodle.com/index.php/diaper-making/diaper-patterns/lgb-pattern-preme.html

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

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.

“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:

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!

The link to her fitted diaper blog post is here:

http://prefold2fitted.blogspot.com/2012/02/changes-to-newborn-small-fitted.html

The link to her cover blog post is here:

http://prefold2fitted.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-size-foe-cover-pattern-template.html

Please feel free to comment about your experience with Arfy’s patterns or with any questions about my review!

My Thoughts on Newborn Diaper Absorbency

One of the most common questions people have is how many layers to use in their newborn diapers & inserts.  Having only one child; who was only cloth diapered part-time as a newborn, I am certainly not an expert, but I have done a few “experiments” to help offer some guidelines for newborn absorbency.

When my daughter was a newborn, I started out with premie prefolds laid in a cover.  She never had leaks with those, and I don’t recall them ever being sopping wet (I did change very frequently; as I am sure most parents of newborns do!)  When she was a few weeks old, I moved up to infant size prefolds laid in a cover, again, I don’t recall them being sopping wet.  So, I figured that the absorbency of those prefolds will offer some general guidelines for how much absorbency is needed in your mama-made diapers.  (The prefolds I used were Indian cotton prefolds from cottonbabies.)

The experiment:

I ran a test to determine the absorbency of the premie prefolds, infant prefolds and also the BumGenius 4.0 newborn insert.  (I never actually used the BumGenius inserts on a newborn, but figured I would include them in the test.)

To test the absorbency,  I laid the prefold/insert in a dish and poured a pre-measured amount of water on it.  Then, I lifted the insert out of the dish and held it up and let the water drip off of it for one minute.  Then I measured the amount of water left in the dish so that I could figure out how much the insert had absorbed. 

Test results:

The results were that the premie prefold held  5oz, the infant prefold held 11oz, and the BG insert held 5oz.  I will note though, that the inserts seemed a lot more soaked than I would actually want to leave on a baby, so I would say this is a measure of maximum capacity, not of actual expected capacity.  But, at least this gives a good general baseline against which you can test your mama-made diaper absorbency.

Given these test results, my goal is that my premie diapers and tiny newborn diapers will hold about 5 oz and my newborn diapers will hold about 11oz.  Since I make fitted diapers, I will measure the absorbency of both the insert and the shell.

I randomly picked 3 of my newborn diapers to test the absorbency of them.  I make my diapers with an outer layer of either stretch french terry or cotton interlock, a hidden layer of an old t-shirt, and an inner layer of cotton velour.  The diapers averaged out to about 6oz.  So, that means I need to make inserts for them that hold about 5oz.

No-Sew Insert Options:

If you don’t want to sew inserts for your diapers, there are a few no-sew insert options that I came up with.  These are all absorbent enough to be used in a fitted diaper; if using in a pocket diaper or all-in-two, you may want to double up on the inserts.

(Click on the chart to view it larger)

Insert fabrics:

If you want to sew inserts, then I came up with some absorbency figures for some common diapering materials, using the same testing technique that I described above.  These are just rough estimates.  I prepped the fabrics ahead of time by washing & drying a few times, but some of the fabrics are likely to get more absorbent with more prepping.  The pieces of fabric that I tested were cut 6.25” wide by 10.75” long.  I make my newborn inserts bifolded, so that is why I cut my fabric that size.  I used my testing results to also calculate the absorbency of straight/contour inserts or trifolded inserts.

(Click on the chart to view it larger)

So, since I want my inserts to be about 5oz, and I make them bifolded, I might use a layer of cotton velour, a layer of bamboo fleece, and a layer of flannel.  That insert would hold about 5.25oz.  If I made trifolded inserts, I might use a layer of microfiber with a layer of flannel, for a total of 5.25oz.

Doublers/wipes:

Since all newborns are different and it is hard to guess before they are born whether or not they will be a heavy wetter or whether they will sleep through the night (lucky!), I would recommend making some extra doublers (or extra cloth wipes, which can be used as newborn doublers).  I think a good doubler would hold about 2 oz.

Disposable newborn diaper absorbency:

All of this absorbency testing made me really curious about how much disposable diapers hold.  I got my hands on a Target Brand Up & Up newborn diaper, and I poured water on it until it seemed to be at the point where it couldn’t hold anymore without bursting.  It started to seem really full around 12oz, but I did manage to get 2 more oz poured onto it before it started pooling in the gussets.  So, I would say a disposable  newborn diaper holds around 12-14 oz.  So, very comparable to the 11oz estimate for an infant prefold!

Conclusion:

If you test your homemade diapers/inserts using the same procedure I used, I would expect newborn diapers to hold around 11 oz.  For the tiny diapers that you might only use for the first 2 weeks, or for premie diapers, I would expect them to hold about 5 oz.  I will note that in hearing from other mamas who make newborn diapers, there is a HUGE variance in layers used in the inserts.  Some mamas say that only 4 layers of knit from an old t-shirt is fine for their newborn, while others say that their newborn outpeed 6 layers of heavy bamboo fleece.  So, you might prefer to make the inserts thin so that they won't be unnecessarily bulky, but then also make extra doublers to use if your baby ends up being a heavy wetter (or to use at night).

Baa Baa Baby Newborn

So, I know I said that I was done testing the newborn patterns, but then this new free pattern was released by Baa Baa Baby, and I just had to sew one up!  I may continue to periodically sew up additional patterns that I get my hands on J

About the pattern:

This is a free pattern for a front snapping diaper, with an umbilical cord snap.  Although the pattern is not marked for hook & loop, I’m sure that would also work great.  This pattern only has a single row of snaps along the tummy, which makes for quick & easy diaper changes, and also doesn’t add a lot of bulk on the tiny newborn tummy.  There are no instructions included with this pattern.

My test diaper:

I used this pattern to make a fitted diaper with snap closure.  I really liked that there were only 8 snaps on the tummy because I don’t really like setting snaps, so it was a lot easier to make!  This diaper is incredibly cute, here are some pictures:

Here it is with the umbilical scoop snapped down:

Here it is without the front snapped down (please excuse the crooked cord snap...that is why it is important to follow the pattern markings rather than just eye-balling it!)

Overall opinion:

This is an awesome basic newborn pattern.  I really like the size of it and it was so quick and easy to sew up, and it is just so cute.  If you are sewing up diapers as a gift then this would be a fantastic choice because it is really cute, and it would be really easy for someone new to cloth diapers to understand how to use.  Also, I really love that it is a material saver...it doesn’t use a lot of snaps and it uses very little fabric.  The back wings aren’t very long, so you could get a lot of diaper cuts out of a single yard of fabric.  This makes for very economical diapering!

Fit update:
Before umbilical cord falls off:
My son wore this diaper when he was at his lowest weight; around 8 pounds.  It fit well except that the legs were just a touch loose.  This wasn't a problem with my son, but might needed to be a little snugger for smaller babies.

Action shots:

 

4 weeks old - 11 pounds:
This diaper is a great fit on the medium setting.  The legs fit better now that he has chunked up a bit!

 

2 months old - 14lbs,10oz:
This diaper fits nicely on almost the largest setting, it is a great fit on the thighs now.

 



Get the pattern:

http://baabaababy.us/2011/11/free-newborn-pattern/

Thank you very much to the mama who provided this free pattern!

Please feel free to comment about your experience with the Baa Baa Baby newborn pattern or with any questions about my review!