Cloth Diaper Geek

Blogging about cloth diapers and life

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclosure Statement
  • Advertising

Cloth Diapering: Why Choose Wool?

This post may contain affiliate links

Table of Contents
How does wool work for cloth diapering?
Interlock or Knitted?
Related posts:

wool cloth diapers, covers

How does wool work for cloth diapering?

Wool is a natural, breathable fiber obtained mainly from sheep. The intrinsic properties of wool make it the perfect diaper cover; the outside of wool fibers repels wetness while the inside of the fibers attracts it; wool is also antibacterial. It can also absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet. Worn over a cloth diaper (usually either a fitted, prefold or flats), a wool cover keeps the moisture where it belongs, in the diaper, while keeping the outside (i.e. bedding and clothing) dry, making it the perfect cover for nighttime cloth diapering.

Interlock or Knitted?

Wool that is used for cloth diapering comes in two main forms – interlock and knitted. Interlock wool is double-knit, machine woven wool most often made from Merino wool (a specific breed of sheep), but it may also contain a small percentage of spandex to give it a bit more stretch and recovery. Interlock wool is very tightly woven and often pre-felted, so individual stitches are difficult to see.

INTERLOCK WOOL DIAPER COVER

Knitted wool has been hand- or machine- knit (or crocheted) from wool yarn and can be comprised of 100% wool or other fibers in addition to wool such as silk, lycra, nylon, cotton, or bamboo, depending on the content of the yarn. Knitted wool is easy to identify because individual stitches can be seen.

knit wool diaper cover

In addition to these two types of wool diaper covers, upcycled wool is a great budget-friendly option made from recycling knitted wool sweaters.

Wool covers can be more than just a cover (also known as a soaker). Shorties (calf-length or shorter wool pants) and longies (long wool pants) are the perfect alternative for cooler nights or for using wool outside of the home when wearing clothing over a wool soaker and cloth diaper would be too cumbersome or bulky.

wool longies wool shorties

 
The idea of laundering and lanolizing is what keeps many cloth diapering families from trying wool. In reality, due to wool’s natural antibacterial properties, it does not retain odors or germs therefore soakers, shorties, and longies don’t need to be washed very often (wash when visibly stained or the smell of urine remains even after the wool is dry) and only needs to be re-lanolized every few weeks. Check out the follow up to this post to see how easy it can really be!

Do you use wool? Comment letting me know your favorite brands and if you prefer knit or interlock?

*This post does contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my work-at-home-mom owned business. :)

Julie

I'm Julie, a former cloth diaper retailer who discovered a passion for the industry. Now, instead of selling cloth diapers, I advocate them and promote small businesses I love who sell and manufacture them.

I'm the wife of a fireman and mother of three. I have a daughter and identical twin sons.

Share
Pin13
Tweet
13 Shares

Related posts:

  1. The truth about WOOL and why it WORKS for cloth diapering!
  2. Humbird Overnight Fitted Cloth Diaper & Wool Cover Combo!
  3. Why choose the Flats method of cloth diapering?
  4. Humbird Woolies European Wool Diaper Cover Review

Sponsor Love

30K Facebook Fan Celebration: 30 Winners + 1 Grand Prize Tula Carrier!
bumGenius Harper Giveaway for USA & International fans! {Ends 11/28}

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sponsor Love

Cuddle Bear Bottoms
Kijani Baby
Tidy Tots

About Author

Jennifer Reinhardt

Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families as well as hundreds of small businesses via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.

Popular Posts

#FluffinAwesome Baby Shower Food {Diaper Crescent Rolls}#FluffinAwesome Baby Shower Food {Diaper Crescent Rolls}
DIY: How to strip (clean) your washing machine!DIY: How to strip (clean) your washing machine!
Keeping Hermit Crabs ALIVE 101:  You can learn from my mistakeKeeping Hermit Crabs ALIVE 101: You can learn from my mistake
$349 One of a kind Diaper Bag Giveaway: Celebrating Mothers Every Day$349 One of a kind Diaper Bag Giveaway: Celebrating Mothers Every Day

Copyright © 2023 Cloth Diaper Geek All Rights Reserved