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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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Fitted Diapers (Justification for a Larger Stash)


A friend I met at playgroup recently swapped two of her one-size fitted diapers (fitteds don't have a water-proof layer) for two of my one-size pocket diapers. Even well-loved, the fitted diapers were still soft and natural feeling. I was immediately charmed.

I had wanted to try them because I'd read (online) about moms who let their babies run around coverless. All the time!  Initially, I was only interested in keeping dry cotton next to my baby's skin for a few hours per day. As the novelty wore off, however, I began to see an additional advantage. Used at home, a coverless fitted has the convenience of an all-in-one (AIO) without the inconvenience of prolonged drying time, and you don't have to sort and stuff inserts as you would have to with pocket diapers.

I had no idea that using those first two fitteds would change the way I diapered.

I told my mom about my experiment. She was horrified, thinking back to, I imagine, sopping-wet Gerber-esque training pants. In reality, my daughter and I spent much of that first coverless morning in the tiled kitchen – no surfaces, then, that can't be readily cleaned. I had assumed that I would need to change her in about 2 hours, sopping wet, based on the pinned prefolds I'd used years previously on my son. He had a habit of 'holding it' for hours before letting go with a flood. Instead, after feeling for outside dampness for the better part of the hour, I experimentally opened the dry-on-the-outside diaper to find it wet inside. She'd already gone, and the diaper had contained it, even without a PUL cover. I was impressed with how much more absorbent the fitted was than my prefolds. At the same time, it was not so absorbent that I was unable to learn a bit about her habits, since I was able to tell much sooner when she'd wet than I could when she wore a cover.

This lead to a significant change in the way I diapered, because I learned by using coverless fitteds that my daughter is not an infrequent, heavy wetter like my son had been, but a much more frequent one. I was able to customize her diaper-changing routine, which in turn leaves her less prone to rashes and irritation. Instead of waiting for what I thought was one big wet every 2-3 hours, I knew that even if I couldn't tell by touch, she'd be damp within an hour.

I'm finding that I love putting my daughter in cute, soft fitteds to let her run around while I do the dishes or fix lunch. I like knowing that she's more comfortable, because I'm more aware of her habits. And I really like for fitteds on laundry day, since they dry quickly and don't need to be sorted and stuffed.

Note: Many know that a lanolized wool cover can be used over a fitted to provide a breathable, water-resistant layer, but did you know that simple, $3 -$7 pair of fleece pants will also contain the damp (but not flood!) without the need for lanolization? Look for 100% polyester on the label, and you'll have an inexpensive, breathable, damp-resistant layer for your carpets and furniture. Or just put a fleece blanket down on your sofa on coverless days.

By Angie S., Blog Contributor of TCDW

13 comments:

Amanda said...

I love fitteds with fleece covers for stay at home days!

Tammy said...

I never even thought of doing this. I love the idea of figuring out what is my child's "routine". I think this will also make potty training easier.

Julie said...

I am also a converted fitted lover thanks to Vilate from Nifty Nappy. I LOVE her fitted diapers and am soo sad that she's closing up shop =(

Unknown said...

When we're at home, we use fitteds without a cover about half the time, no matter what she's wearing. I change my daughter every hour or so and have never had to worry about changing her pants or sleeper because they were wet.

Secret Mommy said...

This is very much my experience with fitteds, too. I started using them after I was already cd'ing with other methods (pockets and all-in-ones) and found ENORMOUS benefits to going coverless with fitteds. My 1 and nearly-3 year old boys both spend ample time in fitteds with no covers. Hopefully my older son will finally complete his potty training adventure soon... :)

Amanda Mock said...

I have some fitted diapers for the newbie and really want to try some fleece covers! This inspired me to look into them,thanks!

Lynn said...

hm...insteresting. ive been trying to get to know my daughters habits because i want to start part-time ECing when she starts walking [any day/week now.] but we live with my dad and he freaks out when i dont put a cover over her prefold because "itll get on the carpet." seems like a good way to see if she peed, but look like shes wearing a cover. sneaky sneaky. lol. plus the elastic seems like itd hold in poop, too...nice. :)

Sarah Schulz said...

Cool! Maybe I'll have to try a fitted now...

Lena said...

Just tried out a goodmama fitted (a well loved one) and let my boy run around in diaper and baby legs... he had what would have been a very explosive poo in a disposable and it contained the mess! I was quite impressed...

Anna said...

I use prefolds with covers, but those are some cute fitteds! I'd love to try a few fitteds with wool or fleece pants. Definitely the way to go for preparing for potty learning.

Tammy said...

I have recently discovered fitteds, I LOVE them. I wish they weren't so pricey...

Megan said...

We LOVE out fitted diapers! We use Bumgenius bamboo during the day and they are our favorite. I wish they weren't discontinued.

Jill said...

I've been wondering about adding some fitteds to our stash whenever we have another baby, maybe investing in those and skipping the covers during the newborn stage, one less step!