Wooly Pants for Baby

Here is Beaatrice Rose at six months, sporting her new handknit wool diaper cover. Why use wool for a diaper cover? I use cloth diapers and that means I have to cover them with plastic pants or some other cover to prevent baby's clothes from getting soggy. Cloth diapers have come a long way in the past twenty years or so. Now you can choose from an enormous array of easy diapering options -- I use organic diapers made of cotton or bamboo, with velcro closures and fitted with elastic. Over this, I prefer to put a wool cover because it is a natural breatheable fiber. Wool is also naturally antibacterial, which means it resists odors. I treat my wool covers with lanolin, a natural oil that is widely used for nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers. The lanolin is derived from sheepskin, and basically it restores the natural water resistant quality to the wool fibers. It is sort of like conditioning it, and makes the wool softer. I wash my wool covers by hand with a special woolwash.
For me, cloth diapering is a hobby as well as an economical and environmental choice. I enjoy using the cloth diapers, and it is not hard to launder them. The wool covers are especially fun for me, and among the few people who diaper with wool, there is a bit of a subculture with its own vocabulary and designs. Wool covers may be "longies" (like wool pants, usually worn over the diaper as pants), "shorties", "skirties", or "soakers." Beatrice, in the photos above, is wearing what would be considered a wool "soaker." Soakers are the most versitile, in my opinion, becuase they can be worn underneath any type of outfit, or worn alone as a bloomer type bottom. The second is an especially good option when you have a very cute soaker like this one. Our aunt Y____ (shall remain nameless for security purposes:) knit these for Beatrice. It is such a treat to have a knitter in our family! I love the look of a knitted cover. (We also have the best knit bibs from Y______ that are works of art in themselves.)
If you do not knit or have a knitter in your family, wool sweaters can be recycled into very nice covers. I have made some from a double layer of cashmere, and they are super soft. Some people make these with appliques on the hiny -- really cute.
The way I see it is, if you are going to make a choice that requires more intentional thought and a little more time, you might as well have fun with it!