Have you any Wool?

When I first started to cloth diaper I was very "afraid" of anything that wasn't traditionally waterproof.  I have since gotten over that fear and am in LOVE with all of my new fitted diapers.  Now even though at home we often go cover-less, there is ALWAYS a need for a good cover.  Now one of the reasons I love my fitted diapers is because they are so breathable and in the hot summer I really prefer that so I didn't want to cover it up with a hot plastic cover.  So I took the leap to wool and I am HOOKED!

I think that my biggest fear with wool was the care.  I would read about having to lanolize it and not washing it, and to be honest I was COMPLETELY confused by it all.  What is lanolizing?  Where do I get Lanolin?  How do I keep it clean?  Can I really put it on my babe for multiple uses before I wash it?

Well I can get Lanolin in the baby section at Walmart or Target, I can use baby soap to wash it and YES as long as the diaper doesn't get soiled my babe can wear it quite a few times with out having to wash the diaper.  Just let it dry and pop it on again!

So why do I have to lanolize my wool cover? 

Well this was a hard question for me to find a good answer for, but the long and short of it is that when you lanolize your diaper you are really putting a layer of protection on your cover that helps to keep it clean.  When babies urine reacts with the Lanolin it creates a sort of "soap" on the diaper.  

How do I Lanolize my wool cover?

This was my biggest fear, but really it was super easy!  You will find directions all over the internet and they are all different.  But really it comes down to this.  Soak your cover in room temperature water.  Anything too hot or cold could cause the wool to tighten and felt and you really don't want that!.  If you want to you can add a small amount of baby soap to the water or you can buy a special soap designed just for wool but its not required.  After about 10 minutes drain the water and remove the cover.  Add a small amount of HOT water to the sink or container that you are soaking your cover in.  Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of Lanolin to the water and stir it until it is dissolved.  The water will look cloudy.  Then fill the sink with enough room temperature water to cover the wool and then a little more.  Submerge the cover in the water and let it sit for at least 15 minutes but ideally for several hours.  After it has soaked drain your water and put your cover on a towel and roll around to remove excess water **DO NOT RING OUT YOUR COVER***.  Lay flat to dry and you are all set!

Now you don't need to wash or Lanolize your cover again until either it gets soiled or it starts to smell.

Its SOOO simple.  So if you don't have one go out and get a wool cover!  Don't be afraid they are a great natural and breathable way  to cover babies tush!