Fleece Soaker

emmylou78

My mother made her first fleece diaper cover for my baby due in October.  It looks great!  But we are both concerned if it will really work for a cover, because it doesn't seem waterproof at all.  I turned it inside out and stuck it under the faucet, and it just soaked up the water.  Did we get the wrong kind of fleece maybe?  She bought it by herself, so I have no idea if it is polar fleece (which is what you're supposed to use, correct?).  Is there anything we can do to make it workable? Thanks

nanabanana06

I don't think so. I had a single fleece soaker with my daughter, it was cute. I wasn't a fan though.Wool works so much better imo.

emmylou78

I have a wool one I bought online, but they'd be so much cheaper to make.  I just wish could figure out how to make the fleece work.  I think she has other fleece material for more, so maybe they will work.

nanabanana06

Yeah, fleece isn't completely waterproof. Anyways, you can make wool soakers out of wool sweaters from the consignment store. I just think wool works better than fleece period, but fleece is a lot less scary than wool!

emmylou78

Yea, since my mother was making them, I didn't want to dictate too much!  I think she was worried about it unraveling though if she went to cut up a sweater.  Does that happen?

nanabanana06

I think you felt them a bit before you make them. I've never made a wool soaker. I have one made from etsy though. I'd look up some tutorials

ForeverEverAfter

I have single layer fleece longies I use over a fitted for night and they have only leaked when LO needed more absorbency. I'm having more problems lately though, so I'm going to try wool. You can give it a shot though, a faucet isn't really a fair test.

musicalsilver

Chickypoo2468 said:

Oh, and you can add an extra later to the wet zone for more protection.

This.  I made a couple fleece soakers (with an extra layer in the wet zone) as well as wool from the Katrina pattern.  I was a little skeptical at first, but it does seem to work!  I've only used the fleece once for overnight so far (over a s'bish OBF), and LO's PJs were just a touch damp in the morning.  So overall, I consider it a success.

jesstellina

We've used fleece soakers for naps & nighttime since DD was about 8 months old. I don't like single layer ones, but with the extra layer in the soak zone they work really well for us. They are prone to compression leaks, so not good at all for when baby is sitting on something hard plastic (shopping cart, high chair), and can wick onto cotton clothing if you don't have enough absorbency in your diaper. That sounds like a lot of limitations, but seriously, for the price and easiness of making them yourself (with Katrina's pattern like MK said), I don't think you can beat them for sleeping or around the house. When it's warm out, DD wears a diaper, fleece soaker, and t-shirt or little nightgown. When it's cooler she'll wear fleece jammies over her soaker.

emmylou78

I was thinking to use them at night.  And with it being for a newborn, it wouldn't be ALL night.  I will try them out for sure.  I would just have felt bad if she made a bunch of them, and then none of them worked!  I think it is Katrina's pattern that I sent her, although it was forever ago now that I asked her about it.  Fingers crossed they work out well.  Thanks all!

PamelaC

I think it depends a lot on what you have under the fleece soaker! I use fleece soakers over fitteds and hybrid fitteds and they work well. As long as you have enough absorbancy in the diaper and you change when wet, they do work!

emmylou78

I have mostly prefolds, and bought 2 fitteds to try out.  With a newborn, I will be changing a lot anyway!

freezorburn

Heather6789 said:

Yea, since my mother was making them, I didn't want to dictate too much!  I think she was worried about it unraveling though if she went to cut up a sweater.  Does that happen?

I haven't done it, but my understanding is that knitted fabric won't come unraveled unless you really really abuse it. It should stay knitted up while she is sewing it up in any case, and then the seams she puts in will hold it all together.

There's actually a technique called Steeking where you cut knitted fabric in order to insert a seam, as for a zipper. Sounds really scary but people do it.