The Giggling Green Bean would like to welcome Sam Jackson to our family! Sam is a SAHM to 3 kiddos under 5 years old. She’s got tons of cloth diapering experience! One of her specialties (or addictions?) is wool. For her first feature article, she’s going to tell us why it’s such a great fabric for diapering!
Aristocrats Wool Soaker
Wool 101
Wool is a mystical and wonderful creature. It seems so hard from afar, but in reality it just has a small learning curve.
Many a Mama has said, “But you must hand wash it and that takes too much time. How does it water proof? What about the cost? Doesn’t it get sooo dirty? What about stink? What is it good for? Why is it better that PUL? Isn’t it itchy, scratchy and just generally uncomfortable? What are my options?”
Well Mamas here are the answers!!
How to wash wool…
Washing wool may seem like a huge task, when in reality it’s a 15 minute process once a month (more often if there is poo or food on it). The process really is easy! First you fill your sink *or bath tub if you have a wool buying problem like someone writing this* with cold water and a pea sized amount of wool wash (one pea for each piece). Let sit for 15 minutes, scrub if there are any dirty or soiled spots. When the wool is done sitting, lay it out on a towel. Fold the towel over and squish all the water out of the wool (I usually stand on the towel to do so). Let covers air dry on the towel. Do not hang dry or ring as this will stretch your wool out. Do not put wool in the dryer, this will shrink your wool. Do not put wool in the washer, this will felt your wool.
Wool, is that even waterproof?
Wool naturally contains a thing called Lanolin (yup like the stuff you put on your tatas when you are nursing). This is the waterproofing agent. Now if you are thinking that the lanolin must get washed out in the felting process you are…CORRECT! So what you want to do to re-waterproof your wool is put the lanolin back into it. There are two ways to do this (okay actually three). First you can buy a wool wash that contains lanolin and it’s a one step process. Second option is to get Lanolin and melt it in hot water and put it in with the cold water. Simply wash and voila, all done! The third option is liquid lanolin with the wool wash and cold water, essentially they same as option two 
. Any way you go it’s really not hard. And you only need a pea sized amount!
But wool costs soo much more…or does it?
So you are signed up and ready to cloth diaper, or maybe you have been cloth diapering and you want to try something new. Wool is an awesome cover, and yes the price tag is higher, but you get what you pay for. Wool only needs to be washed and lanolized every 4 to 6 weeks. It doesn’t get stinky. So when you take it off, just let it air dry and you are cake to put it back on! PUL holds stink in a big way making them a wash very frequently garment. Wool is also super breathable, so you don’t have to worry about rashes as much. So when you add it up, you need 2 to 3 wool covers or 6 to 8 PUL covers. Wool also has a higher resale value meaning that when you are all done with your cover, you can usually get 75% of what you paid for it back. Not bad!
What about ickies?
Wool is naturally antimicrobial, which is just fancy for not getting nasty. It kills the micro-organisms keeping it naturally nice and clean for your little one 
. Now if it gets poo or food on it go ahead and wash, but otherwise just let it do its thing.
What is it good for anyway?
Wool is awesome for warm or cool weather, a more natural option, allergies, night time and day time use.
That being said, I think it is great for just about everything. But let me elaborate…
How can something be good for both cool and warm weather? Wool works in mysterious ways. When used as a cover in the cold winter weather, it will trap the heat in and keep our babies warm. But when used on hot summer days, it helps to wick the heat away from the skin keeping our angels cool! Wool is 100% natural, which is also a huge plus for those of us who don’t want synthetics on our sweet babies skin. I have a son who is allergic to synthetics (yipee), but not to wool; making it an awesome option for him. Wool is also an awesome option for nighttime, as it stretches really well. You can stuff all of the extra absorbency your heavy wetter needs, without needing a bigger cover. And when morning time comes, you won’t have wet sheets or jammies! This is because wool absorbs up to 30% of its weight. That being said, wool may feel cool on the outside when the diaper has been soaked and it’s past due for a change….wicked I know 
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Wool = Grandpas old itchy sweater….
Not anymore! Wool interlock is one of the softest fabrics I have felt. It’s supple and smooth, not itchy at all. Now when you get more sucked into the world of wool (and if you try it, you will get more sucked in), you will discover knit and crochet wool. Higher quality wool yarn will generally avoid itchiness with these types of covers.
Now with wool you have three options…
Interlock, which is what The Giggling Green Bean carries. This is a supple wool fabric. It’s wonderful as an easy snap or pull on cover. Interlock is an awesome go, go, go option for babies on the move, but also super soft for sweet newbies. This is usually the most economical option .
Knit, which is a wool yarn made into either pants, shorts, or a soaker. This is generally the most costly option, as you pay for the yarn and someone to custom knit something to your child’s measurements. These are usually pretty delicate and can get snagged relatively easily.
Crochet, which is a wool yarn made into either pants, shorts, or a soaker. This is done with a series of knots giving it a more ‘holey’ look. Generally very thick and bullet proof. Because it doesn’t take near the time that knitting does, it cost a fraction of the price.
So, as you can see, wool is an awesome fabric for diapering. With a little knowledge, it’s really very easy to care for and economical, too.
Happy wool-gathering!
