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PUL Diaper Covers
PUL diaper covers are almost an essential part of your diaper stash. If you use any diapers that require a cover then you will most likely be using PUL covers over them. PUL or polyurethane laminated fabric is what makes the diaper covers water proof. It is a non-breathable and man made fabric, but very durable and trim. These diaper covers range in price from $8-$20 for one size covers. How To Use PUL Diaper Covers PUL covers are the easiest to use and care for, and also the least expensive. To use a PUL diaper cover you just wrap it around your baby's diaper and fasten. These covers can be used many times before it needs to be washed. The inner of the cover is wipe-able, which means if it gets anything on it you can wipe it right off and let it dry for re-use. However, if poop gets on the leg elastic it does not wipe off. If the cover is clean at diaper changing time, then it can be immediately reused. I like to rotate between two covers during a day just to give them time to air out. Sometimes PUL diaper covers will get a little smelly and time to air out takes that problem away. How To Choose The Right Size Cover It is important to have a good fitting cover. Without one you can have leaks out the legs or waist, which would be a horrible mess. You also don't want a cover that is too loose because it can leave deep red marks on your baby's thighs and waist. To choose a good fitting cover always consult the sizing chart that the manufacturer or WAHM provides. It can be confusing when the size chart only gives you weight and age. Your baby may fall into the weight range on one size, but the age range in another. When in doubt go by the weight before age. If the size chart gives you measurements of the rise, thighs and waist size of their covers, it will be very helpful in choosing a more accurate size. If you are at the high end of the measurements or weight for a particular size, definitely move up to the next size. A good fitting cover should give your baby a little room to grow. Never size down in covers unless you know that brand runs small.
What To Look For In A Diaper Cover A well made cover is also very important. If a cover isn't well made it can possibly wick through the PUL, leave horrible red marks on your baby, have laundry tabs that don't work properly, or come apart after putting in the dryer. There are no guarantees when buying a diaper cover, so I highly recommend doing research of user reviews to find out the pro's and con's of a product. Diaper Swappers and Diaper Pin are great places to find tons of user reviews about many different cloth diaper products. If many people say the same thing about a diaper cover (or cloth diaper, etc.) then you can bet you will most likely have that experience as well. Some PUL diaper covers have gussets on the legs of the diaper. A gusset is an extra piece of elasticized material on the inner leg. Gussets help contain poopy messes, and some moms swear by them. They can also help keep red marks from developing on your baby's thighs because the leg elastic isn't as tight. It is not necessary or important to have gussests though. I have used many diaper covers without gussets and they worked just fine. How To Wash PUL Diaper Covers There is no special method to washing these diaper covers. Once they are dirty you throw them in with your other dirty cloth diapers for laundering. PUL diaper covers can be washed and dried with your cloth diapers. Some mamas like to air dry their covers because they feel it prolongs the life of the PUL, but it is not necessary to do so. One important thing when washing PUL diaper covers is making sure you use the laundry tabs on the aplix versions. The laundry tab is a little tab of velcro that you stick the fasteners to. This prevents the aplix from sticking to your other cloth diapers. When the aplix fasteners aren't stuck to the laundry tabs then they can cause your cloth diapers to become pilly or make diaper chains. A diaper chain is when several cloth diapers are stuck together by aplix. I have to admit that I didn't realize what they were for when I washed my first Bummis covers, and they were all pilly after the first wash. I was so mad! How Many PUL Diaper Covers Will I Need? How many covers you need will depend on the age of your baby and the frequency in which you wash your cloth diapers. If you have a newborn baby and wash every two days, you will need at least 9 covers. This is because newborns are constantly pooping and it is likely that poop will get on the cover often. Once your baby gets older and they begin to poop less, you won't need as many covers. So I would say after the newborn phase you should have one cover for every time your baby poops plus two extra. This will get you through a day. So if you wash every two days and your baby poops three times a day, then you would want 8 covers. This will be more than enough so you will always be prepared.
PUL diaper covers are a cute way to cover up your cloth diapers. You can find a huge variety of colors and prints. Just make sure the prints are 100% poly covers, or they may wick. PUL covers add a dash of color to your prefolds, and help save your baby's outfits from blowout poops. Unless you are strictly using pocket diapers or aio's, you will definitely want at least a few PUL covers in your stash.
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A Place In Every Stash