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Wool Diaper CoversAs a first time cloth diapering mama, you will probably hear a lot of talk about wool diaper covers on the forums and see them for sale all over. Naturally you will wonder what wool covers are for and what all the hype is all about. Wool is an amazing fabric that makes the perfect cloth diaper cover for your fitted and prefold diapers. It is anti-bacterial, breathable, absorbs 30% of it's weight in liquid, and is naturally water repellent. Wool covers can come in a variety of choices. You can use wraps, soakers, longies, shorties or even skirties for little girls. So what exactly is a soaker or longies? Check out our handy guide below!
Wool wraps are a diaper cover made of wool. They are made with elastic in the legs and back and have either aplix or snap closures. Wool wraps are great for under clothing and are a great alternative to PUL covers. Wool wraps can also be used at night with your night time diaper for a great breathable night diapering system that will fit under pj's. Some trimmer soaker materials would be wool jersey or crepe wool. They are a bit on the thinner side, so when using those types of wool, you will want to have a good absorbent diaper. This type of wool is probably not good for a heavy wetter.
Soakers are made to wrap around the diaper and cover only the diaper area. These covers pull on and have not closures. Soakers can be paired with baby leggings or put on under regular clothing. They are a bit more bulkier than a regular PUL diaper cover though, so they not fit under all clothing. Wool soakers are usually made with interlock wool or recycled wool. These wool diaper covers will run about $20-$30
Longies are some of my most favorite wool diaper covers. Longies are like a diaper cover and pants in one. You simply pull them on over your diaper and there is no need to add an extra pair of pants to your outfit. You can get longies with either knit, interlock or recycled wool. You can find amazing colors and patterns and match them to cute shirts making some really adorable outfits. Not only that, but it will keep your little warm warm and comfy through all the cold months of the year. If your looking at wool longies, this will be the most expensive type of wool cover. Prices normally range anywhere from $40-$60 for a pair of knit or interlock longies. The price may sound outrageous, but you are paying for good quality wool, that is soft and will last as long as they will fit your baby. Recycled wool will run more around the $12-$20 range and is a great option for when you can't spend as much.
Shorties, much like longies, are just an awesome cover. They are like a cover and shorts in one, leaving you able to avoid finding clothing to fit over your cloth diapers. You can use them all through the warmer months or pair them with baby leggings for when it gets cooler out. Shorties come in a either knit, interlock or recycled wool. You can find tons of bright colorways and fun patterns for the summer months, making it fun to match with tank tops and shirts. Wool shorties are a bit more affordable than longies, and will run in the $30-$50 range normally. Recycled wool shorties will run in the $10-$15 range.
Skirties are the most fun diaper covers if you have a little girl. A skirty is like a soaker with a skirt sewn in and covering it. The soaker part is the cover and the skirt part is for the outfit. I have also seen skirties that have longies sewn in underneath instead of a soaker, which would be great in colder weather. These can be absolutely adorable and come in many sweet and girly colors and patters and can also have ruffles on the bum. You can get skirties made from interlock or knit wool. And I believe I have seen them made from recycled wool, although not as often. You can pair a skirty with baby leggings to look like tights and a cute shirt and have an adorable outfit for your little girl. Wool skirties can range anywhere from $20-$60.
How To Measure For Wool Diaper Covers So now that you know what wool is for and you are ready to go out and shop, you will need to know how to measure your little one to get the right fit. You want to make sure the wool diaper covers fit properly over the whole diaper and are not too big or too tight so they are comfortable enough for playing in. To get a good fit you will need to measure your child's waist, hips, thigh and rise. When you do your measurements, make sure you have your child wearing the kind of diaper they will normally wear with the cover. If some of your diapers are bulkier than other, make sure you measure with one of the bulkier diapers. Here is how you do it: Waist - Take your measuring tape (the flexible kind that is used in sewing. You can find these at any fabric store or WalMart type store) and wrap it around the waist, slightly under the belly button. This will be how wide the waist of the cover needs to be. Hips - Wrap your measuring tape around the fattest part of the diaper, in the hip area. Thigh - Wrap your measuring tape around the fattest part of your child's thigh. This measurement will also help shorties/longies drape well over the leg. Rise - The rise measurement is going to determine how high the cover goes up the waist area. Take the measuring tape starting at the top front of the diaper, then take it through the crotch and up over to the back top of the diaper. Inseam- This will determine how long your longies/shorties will be in the leg. From the crotch of the diaper to the ankle where you want the leg to fall, or from the crotch to the knee or wherever you want the shorties to fall.
No matter which type of wool diaper cover you choose, you are giving your baby the very best. Wool makes such wonderful diaper cover and is well worth the investment. A good wool diaper cover can last you for a long time if you take proper care of it. Wool may sound intimidating, but it is actually very easy to use and care for! I recommend every cloth diapering parent try a wool diaper cover at least one time. Just be careful because you may get hooked!
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Wraps
Soakers 
Longies
Shorties 
Skirties
Getting Hooked On Wool