When I began cloth diapering, I started with pocket diapers.  I didn't think I'd ever get into wool, and frankly, it seemed way too expensive.  But over and over, people raved about their wool.  So I purchased a LanaCare cover and was absolutely blown away by the wonderful properties of wool, especially for nighttime diapering.  After 12 hours, Ella's fitted diaper would be soaked- but the wool cover would be dry to the touch on the outside.  I would never have believed if I hadn't experienced it for myself!  The expense was well worth it, and I soon graduated to hand-knit WAHM-made soakers.  More expensive, but I only needed to buy a few to use in rotation!  Of course, then the wool addiction set in and I bought a few more.  It's hard to resist the beautiful colors and patterns!  Wool is a truly amazing, natural fiber.  Here are a few facts:

• Wool provides comfort in both hot and cold weather since it is so breathable.
• Wool can absorb up to 30 percent of its own weight in moisture before it becomes really damp. While wool can absorb moisture (water vapor), it repels liquids. The scales on the outside of the fiber cause liquid to roll off the surface of the wool fabric.
• Wool is so comfortable to wear because its elasticity means garments fit so well and yield to body movement.
• Wool does not need to be washed very often. When the lanolin (containing fatty acids, having an acidic pH) in the wool reacts with the urea (basic pH) in urine, a chemical reaction occurs.  Acids + Bases react to create the end products of water and salt.  So the urine is no longer urine - it has been neutralized thanks to this wonderful chemical reaction!  Wool really is “self-cleaning,”  with no residual smell of urine, until all the lanolin is exhausted.  At this time, you will begin to notice that your soaker doesn't perform as well as you know it can- this is due to the salt build-up on the wool fibers, and the fact that there is no longer enough lanolin left in the wool to power the chemical reaction that neutralizes the urine.  Then you just need to wash and re-lanolize your wool- a very easy process.

Measuring for Wool Soakers and Wool Soaker Care

How to measure your baby

To take your child's measurements, put on his/her bulkiest cloth diaper (usually a prefold or a bulkier fitted diaper).  Use a tape measure, or if you don't have one available, get a length of string or ribbon that you can then lay down on a ruler or yardstick.

• The waist: measure around your child's belly where the top of the soaker will sit- usually about one inch or more above the top edge of your baby's cloth diaper.
• The rise: measure from where you want the top of the soaker to sit, down between baby's legs and back up again to where the top edge of the soaker should be in the back. This may be an inch or more above the top edge of the cloth diaper in the back.  If in doubt, make the rise higher than you think you'll need.
• The thigh: measure around the chunkiest part of your child's thigh, just below where their cloth diaper lies. 

How long will the soaker fit?

That depends on how fast your baby is growing and how big the soaker is to start with!  Generally it’s the rise that they will outgrow first, so if in doubt, add an inch or two onto the rise measurement. The waistband can be folded down to start with if need be. The waistband will stretch as your baby’s waist gets larger. For small babies, the waistband can be tightened to the appropriate waist setting.  As long as the wool is in contact with the diaper, it will do its job, even if the soaker is a bit too big.  The key is to have a good diaper under the wool- meaning that it fits properly, and doesn't have big gaps in the legs where urine or poo can trickle out. 

Washing your wool diaper covers