DIY Cloth Diapers: Making Diapers from Things you Have at Home
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Time to read 4 min
Cloth diapering is an eco conscious and cost-effective alternative to using traditional, disposable diapers for your baby or toddler. While there are many commercially available cloth diaper brands, you can also create your own diapers using common household items that you may already own or affordable store bought materials.
This blog post will explore numerous DIY cloth diaper options, focusing on choosing absorbent fabrics and utilizing items you likely already have at home. Cloth diapering doesn't have to be expensive and complicated.
Choosing the Right Fabric
When selecting textiles for DIY cloth diapers, look for fabrics with high absorbency and softness. Natural fibers like cotton and hemp are popular and common choices due to their absorbent properties. Look for fabrics with a high cotton content, as cotton is known for its ability to absorb moisture effectively.
A Look at Repurposed or Upcycled Cotton for DIY Cloth Diapers
Cotton bath towels, for example, are renowned for their high absorbency. In some instances, cotton towels have been known to be capable of soaking up to 27 times their weight in water. This is attributed to cotton's unique structure, which includes hollow cells that effectively trap moisture. This makes cotton a popular choice for both kitchen and bathroom towels, as they are able to quickly and effectively dry both your skin and spills around the house. You can understand why cotton would also be a popular choice for reusable cloth diapers, especially DIY cloth diapers you can make at home.
Here are some things you may have around the house that can be used as or inside of a cloth diaper:
Cotton Bath or Tea Towels as DIY Cloth Diapers:
Just as cotton terry bath and kitchen towels make great work of soaking up spills around the house, the high pill of terry toweling can make for great DIY cloth diaper absorbency. Bath and kitchen towels are often 100% cotton making them a great choice for a DIY cloth diaper.
How to use a cotton towel as a flat style cloth diaper:
- Fold the towel into a rectangular shape
- Place it under your baby
- Bring the front up between the legs
- Secure the sides around the waist with a pin or snappi fastener
- Use a waterproof cover over the diaper for added protection
How to use a cotton towel as an insert style cloth diaper:
- Cut or pad fold the towel into a rectangle shape
- Place it inside the pocket opening or shell of your water resistant diaper cover
- Fit the diaper on baby and fasten the diaper cover
Cotton Baby Receiving Blankets as DIY Cloth Diapers:
Baby receiving blankets are an excellent option for DIY cloth diapers. They're typically made of soft, absorbent cotton and are already the perfect size for diapering your baby.
You can follow the same directions listed above for using a cotton bath or tea towel as a cloth diaper when diapering with a cotton receiving blanket. Depending on the size of your blanket, you can choose to use it like a flat style diaper or pad fold and utilize it like an insert and place it inside a pocket diaper or diaper cover.
Cotton T-Shirts as DIY Cloth Diapers:
Sensing a theme yet? Nearly any cotton textile you have at home can be used as a DIY cloth diaper. Cotton T-shirts are a great option as many families have them in excess. They're soft, absorbent, readily available and can easily be folded into a rectangle and used inside a water resistant diaper cover.
100% Cotton T-Shirts are also readily accessible at thrift stores. The color of the shirt does not matter. In fact, some families choose to create their own DIY cloth diapers using colorful repurposed textiles in an effort to disguise inevitable staining.
What to Keep in Mind when Shopping at the Fabric Store for DIY Cloth Diapers:
If you are someone that would rather DIY cloth diapers from new materials, here's what to keep in mind as you head to the craft store.
Fabric Types
- 100% Cotton: Look for fabrics like cotton interlock knit, cotton birdseye, or diaper gauze. These are absorbent and suitable for diaper flats.
- Stretchy Knits: Opt for fabrics with some stretch, such as bamboo organic cotton spandex blends. These provide a better fit as the baby grows.
- Organic Options: If possible, choose organic cotton or OEKO-TEX® certified fabrics to ensure they're free from harmful substances.
Fabric Types
- Absorbency: Select fabrics that can absorb moisture effectively. Cotton is naturally absorbent and a popular choice.
- Breathability: Look for fabrics that allow air circulation to help prevent skin irritation.
- Durability: Choose fabrics that can withstand frequent washing without losing quality.
Here are some other things to keep in mind when making your own DIY cloth diapers from new materials. Prewash your fabric before cutting to account for any shrinkage that might happen during the washing and drying process, (this is especially important with cotton textiles.) And if you are new to sewing, look for fabrics that don't fray easily as these can be used without finishing the edges of the fabric.
DIY Cloth Diaper Stretchy Flats
Creating your own stretchy flats can be a fun and cost effective way to DIY cloth diapers at home. Start by picking a fabric that has good stretch and absorbency, like cotton/spandex or bamboo/spandex knit. You can find these at fabric stores or online.
Once you've got your fabric, prewash it on hot to prevent any shrinkage later on. For the size, aim for squares about 26 to 27 inches; this is a good size for most babies.
When you’re ready to cut, if you have tubular fabric, you can either cut it open or leave it as a tube for extra thickness. Use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter for clean edges. The great thing about stretchy flats is that they don’t need to be hemmed because knit fabrics won’t fray. If you want to finish the edges for a neater look, you can use a serger, but it’s totally optional.
Once your fabric is cut, you can start folding and experimenting with different styles to find what works best for your baby. You can fold them into various shapes depending on how much absorbency you need and how snugly you want them to fit.
If you're feeling crafty, consider using old t-shirts—especially larger ones—as an alternative; they can be cut into flat diapers too. Just remember to have fun with it and enjoy the process of making something special for your little one.
