After my sewing disasters in Home Economics classes in Junior High and High School, it took another 16 years before I wanted to sew anything again. And when I did, it was because the man I’d married was 6’6” long and tall…and a rancher, and finding working shirts, jackets, and coveralls that fit him was a nightmare.
Remember, these were the days of no internet!
So that got me into sewing again and I did my duty, but it was when Suzanna made her appearance and was so adorable that I started to really enjoy sewing again. A grandma I met in a trip to Texas when Suzanna was 2 gave me a box full of children’s patterns from 0 – 10 and this really started my imagination going.
Then I discovered Thrift Stores, etc. and my sewing for the kids gradually petered out, so I started looking for another outlet for my genius and discovered quilting! I really enjoyed all of this, but the one thing that bothered me a great deal when the kids were babies was all of the money that I spent on disposable diapers.
Why I Didn’t Use the Obvious Alternative
I didn’t use cloth diapers because the weird-but-true fact was that in our isolated neck of the woods there were no such things as cloth diapers to be had. And besides that we had to haul every drop of water we used.
However, this did not negate the amount of money I spent on those disposable or the guilt I felt every time I threw one away.
A Saner – And More Environmentally Friendly – Diaper Solution
So it was with great interest that I discovered the Babyville Boutique line of baby accessories in a JOANN Fabric store about 3 years ago.
The pattern book I purchased for the diaper patterns was laid out with easy to follow instructions and lots of pictures to help you along. They have also developed a cotton/polyurethane cloth that sort of feels like plastic (but isn’t) that goes on the outside of each diaper and is leak proof.
This delightful stuff also comes in tons of cute colors and designs which just make my fingers itch to start sewing.
The powers that be have also developed soft, wide, folded elastic in matching colors that you sew all around the outside of the diaper and that help the diaper to conform snugly to the shape of your baby’s bottom.
I purchased some of this stuff and made a number of diapers and I have to say, it almost made me want another baby these diapers are so cute.
Almost!
The fact that I’m physically too old now was a great relief to the rest of the family! But, grandkids will be coming and I will be ready.
Money-Practical Reasons to Create Your Own Homemade Diapers
I decided to run the numbers just for fun – because this is what I do when I’m sewing. I figure out how many pieces I sewn together, or how many yards of thread I’ve sewn into a project, or how many diapers a baby uses each month.
As I figure it, this number is somewhere between 250-300 diapers! Each month!!!
For approximately 24 months, which makes the diaper usage total approximately 7,200! I say approximate because kids do potty-train at different ages, but I feel that this staggering number is a fair average.
This life total does not count the diapers you may need at the end of your life, but that’s a different blog altogether!
So, you have to purchase 7,200 diapers for each baby assuming that they’re potty-trained by 2.
I’m no longer au courant on what disposable diapers cost, but I can only imagine that the price of the material needed to make enough reusable, homemade baby diapers is significantly less than even a few months of disposable diapers.
How Many Homemade Baby Diapers Should You Make?
As I was thinking about this astonishing number, 7,200, I looked at the tiny little newborn diaper I was sewing and thought about how fast babies grow and how long a newborn would fit into that tiny little diaper scrap.
Which led to me thinking about how many I would need to get a baby through each stage of growth till 2 years old.
My final number ended up being around 24 diapers per stage and if every stage is approximately 3 months long, then you would need approximately 100 diapers for a baby’s life total!!! This is 7,100 diapers less than when you use disposables. The cherry on top being that you can use them for any subsequent babies you have. Assuming you have 3 children – like I did – you would need 100 hand-sewn, adorable, machine-washable and re-usable cloth diapers vs 21,600 disposable ones.
This is a HUGE difference to both your wallet and the environment, so I would really like to encourage you to consider this option.
The Best Patterns & Materials for Creating Homemade Baby Diapers
There are many diaper patterns out there, but the one I used was extremely easy to make – once I got the hang of it – was Babyville Boutique.
Like I said, I found their diaper fabrics and accessories at JOANN’s so they’re easy to find, but, being me, I made a slight improvement to the diaper design so that I could pull the inside padding out of the outside of the diaper to wash and dry. Just that one little adjustment, and I found you could get a much better clean on stains, etc., and drying time was cut down by hours not minutes.
Let me know if you would like to know how I did this! I always try to answer questions I receive in the comments section, but the best way to get ahold of me is to send an email to karyl@pybdesigns.com.
One word of advice, though.
Babyville diaper designs have the option of Velcro or snap closures. Because I didn’t know any better, I purchased the colored matching snaps and the snap setting machine but found out after I sewed a few diapers that I much preferred just using the Velcro to close the diapers with. The snaps may come in handy for bigger, mischievous babies – we know who you are – who decide it would be fun to pull off their diapers…
But especially for the smaller babies, I would just go with Velcro closures.
Want Your Own Pre-Made Baby Set for Yourself or a Baby Shower Gift?
I have made up a set of newborn diapers that I plan on gifting each of my kids with when their first babies are born. I think this would be a supremely practical and also thoughtful gift and I’m really pleased to be able to do this for them.
If you check out our Etsy Store – Lilies of Grace – we have 2 sets of baby shower gift sets available which include a number of useful new-baby items I’ll talk about in my next blog.
I think these sets would be really useful if you’re about to become a new mother – and of course they’d make fantastic, stand-out baby shower gifts if a friend is about to go through this incredible, but admittedly intense, experience.
To paraphrase a Texan nurse “save the diaper, save the environment!”
Happy diapering!!!!
Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)
Homemade Diapers