Friends are expecting baby number two so they've decided that she will stay home with their children. To cut corners, they've been looking into cloth diapers and asked me to work up a price for the materials to make them. I've searched through so many different patterns online but I'm not finding a pattern that answers my main question: What do you put in them for absorption? And what do you use on the outside for leak control? I've seen these things handmade in the past but never had cause to inspect them. All the online patterns do is give me yardage for fabrics to be used, not a description of the fabrics.

My kids used them. I made them out of plain white cotton flannel and used rubber pants over them to stop the leaks. All I did was cut them to a certain size and zig zaged the edges so they didn't fray. Need big diaper pins tho for them. Don't remember the size I made them, but you had to fold them and then fold again so they fit the baby.

I saw somewhere that cloth diapers are very expensive to buy at a baby shop. i haven't priced them at all. It really would save money once you get a supply of the,. be a nice shower gift also..

So are you talking about the ones that are 'pre-folded' with a stitched down overlap in the center like I used for my oldest two?

The ones with the overlap seemed to be made of fabric similar to hucktoweling and were folded in such a way that there was double thickness at the edges and triple thickness in the middle 1/3. I'm sure you could use flannel as an extra lining in the middle if you wanted to.

We used 'plastic pants' that were sort of like bloomers with elastic at the waist and legs to keep the outer clothes dry/clean. Some of these were 'built-in' to shorts or bloomers to match an outfit. For instance you could do pink with ruffles for a girl or denim with a pocket for a boy.

There is a "green" diaper system. I'm not sure how it works. My niece uses them. I'll see if I can get info.

http://www.zany-zebra.com/free-cloth...patterns.shtml
Here is a resource link that has lots of link information. Happy searching.

http://www.diaperjungle.com/sewing-cloth-diapers.html

I was looking into make some of those fancy prefolded fitted cloth diapers that just used velcro to close like a disposable diaper but after I did some research I decided it was too much work. The person wasn't a good enough friend for me to go to all that work. http://fernandfaerie.com/sewing_fitteds.html

Good heavens. Cloth diapering has come along way in the last 10-15yrs. Your friend couldn't get a cheaper set-up than to order a bunch of QUALITY cotton prefolds (NOT Gerber) and some diaper covers. These are generally made out of PUL (poly-urethane laminate). For about $100 she could have all the dipes needed from NB to potty training.
Also, there is a huge market out there selling used diapering supplies. She should totally check out Mothering.com and start reading about all of the cloth diapering options available these days. They also have an area where folks buy and sell stuff.
I cloth diapered my two girls (4 and 6yr)
Some of my favorite dipes were the FuzziBunz, it was a pocket that I just stuffed with a folded microfiber towel that I bought in a big pack from Costco....

I made mine many yrs ago, 35, made from white cotton flannel. Length of fabrick, folded lengthwise so dbl on outside thirds, triple in middle. Stitched down the length at tirdand two-third lines. Then cut to length desired, zigzag or serge raw edges. Weused rubber pants over them.

You buy 10 yd or so of flannel and you csn get quite a few diapers out of that. You would to keep them washed every day so they didn't stink and turn color anyway.

My SIL uses them. She has the diaper and then there is a separate shell (insert that is used to absorb wetness). She bought ones that were already made. She is using them to save $$$ so I assume buying them was alot cheaper than disposable diapers.

i have made literally hundreds of diapers. for the newborn size i used a disposable as the pattern. you can either use velcro or similar closures, or diaper pins. joanns or hancock sell diaper pins. for the fabric, i have used flannel - which i love because there is such an adorable variety. basically you can use any fabric. if you use a poly blend for the inner fabric (closest to the skin) the baby will stay drier and goes right through to the soaker pad. google "pocket diapers" because on those you dry the soaker pad separately. i have made them with COTTON batting with flannel on the outside, or you can use those micro fiber wash cloths. walgreens sells them inexpensively, then just triple fold them for the soaker. if you google homemade cloth diapers, there is loads out there. my favorite is the "rita rump pocket". very easy to make. there is also a fabric called PUL which you can make the diaper covers with. hancock sells white only but it is a thicker mil. joanns sells a variety of pretty colors, but it is not as good. by the way, look up PUL on the web too. companys sell the thicker stuff in colors. have fun, especially fun to make holiday diapers!

Good websites!

I could not find PUL through Joann's. But, they did have iron on vinyl that you iron onto fabric. Do you think that would work?

No I would not do the iron on vinyl. Very stiff. I believe Sewbaby.com carries PUL. Also, you can make great diaper covers out of polar fleece. Not the cheap Jo-Anns variety, but the thick quality stuff- say Polartec 300. Which they also carry at sewbaby. Look for "waterproof" fabrics at sewbaby...

I made diapers many, many years ago. I had a pattern from McCall's . I bought cloth diapers, sewed velcro to them where the pattern said to. At the time you also needed the plastic panties that went over the diaper. I stopped using them because we had a hurricane and lost our electricity for eight days and I could not wash the diapers. I bought disposables real fast.

no, that is not at all the same thing. the joanns store does sell it. it is polyurethene laminate (not sure if that is spelled correctly). but is is sold as PUL.

Look up info about a fabric called polyurethane laminate. This comes in prints as well as white.

When I had my kids there was no such things asPampers, you used cloth diapers or else.