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Tips On Our Organic Cloth Diapers And Organic Wool Diaper Covers

Thank you for using organic cloth diapers! You are reducing landfill waste by one tonne per child per year, and you are keeping toxins out of our landfills and away from your babies most sensitive body parts.Here are some tips we have learned as Moms, to start you out on the right track with your new diapers.

Starting Out

We estimate you will need 36 diapers and liners, 3-4 wool diaper covers and a few diaper pins. Hankettes offers organic cotton diapers and organic wool diaper covers in two sizes; newborn to six months and six months to toddler.Our organic wool diaper covers are breathable unlike unbreathable plastic, and will help to prevent diaper rash while still keeping the moisture in.

Washing Baby’s Bottom

Check out our convenient, reusable alternative to popular commercial "baby wipes". Ten organic cotton flannel baby wipes and a convenient flip top bottle of Lyrae's Wet Wipe solution are packaged in a tote-sized vinyl case. The wet wipe solution is a natural, gentle, disinfectant cleanser with tea tree oil for diaper changes and children's messes. This is one of our most popular products.

Choosing The Right Sized Diapers

We offer four sizes of diaper and two sizes of liner.  New is for newborn to six months (up to 14 lbs), small (10 - 25 lbs), large is for young toddler (20 - 30 lbs), and extra-large is for older toddler (30+lbs).  These four sizes offer a lot of flexibility.  The large liner can be used as a newborn diaper by folding it in three lengthwise and pulling out the top two corners.  You can adjust the diapers by folding over the front and pinning it smaller.  When baby gets bigger the small diaper becomes a liner for the large diaper.  These four sizes of diapers and two sizes of liners will take you all the way through the diaper wearing years.

Diaper Care

Put wet diapers directly into a pail filled 2/3rds with water and 1/4 cup vinegar. Soiled diapers should be scraped into the toilet and then placed into the diaper pail. Make sure the pail has a locking lid for safety and to control odors.
Wash diapers with an unscented detergent and tumble or hang dry. Avoid fabric softeners- they reduce absorbency, and bleach- it wears out the fabric quickly! Line drying your diapers will extend their life, and sunshine is a natural disinfectant, leaving you diapers smelling fresh.

Because our organic cotton fabric is not processed with harsh chemicals it still retains much of the natural waxes present in cotton.To increase the absorbency of the diapers we recommend that you wash them in hot soapy water and then soak overnight in vinegar before using.With each hot, soapy water wash the absorbency of the flannel will increase.

A Little On Our Wool Diaper Covers

Hankettes organic wool diaper covers are preshrunk, and can be machine washed and tumbled dry. To extend the life of the covers we recommend hand washing with Eucalan (a gentle wool washing product that can be found at www.eucalan.com or from the drugstore) and then hanging them to dry. Add a small amount of lanolin (included in the Eucalan) every few weeks to help maintain water repellency.  Lanolin is an oil that occurs naturally in wool and can be bought in a commercial preparation at the drugstore or health food store.

Pins Versus Velcro

Velcro fasteners restrict the diaper to being one size, which means you lose the flexibility of being able to adjust the diaper to varying sizes as the baby grows.Also, in some babies Velcro can cause irritation rashes where it rubs on baby’s skin.If pins make you too nervous, try using a Velcro style diaper cover to hold baby’s diaper in place.

Diaper Pin Tip

If you're using diaper pins, store them poked into a cake of soap to keep them easy to insert.  Always keep a hand between the pin and baby's belly! Hankettes organic cotton diapers are made with 2 layers of flannel, so pins never need to touch baby's skin!