Summary: Our newborn wool/cotton covers are awesome, machine washable, more affordable, and very practical for your newborn
I am so so excited to be putting the final touches on a project I've been working on for so long! I knew I wanted to do a very practical newborn option for parents who didn't feel up to hand washing wool covers. Newborns poop a lot, and you can expect some of that poop to end up where it isn't supposed to, i.e your beautiful wool cover. Wool is very very convenient in that it just needs to be "aired out" after getting damp, but poop ON the cover calls for a washing. Some parents find they can spot clean wool effectively and not have to go through the entire washing/lanolizing process all over again.
It can also sound a bit counterintuitive to put an absorbent material on the outside of a water resistant cover! But before I get into the mechanics of the cover, let's go over a few advantages of this system in comparison to "typical" NB options like a pocket diaper or All in One:
- No synthetics next to baby - no AWJ, no micro fleece, etc which can shed harmful micro plastics both in the wash and when they are peed in. Check out some extra info on that topic here: https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Do-clothes-make-us-sick-Fashion-fibers-and-human-health-PSF2022-.pdf
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- Fully customizable 360 degree absorbency. Whether you choose a fitted, preflat, prefold, flat, contour etc you have every absorbency option open to you! Bulk up for bedtime and slim down during the day, without having to add extra inserts etc to an AIO
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- Breathable, gentler on the skin. Have a sensitive skin baby? Wool, cotton, and other natural fibers are extremely gentle and can help curb diaper rash
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- Value. NB AIOs or pockets typically hit around the $9-$12 range for imported, mass produced options and $20+ for US made options like Smart Bottom and Thirsties. And guess what, once you outgrow the NB stage (some are bursting out of their AIOs quite early) most of those absorbency options can't be reused! If you go the preflat route, typically they last until 20 lbs, and if you go the flat route, you'll be using NB flats for boosters WELL into the toddler years! Wool holds its value extremely well even in an abnormally low market!
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- Easy care. Our wool/cotton covers are machine washable (delicate or wool cycle, warm/cool please do not throw these in with your regular diaper laundry) and natural fiber absorbency is much much easier to wash and dry! For example many AIOs consist of 4-6 layers underneath a synthetic layer, which makes it more difficult for detergent to penetrate every layer and be rinsed out again! With natural fiber options like flats and preflats, you've got 1-2 layers to get clean and then pop them in the dryer! Fewer smells, less detergent buildup, etc
Finally, let's talk about HB covers specifically. Our inners are either fine boiled wool, or our regular fine merino knit. Before they are ever made into diapers, both materials are prewashed in the machine, warm and delicate. This combats shrinkage. Our fine merino knit is 370 gsm unwashed and shrinks about 20%, putting it well above 400 gsm post wash. We also add a hidden layer of wool to the wet zone! This means our newborn wool/cotton covers have a combined 800 gsm in the wet zone, which is plenty to keep leaks at bay!
Our cotton is organic (of course) and some varieties are American milled, while others are grown in the US. It's stretchy and impeccably soft! Our US grown varieties are 100% cotton, whereas the American Milled are about 95% organic cotton 5% spandex.
As with our 100% wool covers, your baby should not be soaking through to the point where the outside layer is damp to the touch during the day! If this occurs you may need more absorbency, or possibly more lanolization. When people ask if our cotton outers are meant to get wet, the answer is no. With the density and amount of wool we use on the inner, the outer (cotton) should not be getting damp to the touch. If it does, and you notice smells, it's time for a wash! When lanolizing the whole cover, the cotton absorbs a small amount of lanolin giving it a little protection, but even so it should not be getting wet.
In my view these make excellent daytime covers! I would typically go for the pull on style at night (like our Weeking covers) or even one of our 100% wool snapped NB options!
As always if you have any questions please feel free to either utilize the chat feature on the site, or send me an email at help@highlandbaby.store!