So we have made the decision to use cloth diapers for our coming baby.  For my part I like the idea of cloth diapers because it reduces waste and they say that cloth diapers are better for the baby.  Mario came fully on board when I showed him the COST savings. When considering cloth diapers its important to remember that while there is a greater initial cost, buying the diapers, the amount of money you save over time is much greater.  So we are taking the long view.  And if/when we have another child we can probably use them again assuming this baby doesn’t destroy them somehow.

I had already started to look at the various types of reusable diapers that are out on the market.  One day I was looking at a pattern website, Jalie, and found that they had patterns to MAKE your own cloth diapers.  These are the All in one cloth diapers where the waterproof cover is a part of the diaper and for the most part they work like the disposables now days, NO PINS!

So I bought the pattern and bought some fabric last weekend to make a test diaper.  I had previously seen a couple of videos on youtube that show how the pattern is made (Part 1 Part 2) so when I finally mad one today the instructions made A LOT more sense.  Jalie is a french company and so their instructions are in pictures as well as english and french which you would think would make it alot easer to figure out, but not so much.

The cutting out of the pattern was easy, not to many moving parts.  THe constructing of the pattern went really well (when I was paying attention and actually sewing the velcro in the right place) and here are the results!

The pattern Front	first trial diaper ever. The outer fabric is called PUL fabric and is the water proof barrier. And don't worry they won't all be black
The diaper closes with velcro so its adjustable around the babys waist. The patterns are sized by weight, so this pattern is for babies 7-11 lbs. I will have to make more sets as baby gets bigger but after making 1 i don't think that will be an issue.	The inner fabric that goes closest to baby's skin is flannel. THere are other fabrics people use but for now I am just going to go with the flannel.
On the inside of each closure wing there is a small square of the soft half of the velcro. This is so that you can fold the velcro closures over like so in the wash and will keep the diapers from hanging on to one another.	The verision of the diaper that I am making has a removable inside. The soaker pad for this diaper I made out of a velour terry cloth which is 100% cotton. There is an opening along the back of the diaper where you can remove it. this way when washing everything you can take the parts out and they will wash and dry more effectively.
The soaker outside of the diaper. Should you need a bit more coverage for the over night there is also a supplement that you can make that sits next to the baby and makes for a slightly thicker more absorbent diaper

It took me a couple of hours to cut out the fabric and then put it together but I think if I were to do things in stages, like cut all the fabric, then sew all of one section, then the next and sort of assembly line it it will not take me as long per diaper.

After adding up the approximate costs of making  the cloth diapers I have come up with about $6 per diaper.  Now that may sound like a lot but when you compare that to the cost of buying them from a company, $12-$17 per diaper I am more than willing to put in my time.  Plus I like the idea of my baby having custom made diapers.    (nothing but the best for my boy!)