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Tiny Birds Organic Wool Diaper Covers
          We got hooked on wool diaper covers mainly because of how cute some of them are (especially soakers and longies), and my friends were always so amazed that wool would work as a diaper cover. I agree it is pretty amazing, but it is not really a new idea.  My husband's grandma used wool diaper covers for her babies too.  The first time she met Becky she said "Oh look!  She's wearing a soaker. I made knit soakers for my babies too."
1. How do wool diaper covers work?  Wool diaper covers are intended to absorb some moisture rather than simply providing a barrier to air/liquid like plastic diaper covers.  I often describe wool as being similar to a clay layer beneath a sand layer, with the sand layer being the cotton diaper.  The liquid easily goes into the diaper layer and then when it reaches the wool layer the liquid spreads out into the diaper as it would into a sandy layer of soil above a clay layer of soil.  The wool layer (like the clay) will still absorb some moisture and become slightly damp feeling, letting you know the diaper is wet and ready to be changed.  For the first week or two, the cover will not work as well as it will later on, because the fibers will shrink/felt up a bit in the wet zone with repeated use (due to the combination of baby's movement and the warm urine). 
2. How often should I wash the wool cover?  The cover can then be air dried and rotated with other wool covers throughout the day.  Wool is naturally antibacterial and it will not smell even after using the same cover for days or even weeks or months without washing it. I have to admit I'm pretty lazy and sometimes don't wash my wool covers more than once every 2-3 months.  Wool covers are easy to care for and most people choose to wash them once every week or two, or if they become soiled.  One added advantage of having your baby wear wool is that it is naturally fire resistant.  Wool breathes with the skin acting as a natural temperature regulator - warm in winter and cool in summer.  Diaper rash is very rare for cloth diapered babies especially when using natural wool covers which breathe and prevent heat from being trapped against the skin.
3.  How do I keep the wool from shrinking too much when washing it?  Any combination of heat, movement/agitation, and/or soap will cause most wool to shrink.  Some types of wool are already pre-shrunk to some degree (like the Tiny Birds and Little Beetle products where the wool fabric is pre-boiled at the fabric mill), but even in that situation the wool could still be capable of shrinking a little especially in height, if it gets in with a hot-wash in the machine and/or dryer (in our experience, husbands sometimes cause that to happen).  For the Disana knit covers, we recommend gentle hand-washing only (no machine washing), but for the other types of wool covers we sell, a short-cycle wash in the machine with cold water is usually fine (we like to do a separate cold-wash just for our wool covers/pants, once every month or two, using wool wash - avail on accessories page), and then air-dry.
4. Aren't wool diaper covers going to be itchy for my baby?  It is true some types of wool can be itchy, but I don't like to itch either, so I would never sell a product I wouldn't have my own daughter sleep in.  Most people write to say how soft the wool is and how surprised they are, since most wool sweaters are itchy and they didn't have anything else to compare to in the past.  Many wool products are treated with chemicals (like "mothproofing" - pesticides added to the wool) but I would never carry a product that has been mothproofed.  I always ask companies before buying from them, and I refuse to sell many cute products simply because of the mothproofing issue.  There is no reason (in my opinion) to apply moth-proofing pesticides to wool baby products.  Moth balls are also a pesticide.  If you plan to store your wool for long periods of time, I would recommend reading about herbal moth repellent methods. We've been using the same wool diaper covers for 3+ years and haven't found the need to use moth repellants of any type (even herbal).  We even have huge rolls of very expensive wool fabric in our house and it doesn't worry me at all.  So far no moths have discovered them, so maybe the practice of moth-proofing started due to long-term storage needs.

 Tiny Birds Organic Merino Wool Soaker-Shorts
(soft and machine washable organic diaper cover)
The unique soaker-shorts design is a diaper cover that can also be worn as shorts. The soaker-shorts feature two layers of organic merino wool for protection against leaks.
Customer comments:
"Oh my gosh!  You have created such a great diaper cover dash shorts combo.  For the first time my chunky baby has no red marks around his belly, absolutely none.  I have spent a lot of money on covers such as the imse vimse, bummis, an so on.  Also a lot of money on pocket diaper such as wonderoos, FB's, and WAHM diapers and they all leave awful marks on his thighs and tummy.  He is very chunky.  But your soaker shorts leave absolutely no marks and keep him cool and dry - no other cover has done that for him.  It is very hot and he stayed completely cool inside even when he was wet.  And even though the the leg opening didn't close completely around his thigh nothing got wet. It is very absorbant.  I love it, love it, love it!"
"My daughter wears hers ALL the time and they are absolutely perfect under dresses. I'd like to order another size medium. They fit so well!"
"I am absolutely in love with the fabric soaker shorts that I bought from you - my son has been living in them and they are so darling with a little tee shirt.  I had to get another pair so that I can rotate them all day b/w diaper changes.  And I think the pants are going to be great for night - we keep our house cool and even with co-sleeping I think he gets a little chilly sometimes without covers.  Plus I've found that PUL covers don't let his skin breathe enough now that it is hot out so we need to go all wool this summer."
"I wanted to take this nap time and send you some pics and let you know how great the new merino fabric is, in the soaker form and the pants.  The soaker is awesome b/c of its stretchiness.  It fits perfect now, and will fit for a long time b/c of how stretchy the fabric is!  I think a lot of people in warmer climates will LOVE the soaker option in the merino fabric.  It beats our ** wool cover hands down!"
"Not only have I found my favorite and the best diaper cover but I have been able to get my mother's approval on cloth diapers.  Your cover left her speechless."
"I visited with a friend this weekend and saw a pair of your soaker-shorts (the knit fabric ones with the elastic waist band) and fell in love.  I've just never come across anything else like them!"

Please note thigh measurements are down low and straight across the thigh (where the soaker-shorts leg opening is - often at knee level for newborns). 



1-layer soaker-shorts are good for lighter wetters, or they can be used as a thin cover over training pants for a little extra protection against leaks. 



Tiny BirdsTM Organic Merino Wool Pants - soft and machine washable diaper cover! 
(unique design with 2nd wool layer covering the cloth diaper for night-time leak prevention)  1-layer version also available
This wonderful fabric will not pill or felt even with frequent machine washing.
Size Large pants on 35 tall Becky (25 months old)
Customer comments for the organic merino wool pants:
"I recently received a pair of your gorgeous organic wool pants for my son. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love them! I wish he had been wearing these at night ever since he was born. I have used them on him every night for about two weeks and so far I have just aired them out a window or over a clothes horse for a couple of hours and they smell really fresh again."
"I got the pants awhile ago and I just wanted to tell  you how much we absolutely LOVE them! They are made so very nicely (and I am super picky!) The fit is great, the fabric is lovely! Thanks so much for making and offering such a fantastic product!
"WOW.  They are super soft (much more soft from the start than the jersey was…but the jersey is softer now after months of use), I can only imagine how soft they will get.  I also love their stretch – they will last so much longer than the jersey ones.  Let’s see, I love their thickness, it isn’t too thick or thin.  I used these pants last night and she totally soaked a hemp SOS, but she was dry on the outside.  TMI here – I could wring pee out of her dipe this morning, and her pants were dry.  WOW."
"The pants are so beautifully made and the fabric is perfect and soft!"
"The pants are so soft!  I love the extra diaper layer inside too.  I used them overnight and had no leaks!"
"I think that they are already my husband's favorite - every time he changes her she's back in the pants.  She has been living in her covers....while I love the knit ones that she has, these are softer on her skin and so trim. We love them - thank you!"
"I got my shorts today and they are beautiful!!!  I am now wishing your pants and shorts were my entire stash! What a well thought out design!!  Love them love them love them!!!!"
Tiny Birds Organic Merino Pants and DiaperCover in one:

 


shown with Tiny Birds organic wool onesie
Tiny BirdsTM Organic Merino Wool
Single-layer pants:



Tiny BirdsTM Organic Merino Wool Snap Cover 
soft and machine washable organic diaper covers
Tester comments: "It is perfect!!! It is by far my favorite cover. It fits over all his various fitteds.  I've been putting it on the smallest snap setting - so definitely lots of room for him to grow. The wool is the nicest of all the wools I've tried. So soft, yet really sturdy.  I like that the wings are small, so they don't overlap and add bulk. I used the cover overnight a few nights ago. It worked beautifully!!!! No leaks/wetness. Yeah!!!!"
Customer comments: "The rise is great in the back, front & enough fabric all around to cover the diaper. The fit is PERFECT!"
"I love the Tiny Birds wool cover I bought from you! It is the BEST we have ever tried, bar none! The fit is superb. I would love to get another!"

2 layers of soft organic merino wool with adjustable legs and waist
      I am so excited to offer diaper covers made with this amazing organic merino wool fabric.  The fabric made its debut on the runway in New York in February 2005.  It is the first 100% accredited organic merino wool being knit for the upscale fashion market.  Organic fabric reflects manufacturing in which the process and components involved in knitting and finishing are environmentally responsible.  The fabric is made from certified organic wool yarn representing the highest level of integrity with regard to caring for the environment, the animals that grow the wool, and how the fiber is processed. 

 

Size large with a trim size large diaper and the tightest snap setting:

(26lb toddler with 11" thighs)
Size large with a very large bulky diaper and the middle snap setting:

 
Tiny Birds Organics...offering organic and fair trade alternatives
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