Homemade Cloth Diapers: Pocket Fitted Diapers & Covers

Do you have a baby in diapers? Is saving money important? Do you have access to a sewing machine and at least some sewing skills? If you answered yes to these questions then the diapers and covers I am about to show you are a great place to start when it comes to frugally cloth diapering your baby.

Cloth diapering can be as inexpensive or as expensive as your budget will allow. I have found that I really like sewing diapers and by doing so I have saved us quite a bit of money through the years.

Last week I shared with you how I make homemade cloth baby wipes. Today I wanted to show you some of the diapers and diaper covers I recently made out of fabrics in my stash.

I stitched up 5 flannel pocket diapers using the free Rita’s Rump Pocket diaper pattern. This is a one-sized diaper pattern that requires one diaper pin to fasten it. The great thing about flannel is that it can be found locally and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. I have even used flannel receiving blankets as a source of fabric for making these diapers.

The only notions required are elastic, scissors, and thread in addition to the flannel.

A pocket diaper is a diaper that you put an insert inside of. You can use a flat diaper, a pre-fold diaper, a microfiber towel, or even a receiving blanket like in the picture above.

I find these diapers to be trim, quick drying, and easy to use. They are probably my favorite type of diaper and fit small babies up to potty training toddlers.

Some people are afraid of diaper pins, but there really is no reason to be. I have never poked one of my children. I simply put one hand in between the diaper and my baby when I insert the pin into the diaper.

The best thing you can do to store diaper pins is to put them into a bar of soap. This helps them slide easily through thick layers of a diaper.

I recommend wrapping a piece of fabric around the bar of soap and pinning it in place on the bottom as I have done in the picture above.

Flannel pocket diapers are great, but you do need to use a cover over them unless it is summer and your baby is just in a diaper and T-shirt.

Years ago I purchased a pattern called the Mile High Monkey fleece cover pattern. I do not believe it is available any more, but there is a great free option you can try called Katrina’s Sew Quick Soaker Pattern.

The covers pictured on the right are made from fleece I had in my stash and the two on the left are made from 1 mm PUL that I purchased along with a fleece waistband and leg cuffs.

The beauty of a fleece cover like this is that the only material needed is fleece. The waistband and leg cuffs are made from fleece so you don’t even need elastic.  Plus, fleece covers can be washed and dried with your regular laundry, and you can even use fabric softener on them. Blankets are a great source of “free” fleece if purchasing fleece is not in the budget.

I have also made these covers from felted wool sweaters before, but they can’t be washed and dried with regular laundry. They also need to be lanolized which some might find to be a tedious step. However, if all natural fabrics are something you prefer then check out thrift stores or yard sales to find inexpensive wool sweaters to use for wool covers.

This cover is made from PUL which stands for polyurethane laminate. The nice thing about a PUL cover is that you don’t have to worry about your baby’s clothes having any wetness on them if they have a very wet diaper.

Unlike PUL, fleece covers breathe so there is a chance wetness could get on your baby’s clothes. That is why I add an additional fleece panel to the “wet zone” on fleece covers.

Sewing these types of diapers and covers yourself is extremely economical. Plus, you don’t have to have any special sewing skills.

Do you cloth diaper your baby? Have you ever used a pocket fitted diaper and cover combo? What do you like or dislike about this system?