What sizes are needed for newborn diapers and how to sew a useful wardrobe item with your own hands

Diapers are an invariable part of a newborn’s “dowry”. Even now, when mothers use diapers to their fullest extent, and resort to swaddling less and less, a supply of diapers in the house will not be superfluous.

It is very easy to sew diapers yourself. For those who, like me, decide to do this, the instructions are below. I tried to cover all the questions: the number of diapers, chintz and flannel diapers - how many of them, the size of the diapers, cutting (+ a handy tip that I used to sew them myself), finishing the edges.

Where can diapers be used other than for direct swaddling?

• You can put them on the changing table when changing your baby (changing a diaper).
• Use to put it in the stroller while walking.
• Place it on your shoulder before picking up the baby (clothes are not always clean).
• Take it with you to your doctor’s appointment (although some people prefer to use disposable diapers in this case).
• Cover the child during sleep when it gets hot under the blanket.

How many diapers will you need?

Even when using diapers, you cannot do without a specially prepared cloth for your baby. Mothers agree with the popular wisdom: “You can never have too many diapers.”

Have you decided to use diapers to a minimum? Be sure to prepare 45–50 diapers (20–25 thin ones, made of chintz, plus the same number of thicker ones, made of flannel). Mothers buying diapers for babies will also need diapers: 30 pieces are enough.

Where do these numbers come from? In the first months of life, the baby often needs diapers not only during sleep.

How to determine children's shoe size in centimeters? See table of values.

What to give for the birth of a boy? Original gift ideas at this address.

Please note important points:

• During the first month, the newborn urinates 15–20 times per day and walks several times. You will have to change up to 25 pieces per day. Remember that they need to be washed, dried, ironed, which means you will need at least 5-7 pieces to replace dirty ones;
• the diaper is placed on the changing table - 3 pieces are enough for the day;
• When bathing a newborn, you also need one flannel diaper. After washing, also blot your butt and legs with a clean diaper. For these purposes, you need another 5–6 canvases per day;
• put a diaper in the crib if you are using oilcloth. Sometimes a cushion is made from diapers to prevent the baby from turning over on one side or the other due to orthopedic pathologies. Plus another 5-7 diapers;
• For a walk, also take four chintz fabrics in the summer, and two flannel ones in the winter;
• Considering the active use of diapers, it is easy to explain the number of 50 pieces for the first time after the birth of the baby.

Step-by-step sewing of a diaper

The fabric for the future diaper is first soaked so that it shrinks immediately. The material needs to be soaked in hot water for an hour, or it can be washed in a machine at 60 degrees. After washing, the fabric is dried and ironed for ease of cutting.

To sew a diaper, you must follow these steps sequentially:

1. The material, ready for cutting, is laid out on a flat surface, wrong side up. You need to lay out the pattern on the surface closer to the edge and attach it with needles or masking tape. Be sure to leave a gap of about a centimeter on the fabric along the edges of the pattern. These will be the seam allowances.
2. Then the diaper pattern needs to be outlined with a special sewing chalk or a piece of dry soap. Use scissors to cut out the workpiece, leaving gaps along the edges.
3. Then you need to tuck the edges of the workpiece one by one and pin them with needles. Fold the fabric from the outside to the wrong side 2 times, creating a border of 0.5 cm and leaving a cut inside. If you have a sewing machine with a fabric processing mode (overlock, zigzag), then you do not need to fold the diaper. It is enough to leave a few millimeters for finishing.
4. Then the edges of the diaper are stitched with matching thread. You need to sew along the very edge of the fold on the inside of the fabric. The seam is laid smooth and uniform. The smoother the seam, the neater the work will be.
5. The corners of the diaper are sewn with a common seam. The edge of the thread must be tied into a knot and cut off. There should be no protruding threads left on the outside of the diaper.
6. You can use bias tape to finish the diaper. To do this, smooth out the bias tape and apply it right side to the front side of the diaper cut. Then you need to sew a simple seam along the edge of the diaper. Hiding the cut inside, fold the binding over and stitch along the edge again. To get the perfect result, it is better to first secure the edge with needles and then stitch on a machine.
7. You can process the diapers manually using a regular overcast stitch. Although it will take more time, it will give you a lot of pleasure.
8. The sewn products are washed again with a special powder, dried and ironed on both sides. After which, the diapers will be ready for use.

Material

Children's stores offer a wide range of diapers of various colors and densities. Buy several types for any time of year. Remember: flannel fabric will be needed not only in winter, but also in summer, in cool weather.

Difference in material name:

• calico. Suitable for summer, for swaddling in winter (on the body - a calico diaper, on top - a flannel one). In the warm season, cover the baby with chintz while sleeping, put a thin linen in the stroller;
• flannel diapers for newborns. Suitable for swaddling, often used during bathing (in the bath and as a towel if the baby’s skin is easily irritated);
• disposable diapers for newborns. They are sold in pharmacies, are quite expensive, and have similar properties to diapers. Buy several disposable diapers for a visit to the pediatrician or for a walk. Not suitable for daily use: it produces a diaper effect;
• muslin diapers for newborns. Ideal for summer. Soft, light, almost airy, diapers provide maximum comfort for a newborn. The elite fabric explains the high price of the diapers - a set of three products costs about 2,000 rubles, but the quality deserves it. The baby is not hot, there is less irritation, tenderness and softness for the little body;
• knitted The new product was quickly appreciated by modern mothers. Soft, high-quality knitwear is highly breathable, suitable for swaddling in summer and as an inner layer under a flannel diaper in winter. A knitted cocoon is an original product for the comfort of baby and mother.

Flannel

DIY diapers for newborns, sewn from flannel, are characterized by increased softness due to the uniform short pile over the entire surface. It can be on only one or both sides of the matter. Thanks to the dense weaving, flannel fabrics are characterized by increased wear resistance.

For the production of baby diapers, fabric with a pattern is used, which is applied with safe paints to one side of the already woven fabric. The second clean side is used for changing and, thanks to the soft bristles, does not cause irritation when in direct contact with the skin.

The fabric does not shrink when washed, so there is no need to buy it in excess.

Due to their softness, flannel diapers are often used as bedding for bathing or massage. Flannel is not expensive, and the variety of colors and patterns will pleasantly surprise you.

Size

A table of non-standard and standard sizes of diapers for newborns will help you choose a useful accessory. Take into account the individual characteristics of the child: sometimes children, especially boys, are born strong. If you weigh more than 4 kg, you will need a diaper of not a standard size (85 by 90 cm), but a minimum of 110 by 110 cm or more.

Flannelette

The easiest way to sew diapers for newborns is from yarn. This is a very soft material with a dense weave and long soft pile. Flannelette diapers perfectly absorb moisture. Their long pile retains heat and provides comfort for baby's skin. The fabric is produced either plain in different shades or white with a printed pattern on one side.

Every mother can sew diapers for a newborn baby with her own hands.

These diapers are very practical. They wash well and dry quickly. Depending on the density of the fabric, you can find summer and winter options that are quite affordable. The bike does not stretch or slide, so cutting it is easy. And even a beginner can sew diapers from a yarn.

Kinds

Modern diapers are much more convenient than traditional ones, but you won’t be able to completely abandon the usual linen with sewn edges. You already know how many diapers a newborn will need. Leave half of the standard products and replace half with Euro diapers. A comfortable new product is suitable for sleeping and waking, and for bathing, use regular cotton or flannel fabric as a sheet under the head.

Cocoon

Mothers quickly appreciated the benefits of the cocoon diaper for newborns, which has long been popular in Europe and the USA. Maximum comfort for the baby and mommy is the reason for buying more expensive but useful things.

Advantages:

• the baby sleeps better in a cozy “cocoon”, feels warmth and protection;
• the bottom does not press on the legs, the tiny arms are well fixed;
• Velcro and zippers allow you to completely or partially unswaddle your baby in a couple of minutes. Some models allow you to change a newborn's clothes without even waking him up;
• there are euro-diapers made of light and dense fabrics;
• a rich assortment for any time of year;
• Zipped diapers from well-known manufacturers often come with a comfortable cap;
• in summer, a beautiful cocoon diaper is suitable for discharging the baby and mother from the maternity hospital;
• Using Euro-diapers saves time, gives mom an extra minute of rest, and allows you to bother the baby less.

If you know how to swaddle a newborn, but you haven’t succeeded yet, buy a few Euro swaddles. Even dad can wear a comfortable cocoon. The modern method of swaddling gives comfort to the baby and makes caring for the baby easier.

Velcro

Peculiarities:

• two sizes: from birth to three months, from 3 to 6 months;
• material – flannel, knitwear, fleece;
• nice colors, high quality;
• Even dad can swaddle the baby;
• the legs are hidden in a “pocket”, then the left “wing” is wound to the right and secured with reliable Velcro. The right side is also folded up and secured with special ears;
• swaddling takes no more than a minute or two;
• the average price is 500–600 rubles.

With a zipper

Features of the zippered diaper for newborns:

• maximum simplicity of the swaddling process: just place the baby on his back inside the “cocoon”, carefully fasten the zipper;
• the presence of two zippers on the sides (from the bottom) makes it easy to change the diaper without removing the entire product;
• Euro-diaper “cocoon” with a zipper often comes complete with a soft hat;
• The diaper is made of biscuit-type knitwear. The use of high-quality material ensures a comfortable position for the tiny body. The baby is swaddled, but can move his legs and arms whenever he wants;
• good Euro diapers in this category at an affordable price are produced by Woombie and Summer. The price of a diaper with zippers is about 500 rubles per unit.

How to get rid of an allergic cough in a child? Find out treatment methods.

The symptoms and treatment of enterovirus infection in children are written on this page.

Read here about the rules for using Sinekod cough drops for children.

Knitted

Knitted fabric has good absorbent characteristics. Depending on the size of the knitted threads and the way they are weaved, you can find dense and thin fabrics. It is recommended to purchase thicker and warmer ones for the winter, and lighter ones for the summer. Knitwear does not cause allergies, so even newborns can be swaddled in it.

The biggest advantage of knitted diapers is their practicality. They are easy to wash in any way, dry quickly and last a long time. They do not fray or tear.

Knitted diapers are warm, but provide increased air circulation. Airy fabric prevents diaper rash and skin irritation.

Knitwear stretches perfectly in all directions, so swaddling your baby is much more convenient. Soft fabric allows you to tightly fix the baby inside. A folded knitted diaper can replace a blanket for a child in a crib or a bedding in a stroller.

Why are children swaddled?

At the moment of birth, the baby experiences stress. In this world, everything is new to him: both what they see and what they feel. Swaddling helps reduce the stress of adjusting to a new world.

Bundled up child

The baby in the mother’s womb is surrounded by a warm and limited space; he is used to feeling with his hands what is around him. In the last weeks before birth, his body increases significantly, the uterine embrace becomes closer, the legs and arms are pressed tightly to the body, which also becomes an intrauterine habit. Periodically contracting, the uterus gives tangible bodily impressions of a tight embrace.

Swaddling your baby avoids unnecessary stress. Excessive stress can cause slow development.

Baby before birth

Benefits of swaddling

It is customary to swaddle a baby not so that it would be more convenient for the mother to hold and lull him to sleep. There are a number of reasons for this:

• Being in the womb for 9 months, the baby gets used to limited and cramped space. Such wrapping gives him a familiar feeling of coziness, comfort and tranquility.
• A wrapped child does not throw his arms and legs in different directions. The baby is still new to the new world and at first it may scare him.
• Wrapping up helps maintain mother's warmth, which is so important for the child in his first days. Maternal warmth helps him maintain proper thermoregulation.
• Some mothers use diapers as diapers.

Important! The diaper itself does not warm! It only maintains for some time the warmth that the baby received from the mother and helps maintain it. Therefore, you should not swaddle your baby in order to replace mother’s warmth.

• Little children grow surprisingly quickly, and small rompers and socks quickly become too small for them. Diapers allow you to save a little on the family budget, since part of the time the baby can be in diapers without harm.
• Swaddling improves your baby's sleep. Due to the fact that newborns have poorly developed inhibitory mechanisms of the nervous system. Legs and arms can suddenly jump up in the middle of the night, waking up and frightening the child. Swaddling keeps your legs and arms from throwing up.

Sleeping baby

Pattern

For small children, one diaper is not enough. Don't rush to order them from China. How to hem diapers yourself? When sewing a product with your own hands, a drawn up pattern can save the craftswoman time.

It will be much easier to trace pre-selected sizes and shapes from a ready-made template than to measure everything again on the fabric each time.

In order to make a pattern, you need to take a piece of paper or cardboard in size slightly larger than the parameters of the future product. Any material on which you can draw is suitable for a pattern: be it graph paper or regular newspaper.

On the pattern you need to put the dimensions of the future diaper. You should end up with a rectangle of the selected size - sewing pattern. From each side you need to retreat an additional 2 cm to process the edge, as taught in a labor lesson at school.

Edge processing

Preparation

Before you start sewing a diaper, you need to make sure that you have everything you need at hand:

• the right amount of fabric;
• threads to match the fabric;
• special tailor's chalk or soap;
• sewing machine or overlocker (if you don’t have a machine, you can do it by hand);
• scissors;
• a tailor's ruler or other object that will be convenient for drawing long, straight lines;
• tape measure.

Items for sewing