If interlock and knit/crochet are too hard to get or are out of your budget there are still more options. There are tons of WAHMs that can turn an old wool sweater into the cutest pair of longies for your little one. Recycled wool longies are substantially less expensive and work just as well as their counterparts and they are my favorite!
I love Sterling’s Woollybottoms longies. Woollybottoms makes recycled footies and regular longies. We have a pair of footies, recycled cashmere longies and recycled interlock. Woollybottoms allows anyone to have high quality wool items at a fraction of the cost of new ones.
Hyena Cart:
**Wonderland: A Holiday Boutique Oh I am in trouble! While updating the links I came across this site (it only has 1 recycled item lol). This is by far my favorite Hyena Cart store I have come across. Gorgeous items and great prices too! I also love the graphic design of the store and the cleanness of the pictures, makes you want to buy something.
WAHM Nation next to the last store has recycled items.
NickNaks only one pair of adorable newborn longies…get em quick!
Alioop I’ve included this store because of the gorgeous hand dyed wool available. There are many YYMN (your yarn my needles) wool available on Hyena Cart if you’d like to have someone knit up a pair of custom longies for your baby. She does have a couple of girly recycled wool shorties on her store.
Or make some yourself!
If you can operate a sewing machine you can probably make some longies yourself (operating the machine is about as far as my talent goes and I have made a couple of pairs). The pattern I have used is Sweaterpants. Extremely simple. And if you really like the sweater but don’t know how to use the body of it you can send it to one of the above WAHMs and have them convert it to a soaker. I did this and sent it to The Cat’s Meow. Jenn did and amazing job and it wasn’t the easiest sweater to work with!
I am currently using pocket diapers for Paisley so I don’t lanolize the wool. However, if you are using fitteds the wool will need the lanolin to provide the wetness barrier. There are many ways moms lanolinize their wool but this is the system I have found to be the easiest. You will need: Lansinoh Lanolin, natural baby wash, sink and towel.
1) Melt a tablespoon of lanolin in a cup of water in the microwave. Mix.
2) Fill sink with cool to lukewarm water. Add desired amount of natural baby wash. Mix. Add melted lanolin.
3) Add wool items to the sink. Wash areas that are soiled or heavily peed on. Make sure each item is thoroughly covered with lanolin, I do this by kneading the wool gently.
4) Let sit 15 minutes.
5) Drain sink. Carefully rinse soap off with cool water. Don’t be too rough with your wool it can be damaged. Interlock is more forgiving.
6) Lay wool flat on towel and roll towel up. Lay wool on flat surface to dry for the next day or so.
I only need to lanolinize wool every month or two. When the moisture starts coming through the wool you know it’s time. You can spot wash your wool if food or poop gets on it.
You can also separate the washing and lanolin steps in this procedure. Washing the wool first then repeating the procedure for just the lanolin.
I have listed 4 wool items on my facebook fan page if you are interested.
Thank you so much for all of your advice! I have enjoyed hunting down old sweaters and using my limited sewing skills to turn them into covers and longies, since I usually faint from the prices elsewhere:) I saw today on Lands Ends overstock section that they have cashmere knit baby pants, usually $65, on sale for $12. Now that I know you use cashmere, I might have to buy a pair.
thank you for including my store!!
Thank you! You often write very interesting articles. You improved my mood.
OMG Autumn these little guys are GROWING TOO FAST. I can’t believe that pic of Sterling -he’s standing and looks like, trying steps!!! My Zig is about 3 weeks behind him in age and I feel like I was holding a newborn in my arms just a few days ago!!!!
LOOOOOVE wool. I never wanted to try it because I was scared it would be a hassle. I don’t like being without my covers while they dry from lanolizing but they are soooo worth it and amazing waterproof/breathability. Thank you for showing us Woolybottoms!! I’m addicted, need need need all their cutie stuff!!
I am a bigtime fan of wool, and our wool soakers, shorties and longies are a nighttime diaper necessity in this house. I wanted to suggest Just Ducky Knits. No recycled wool but the covers and clothing are offered at a really great price, is great quality, and is adorable. I have a beautiful romper for my 8 month old and it is bulletproof!
If I can add a bit:
I’ve found that it’s a good idea to use a basin of some sort (I use a Rubbermaid container) for washing/lanolizing. I’ve heard it’s not so good for the plumbing, so I use a big container for this task. Then all that gunky lanolin isn’t going in my pipes.
It’s also a good idea to put a little of your wool wash or baby shampoo in with the lanolin. It helps to “emulsify” the lanolin.
You mentioned Alioop’s recycled wool and hand dyed wool. She also carries the neatest product called Wondercubes. They have lanolin and wool wash all in one step. You melt the cube in hot water, add it to your basin/sink full of lukewarm water, and lanolize/wash. No measuring, no separate items. Really easy, and full of lanolin. They also smell divine (she has lots of scents from which to choose). I am a knitting WAHM, and I use the Wondercubes for washing and lanolizing my items.
Thanks for the great article!
Heather, Thank you for the great advice!
I’m going to ask what might seem like a dumb question but I really want to know the answer! We mostly use pocket diapers (BumGenius to be exact) so does this mean I have no use for wool items? I really think the longies are cute and would love my daughter (almost 6 months) to be able to have something cozy to wear this coming winter when she’s going to be crawling around. Are fleece longies useful for the same reason as wool ones? Thanks!
Lori, I used wool with Paisley and now with Sterling and don’t use fitteds :)
After following this site for a couple of weeks I have purchased 4 bumkins AIO’s. I have been extremely pleased. The only question I have is if I was supposed to wash or dry these more than the once I did. I washed and dried them on the gentle cycle in my washing machine. They are so cute also.
Dawn, most diapers take a few washes to reach full absorbency. Glad you found a diaper that works for you!
I was so sad when we realized my guy had a wool sensitivity! My fav is Sweetie Bird Fashions. She has tons of gorgeous recycled wool!
My FAVE way to go wool, lol! Thanks for writing about it!