A wick-free cover . . . in cute prints?

Any experienced cloth diaper mama can probably tell you that any cover or AIO diaper with a cute print on the outside has the danger of wicking, or leaking moisture to the outside. Why is that? Because most cute prints come in cotton, an absorbent fabric. When you laminate cotton or layer cotton fabric over PUL, the outside cotton will somehow find a way to grab onto any bit of moisture from the inside and pull it out like a sponge to moisten the outside of the diaper. This won't cause a problem if you change your baby immediately when he is wet, but we all have those inevitable moments at the grocery store when we just can't change the baby so quickly. So what is a fashion-conscience baby to do? You can stick with solid colors which are almost always laminated polyester (synthetic fibers=no wicking), OR you can find diapers and covers that sport polyester prints on the outside.



As the owner of Bundles of Joy, I search far and wide to find cute polyester prints to put on the outside of my diaper covers. These are not always easy to find, but they are out there. One of the best sources of cute & funky polyester print is the vintage market (thrift stores, garage sales) where one can find great old polyester knit prints in uncut yardage when someone cleans out their old fabric stash. This orange rose print is an example of some great fabric I found at the thrift store.



And sometimes I find some great article of clothing to upcycle into a diaper cover!



Of course I find new polyester fabric as well, it just takes some searching to find a print I like that is stretchy and synthetic, like the tie-dye print above or this 100% polyester panne velvet:



Remember, it is always best to change your baby as soon as he/she is wet. But it's also nice to know that your cover won't leak!