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| Little A in knit Wool Shorties |
Wool is one of those magical things God gives us that is multipurpose, and makes you feel good about using it. The Navy was the first place I found love for wool, and I loved my standard issue woolen hat, peacoat, sweater and blanket to death. I loved them for their warmth, but I didn’t know much about their other secret powers. Yes, I said secret powers! It’s true, if you’ve ever worn a pair of woolen socks you know what I’m talking about. Even on the hottest day of the year inside a pair of heavy boots somehow your feet stay dry, and the temperature is magically regulated. Of course if you are like me, you just love your wool socks and never considered the science behind them.
It wasn’t until the birth of my son that I ever even considered that wool might be useful for anything other than naval wear, or socks. Actually as much as a I loved my wool I always found it a bit itchy, so when I discovered people were putting it on children (newborns even) I shuddered at the thought of their poor inflamed and sensitive skin screaming to be released from such torture. It never occurred to me that the Navy might haven chosen the cheapest wool possible to use in the production of our uniform articles. The thought kept nagging me though, these wool lovers were constantly talking about how soft (unlikely I thought), and breathable their wool was, and how it was waterproof (“absurd..” I yelled..”it’s fabric!”), and how they only had to wash it once every 4-6 weeks (gross, even after it comes into contact with urine!?) It sounded like some sort impossible alien invention from another planet to me.
The impossible alien invention from another planet feeling, and my genetically ingrained nerdy-ness is what finally pushed me to purchase a pair of wool longies (woolen pants). I thought for sure I could put them to the test, and prove with science that wool was an inadvisable option for use as a cloth diaper cover. I ordered a pair of Sustainablebabyish longies in charcoal because they were supposed to be the best wool on the market, and if I was going to break something I wanted to do it right. After completing my order I began to do some research on how and why wool worked as a diaper cover. Apparently, much to my surprise, sheep excrete an oil known as lanolin which covers their wool and makes it clean and waterproof. Additionally I found that lanolin reacts with uric acid (that would be pee) to create salt and water. So basically I discovered that wool has antibacterial properties, and it is self cleaning. I found from everything I read that in order to make my longies useable all I needed to do was give them a soak in a lanolin bath (made with Lansinoh nipple ointment, baby wash and a sink full of water).
I’ll never forget opening the package when it came in the mail, and being so surprised at how ridiculously soft the wool was. If you’ve ever caressed a newly born bunny you know what I’m talking about. Oh, and I can’t describe how stretchy and squishy and thick it was! I was almost a convert after that brief moment of ecstasy, but I kept my head together as I had yet to test it. After I followed the steps to make my wool useable, and waited what felt like an eternity for it to dry, I was finally able to put those bad boys to the test. The good news is that they worked...well. So well in fact that my son still (at 10 months) sleeps overnight for 12+ hours in a fitted diaper under a pair of wool longies or a wool soaker. The bad news is that I now fancy all things woolen, and have a full blown addiction to wool diaper covers. I mean c’mon, what mom wouldn’t want a diaper cover that also functioned as a piece of clothing...a piece of clothing that only needs to be washed once a month?! Yes please!
