What is it?
An All in One Diaper is one of the easiest diapers to use ever. They go on and come off just like a modern-day disposable diaper. An AIO consists of a thick inner layer inside a contoured diaper. The waist-band and legs have elastic so it fits to the baby. They are fastened with either velcro or snaps. They can have a series of snaps or hooks to make them adjustable as well.
How they are used
All in one diapers are used exactly like Disposables. The only difference is they are put in a diaper-pail or wetbag after they are used instead of being added to our landfills. You lay the diaper out, place the baby in the diaper with the back aligned with his navel, and then bring the bottom up and hook it with the velcro or snaps. Voila, your baby is diapered…. And really cute to boot. J
Sizes
All in one diapers come in basically four sizes. Newborn/Preemie, Size 1 (infant), Size 2 (crawler), and size 3 (toddler). They can also come in One Size.
The dimmensions of each size differ from brand-to-brand so it is hard to put a standard size on them. Therefore, like a lot of disposables, Most diapers that come in sizes go by weight of the baby. For a reference to what the normal weight-differences are between sizes of diapers, consult the “sizing your child” section. (by clicking that link)
Materials Used
All in ones are made from a variety of different fabrics. Most of them have some sort of soft material for both the most-outside and most-inside layers. This can be flannel or cotton. Most AIO diapers use PUL as a waterproofing layer. The laminated material is breathable without allowing moisture to escape the diaper. This layer is either Directly on the outside (the Laminated side on the inside of the diaper) or under one layer of softer material (depending on the material that had been laminated). The inside of the diaper may also contain microfiber or another material that is highly absorbent.
Sewing
Sewing an AIO is only a little bit harder than the rest of the diapers that can be sewn. Of course you have to have a machine that will go through all the layers of inner soaker or be willing to sew that by hand (like I did).
If you are using PUL, you have to make sure you don’t sew too much on the PUL because too many holes would defeat the purpose of it. This makes it a little harder to make them look cute. I chose to put another layer on the outside of the PUL so I wouldn’t have to worry about poking holes in the PUL when I embroidered. Also when using PUL, sewing on the velcro patches can be interesting because you are going through the tough laminate and the layer of velcro backing. Getting a sturdy needle is essential at this point.
Like sewing all fitted diapers, you also have to contend with Elastic, which, to a novice, can be a daunting task. When I started making cloth, I’d never used Elastic before, and by the third diaper, I was sewing like an expert. I could hand-sew elastic and machine sew the elastic though my fingers much preferred the use of my mother’s battered machine (I really need to get one of my own).
1. Cut out all your pieces.
– 4 layers of outer materials (3 regular, one PUL)
– 6-8 layers of soaker material (microfiber, flannel, etc.)
– Velcro or Snaps.
– Don’t cut the elastic at this point, It makes it easier to stretch if you have a LONG piece
2. Sew contoured layers together in sets of two. (Sew wrong side out, flip and then close the gap with an overstitch or zig-zag) Your PUL should be shiny-side in when you’ve completed.
3. Sew Soaker materials to contoured side w/out pul. You may also decide to sew the layers together before sewing to the material, I’ve found this unnecessary, but it makes for a cleaner looking diaper. Babies don’t usually mind.
4. Sew hook-side of velcro to back of side without PUL, leaving the tabs outside of diaper.
5. Sew the loop side to the outside of the PUL. This is the only time you should ever sew anything directly onto PUL because of the potential holes.
6. Start to sew the side together, Sew the elastic in at this point. You may have a bit of trouble when going through the velcro and all the layers, but if you have a good strong needle, you should be fine.
7. Admire your work (and make sure you didn’t miss any stitching.)
Some people put extra tabs of loop-side of velcro for “laundry” tabs, but I’ve found this unnecessary. To prevent the diaper-chain in the laundry, wash and dry your diapers with the velcro together, they’ll still get clean (just like your underwear gets clean). If you’re really worried about it, wash the diapers inside out with the velcro attached to itself.