Now, going to the dentist may seem like torture to some, but for me, it’s not only a nice way to take a mommy break in a comfortable, reclining chair, it’s a chance for me to knit more wool diaper covers. I mean, get to kill two birds with one stone – get my teeth clean, and make more fluff for my baby’s bum!
Now you know what happens when you take any type of craft with you to work on while you wait in a public place people ask questions.
“What are you working on?” the dental assistant asked me as she snapped her rubber gloves in place and began setting out her necessary instruments.
“It’s a diaper cover,” I replied non-chalantly. “My daughter uses cloth diapers and wool has great, water-resistant properties.”
Well, now she was intrigued because she stopped what she was doing and leaned back against the counter to inquire further. “I just have to know, ” she said, “are they worth it? I mean, aren’t they difficult to clean?”
“They’re really not difficult at all,” I responded, my eyes still focused on the moving needles in front of me. “I don’t mind washing cloth diapers one bit.”
“Well, what about the poop?” she asked, further.
“You know, you’d think that would be gross, but you just shake it into the toilet and then wash it. And you can get a diaper sprayer that attaches to your toilet to spray off the diaper if you want.”
“One of the assistants here just had a baby,” she said, changing the course of the conversation. “I know she’s cloth diapering.”
“That’s great! Cloth has really come a long way! I mean, you don’t have to use wool and folded diapers if you don’t want. Lots of cloth diapers come looking just like disposables and are just as easy to use,” I said, trying to keep my enthusiasm to a normal level so she wouldn’t know how weird I am. Sometimes I think I know way too much about my daughter’s diapers.
“Wow, That’s good to know.” She smiled, and went to get the dentist while I continued working on my wool soaker.
She was probably done with the conversation at this point, but my exuberance got the best of me. “Besides, cloth is just the best thing you can use for a baby. It helps cut down on rashes, saves money, saves the environment, and cloth diapers are super cute.”
“Wow,” she said. Now she was just humoring me, so I smiled, signaling that I was done with my soap box, and then I returned to my clicking needles as she walked out of the room to find the dentist.
Unfortunately, my check-up didn’t go as well as I would have hoped and I found myself in the dental chair once more a couple of weeks later. You already know what I had with me. Another wool soaker I was knitting. The dentist came in to check on my dental problems and of course, the expected question presented itself.
“What are you working on?” he asked as I put my project into my purse and leaned back in the chair.
“It’s a diaper cover,” I said.
“Now…what do you mean by a diaper cover?” he probed, genuinely interested.
“Well, my daughter wears cloth diapers and wool is very water resistant so when you put it over a diaper, it contains the moisture.”
“Really!” he said. “That’s great! You know, my wife and I always used real diapers.”
I have to stop my story for a minute just to say how much I LOVE the fact that he called them “real.”
“Oh?” I responded with a big smile.
“Yeah, the best thing about them is that you can use them even when they get old and full of holes because they make great cleaning rags. And, they’re good for burp cloths too.”
“Yeah, I love that about them,” I smiled, inwardly thrilled that my dentist – of all people – is a cloth diaper enthusiast.
“We loved using real diapers. Used them on all our kids,” he smiled. “Now, open up.”
As I lay there and let him inspect the damage that genetics have done to my teeth over time, I had to laugh inside because I couldn’t believe that I managed to get into yet another cloth diaper conversation with a perfect stranger…and in the dentist’s office of all places.
GUEST BLOGGER
is a part time Spanish Teacher, a part time Stay-at-home-mom, and the wife of the best husband imaginable. Becca’s absolute favorite thing to do is to spend time with her little family. She also enjoys doing anything crafty – from making jewelry, to writing, to sewing, to photography.
You can read more about Becca at her blog, Becca’s Cloth Diaper Blog.
Bryana is the owner of 
Becca is a part-time Spanish Teacher and part-time Stay-At-Home-Mom. She's a cloth diaper expert who enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and selling her wares in her very own
Julie is a mom to three kids including a set of identical twins. Through cloth diapering her twins she developed a passion for the industry and is an avid cloth diaper advocate. You can also find her on her blog
I also love the fact he called them real. Every time I say I use cloth, people just say, oh, thats real old school! Thats about as positive as it gets, lol.
But I’m surprised you can sit there and knit while you get work done on your teeth! I hate going to the dentist because of all the grinding and slurping and weird little gadgets in my mouth – i can never sit still!
Great story! Now ‘learn how to knit diaper covers’ is on my to-do list, just under ‘learn how to knit.’ :)
Loved the story. This may seem like a dumb question, but that cover with the ruffles is beyond adorable, did you use a pattern? If so, where can I find it?? Thank you so much! I have been using pockets, but would to give the wool a go.
Do you sell your wool covers. They are super cute?!
What a great story! Good job on the cover too, it’s insanely cute. I’d love to see a tutorial on how you did it!
Great article and i LOVE the pictures, your baby looks so happy! Where would you suggest to buy yarn from , or is it all the same?
My husband’s Grandmother calls them real dipers and I love it! She likes to point out to all the family that we don’t use paper diapers, but real ones.
Becca,
I love the way that wool cover fits! What pattern do you use if you don’t mind sharing?
:)
I don’t actually know where to find the pattern. It was given to me on a photocopied sheet of paper and then I altered it to fit my preferences. It’s knit in the round then split and decreased after about 6 inches to make the leg holes and fused with a kitchenette. Then you pick up the stitches around the leg holes for the cuffs.
I do sell them on my Etsy shop. It’s http://www.etsy.com/shop/clothdiapermommy
I buy my yarn either from Michaels or A C Moore. I think any craft store has them. Make sure it’s 100% wool before buying it. Paton’s is my favorite brand because they have good colors but I also love Fisherman’s wool which is a Lion Brand–it’s super soft but only comes in natural colors. There are a few other brands but those are the only ones I’ve bought from the commercial stores. I also found a cute little Mennonite yarn shop near me and they had SO much wool selection!