Ditch the disposable cloth diaper liners & DIY your own fleece liners for cloth diapers while cloth diapering on a budget.
These are so easy to make, VERY cheap & best of all, there’s no sewing required!
If you are on a cloth diapering budget, you are probably scouring the web for simple ways to save money while using cloth diapers. After all, that’s one of the biggest reasons that parents choose to cloth diaper their children – the $$$ savings.
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One of the easiest and cheapest things that I’ve DIY’ed during my cloth diapering days is reusable cloth diaper liners.
What are cloth diaper liners?
Cloth diaper liners are simply a piece of fabric that goes between your baby and their cloth diaper. The main difference from cloth diaper inserts to cloth diaper liners is that the liners aren’t used for absorbing.
There are a few types of cloth diaper liners, but they mainly fall under two categories: disposable and reusable.
Disposable diaper liners are a piece of very thin fabric, usually made from bamboo, and are meant to be 1 use only. Some are biodegradable and can be flushed and others are meant to be thrown in the trash.
Reusable diaper liners are usually made of a fleece material and are so cheap and easy to make!
So, why are cloth diaper liners even used? While they aren’t necessary to use with cloth diapers, they certainly have advantages:
- Cloth diaper liners help to keep baby’s bottom dry.
- Liners help to keep stains at bay. This makes selling used cloth diapers easier, if you decide to later. Plus, they just look better without stains!
- Cloth diaper liners make clean up a bit easier. Sometimes it’s easier to shake solids off a liner than a diaper. They are especially helpful when you are traveling with cloth diapers.
- Diaper liners help protect your diapers from diaper creams. Even cloth diaper safe creams can cause build-up on your diapers.
And when you DIY them, they’re cheap and totally worth the pennies you’ve invested.
DIY Fleece Liners for Cloth Diapers Supplies:
- Fleece fabric
- Scissors
Seriously. That’s all you need! The best part of fleece fabric is that it doesn’t fray so there’s no sewing required!
These reusable fleece cloth diaper liners can cost you cents, literally. I purchased the above purple fleece before Sophia was born. I had found an odd yardage amount of fleece at a craft store that had been deeply discounted, but you can also buy fleece online.
To make your own fleece diaper liners for cloth diapers, you’re simply going to look at your cloth diapers for sizing. There’s no perfect size to cut these liners to, just see what will work best in the diapers you have. You’ll want them to be a bit smaller than your diaper.
When should you use cloth diaper liners?
The main times I use my liners are with overnight fitted diapers. I like knowing that Moreaya has a barrier between fabrics so I know she’s not got a wet diaper against her all night.
Remember I said fleece is a miracle worker? It is. Liquids pass right through it and it acts as a barrier. So, when a child pees onto the fleece, it passes through to the more absorbent diaper and doesn’t sit in the fleece, which makes it stay dry.
That’s why a lot of your pocket cloth diapers are topped with a stay-dry fleece material.
I also like to use them when I am using a diaper cream, whether it be cloth diaper safe or not. If it’s not, I usually wash my liners with towel laundry. Otherwise, the reusable diaper liners go straight into the diaper pail with the diapers!
Diaper creams can make your cloth diapers get a build-up and may cause leaking issues. The only way to remedy this is by stripping cloth diapers. You eliminate this worry when you use cloth diaper liners.
I also use these cloth diaper liners when we travel. While I always use our fleece liners for cloth diapers at home, I do buy disposable cloth liners when we’re traveling. Just because they are so easy to use on the go.
How to Make Your Own Fleece Liners for Cloth Diapers
Materials
- Polar fleece
Tools
- Scissors
Instructions
- Once you have your polar fleece, lay it out over your cloth diaper to get a feel for the size you need.
- You'll want your fleece liners to be a bit smaller than your cloth diaper, but not a lot smaller or they'll move around too much.
- Cut the polar fleece fabric with scissors.
- That's it! There's no need to hem or sew because fleece fabric doesn't fray.
- You can wash fleece liners for cloth diapers right in your normal diaper laundry.
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Have you DIY’ed a Cloth Diaper Project like these reusable cloth diaper liners?
This post was originally published in August 2013.
Marina says
What size for newborn babies?
Sally says
You can buy fleece at any store. I purchased my fleece on clearance for about $1-2 a yard for my guinea pigs from JoAnn’s but many other stores have it too. I tried blizzard and no-pill, and it has worked just fine for the past 6 years. They have shrunk a little over the years, but I do wash them with hot water, detergent and bleach. On high in the drier. So you can’t expect anything to last forever under those conditions. I have purchase more, mostly because I like to have variety for aesthetic reasons.
What you do have to do to make the fleece pass the water through is to wash it several times Do not use fabric softener or a drier sheet as they will cause the water to float on the fleece.
Good luck
Kelley says
I found this when trying to add something to the diaper for more absorbency. I actually use flour sacks towels inside of diaper covers but my little one is leaking a little at night. Would something like this work only for at night or do I need to use something else instead? Thanks!
khuldin says
Hi… I have some mattress protector sheets. its like fleece on top and waterproof material on the other side. can it be put to any use in diying cds?
angelique says
So, I’m confused. On the site that had a link to here, (http://soeasybeinggreen-blog.com/inserts-liners-faqs/) it says not to put micro fleece against the baby’s skin. So are you using a different type of fleece??? Thank you.
angelique says
Never mind. It seems I’ve confused microfiber for micro fleece. :/ lol
Emily says
I have some green fleece leftover from a Halloween project. I’m worried that the green color will bleed through and dye my diapers. Has anyone had that problem with colored fleece or know of how to avoid it?
Lindsey Galvez says
Hi Emily – I used purple fleece and didn’t have a bit of a problem. I would just wash it a few times before you use them and you should be fine.
Irina Johnson says
I think cloth cliners are needed with diapers as they keep the baby dry especially at night
Mia says
Hi- Some questions:
1) Is the fleece the 100% polyester type? I just bought really cheap 100% polyester fleece pajamas that I want to cut up to make liners. They haven’t been washed yet, but when I tried experimenting (poured a little water on top of the fleece to see if it would go straight to the cotton prefolds underneath) the water just stayed on top of the fleece! 🙁
2) Is there a “right” or “wrong” side? I tried it on both and the water just beaded on top. Is it supposed to absorb it quickly after the fleece has been washed several times?
3) What about cotton flannel? I was thinking that cotton might be cooler for the baby and read somewhere that some people cut up old receiving blankets (they didn’t specify what material these were made of) for liners. Will this also perform the same way that the fleece liners are supposed to?
Sorry so many questions- total CD newbie here!
Sarah says
I think most people use a different fleece, not the one you tried. But I can’t think of what it’s called! Often it’s used for blankets. Regarding the flannel, it doesn’t have the same properties ass the fleece when it comes to providing a barrier to wetness and the easy clean up. I would use the flannel for making wipes. Another thought – often fleece pajamas are treated with something to make them flame retardant. that could be what’s repelling the water.
PS – the comments aren’t allowing for capital letters. what?! I swear i usually capitalize properly!
Janine says
Micro fleece lets liquids pass through (which is what you’d want for a liner). I believe most other types repel liquids.
Karla says
Good to know! Thanks so much! 🙂
Karla says
Just bought some fleece from the remnant section of Joann’s and can’t wait to cut these out. I’m probably going to do different sizes especially for my newborn dipes because I might resell them later.
Question…Do you wash the liners before first use? First time mom and using cloth right away so trying to get things right…I’m excited.
Thanks!
Lindsey Galvez says
Karla – I do, just because I wash everything before I use it, BUT you don’t need to wash them because of absorption or anything like with other cloth diaper materials because the fleece won’t absorb, it’ll stay dry! 🙂 Good luck!
Sarah says
So would this work with an old fleece jacket/pullover? Or would that be microfleece? I know I have heard microfleece can cause babies’ skin to dry out.
Brittany says
Thats microfiber that dries out skin
Rebecca says
There are different kinds of fleece and it needs to be treated properly to get it to wick like it’s supposed to. I have guinea pigs and i think on guineapigcages.com they have what’s called a “fleece study” that will tell you a ton. For example, you don’t use fabric softener when washing fleece b/c it adds the waterproofing back in, etc. You use the absorbent material underneath to pull the wet down through the top fleece layer, keeping them dry. Good luck to all!
desarae says
There is a polar fleece that is water resistant! I have some and I put it under water to see if the water would go through. It sat on top for a very long time. I put pressure on it like a baby would in the diaper and it finally went through but left the fabric wet! So yes, make sure you get the right type of fleece!
Dee says
Lindsey,
Fleece? What kind of fleece? When I think of fleece, I think of a nice fleecy lamb’s pelt….but that’s not what we are talking about here. The diaper liners I have seen in the baby department look more like fabric softener sheets.
Your page on diapering cautions to NEVER put microfiber against a baby’s skin. Is some fleece microfiber, and this is something that I have to be sure to avoid?
If I was going to purchase fabric for diaper liners in a fabric store, what would I be looking for?
Thanks!
Dee
Lindsey says
The fleece I buy is the CHEAP, plain fleece. I honestly didn’t know there were different kinds!
Chelle says
I LOVE fleece liners. They are awesome and the best when you have to use regular diaper ointment to keep off your squishy fluff.
Lindsey says
Yes, Chelle! That’s probably the 2nd biggest reason that I use them. Thanks for stopping by!