Reusable gauze diapers were used at a time when diapers could only be dreamed of. Today mothers choose them for the sake of economy or ecology, since such diapers cost practically nothing and do not pollute the environment after being thrown away. You can make them yourself - the main thing is to know the proportions of the piece of gauze needed for sewing diapers.
Pros and cons
Gauze diapers have certain advantages over conventional diapers - they are economical and dry very quickly after washing, and also do not cause allergic reactions in the baby. In a dry gauze diaper, the child practically does not feel any discomfort, since oilcloth elements that can float the skin are absent in it. The same applies to elastic bands that can squeeze the buttocks - in this type of diaper, this problem is solved due to the solutions that will be discussed below. In addition, with the timely replacement of a reusable gauze diaper, there will be no irritation and diaper rash on the baby's skin, since gauze is a breathable material.
Some mothers use old bedding instead of gauze, which does not require any money at all.
The biggest advantage of gauze diapers is that they do not overheat the genitals of babies, whereas in diapers this process is inevitable. Their disadvantages include endless washing and ironing of clean gauze, which is a rather tedious and exhausting task. In addition, the money saved on buying traditional diapers will still have to be spent - on electricity, gas, powder and water, which are needed to boil and wash gauze diapers. According to pediatricians, the use of such homemade diapers is advisable only if the family has financial problems or leads an "environmentally friendly" lifestyle.
Sewing a gauze diaper
First of all, get high-quality gauze, which can be freely purchased from pharmacies or specialty tissue stores. The width of pharmaceutical gauze usually does not exceed 90 cm, while for one gauze diaper you need 1-2 meters - depending on how it is fixed on the child's body and the type of diaper. There are two ways to sew this type of diaper. Take a two-meter length of gauze, fold it in half, and then sew a square with the proportions of 100x90 cm from the cut. Do not forget to leave a small hole through which you will turn the diaper with the seams inward. The disadvantage of such a diaper is its modest thickness.
To prevent the edges of the gauze from getting loose during use, sew them by hand or using a sewing machine.
For the second method, take a two-meter piece of gauze, fold it in half, sew and turn out the seams - you will get a two-layer rectangle of gauze measuring 50x90 cm. Fold it three or four times (taking into account the desired width of the future diaper) and sew the gauze so that it is convenient for you to wash diaper without folding it over every time. You can use safety pins or an elastic bandage to secure the gauze diaper to your baby. If you do not want to fix the diaper with foreign objects, just swaddle the baby's legs with a diaper over it or put on tight pants.
