Wallypop Ring Slings

A bit about ring slings in general.

Ring slings are often thought of as a pefect beginning carrier, easy to use, etc. While I wouldn’t say that ring slings are HARD to use, they do have a learning curve, and some people just simply don’t get them. I can honestly say that I’ve seen more people have difficulty with a ring sling than with a wrap – not that ring slings are all that difficult, but they’re not as simple as some want you to believe.

A bit about safety.

The rings used in ring slings are of UTMOST importance. The best ring slings are made with rings manufactured by Sling Rings. Their rings are very safe, tested to 250 lbs, and abused in every way possible. Note that some major brand names of ring slings do not use these rings and have had ring-related recalls. Not good.

Now, about Wallypop ring slings.

We make our ring slings from a variety of midweight cotton fabrics – we try to choose fun or understated prints that look good from both sides (front and back). We also make deluxe slings from silk or other high-end fabrics.  You can make a ring sling out of other weights of fabric, but we’ve found that much lighter weight, and the sling tends to cut in to the wearer’s shoulder and the baby’s legs. Much heavier, and it’s just, well, heavy.

We use nylon rings for our cotton slings. In our experience, the nylon rings grip the fabric better than metal, so they’re less prone to slipping.

For the Deluxe slings, we use aluminum rings. Not because they’re prettier or more deluxe, but because the higher-end fabrics we use (silk, satin, etc) tend to be thinner fabrics, and they are more easily gripped by the aluminum.

Wallypop ring slings are unpadded. In our experience, the padding in padded ring slings tends to just make the slings less adjustable, as the padding gets tangled up in the rings. Most people who start out using a padded ring sling, believing they need the padding for comfort, find that switching to an unpadded ring sling is actually more comfortable – they don’t need the padding, after all, and the lack of padding allows a better fit.

The shoulder of our ring slings are made with an inverse double pleat. Um, what? All that means is that it’s SUPER COMFORTABLE! Just wide enough on your shoulder to be comfortable without unduly restricting arm movement, but readily spreads out across your back with minimal bulk. I’ve also found that this type of pleat seems less likely to twist up than others I’ve tried.

Wearing

When you wear your ring sling, always make sure to keep the rings near your armpit. If you find the rings tend to travel down as you adjust the sling, first – start with the sling adjusted a bit shorter to start with, and second, pull OUT not DOWN.

Always keep fabric between you and baby, so that the baby has a secure place to sit. You never want to rely on friction to keep your baby in the sling!

Pocket diapers.

Alright. Pocket diapers are super simple, really. Two layers of fabric, one waterproof, one not waterproof, plus a closure.

The Basics

My standard instock pocket diapers feature the same hidden elastic and Touchtape closure as all of my other diapers. When I make Made To Order pocket diapers with flannel interiors or cotton exteriors, I use elastic binding rather than hidden elastic. This helps keep moisture where it belongs and cuts down on the wicking that these particular diapers are prone to.

I do not put elastic around both sides of the pocket opening. There is elastic around the back, but the interior side (usually fleece or suedecloth) is left plain. For two reasons. First, adding elastic to both sides of the opening is not really necessary, and as I’m most interested in keeping my costs down, I generally don’t do things that are  not necessary – it just takes extra time and materials, and therefore means extra cost. Second, I personally find pocket diapers with elastic on both sides of the opening to be harder to stuff, and the task of stuffing pocket diapers is tedious enough without any extra hassle!

Leg Openings

I also do not topstitch around the leg openings.  When Wally was a baby and I added pocket diapers to my product lineup, I personally found that I experienced more leaking/wicking with pocket diapers that had been topstitched around the legs (regardless of brand). So, the ones I added to my inventory had a rolled leg, rather than a stitched leg.

Now with Genna, I’m finding that for her diapers, I don’t have any leaking or wicking regardless of how I make the leg. I’ve heard similar reports from those I’ve asked to test it out for me (just a few people, and I never thought to test the different leg types originally!).  However, it does make them marginally more difficult to stuff, because the opening is narrower inside.

I briefly considered switching the leg style earlier this year, but decided not to – many of my current customers really like the diapers the way they are, and there’s really nothing to be gained by switching.

I will say that I am kind of tired of the internet “knowledge” that rolled leg styles leak more than topstitched leg styles do.  Based on anecdotal evidence, it would seem that wicking/leaking at the legs has more to do with your baby’s shape and what you stuff them with than anything else. Some families/babies find that they prefer sewn legs and some find they prefer rolled legs.

Stuffing

As for stuffing your pockets, you may use anything you like. Personally, I recommend prefolds – they’re absorbent, multi-purpose, and inexpensive. I sell special inserts, and recommend using two of those for an average use, but if you’re looking for economical, prefolds are really the way to go.

Some people really like microfiber terry as inserts. Personally, I do not have good experience with microfiber terry, but plenty of people do. (Plus, honestly, I really don’t like the way microfiber terry feels.)

Wallypop fleece covers. I love them, personally. I wrote about this recently here.

The fleece

I only use very particular fleeces for my covers. I use these fleeces because I think they are the very best for covers. I arrived at this conclusion based on my own experience and research, as well as the experiences of others.

I only use Malden Mills brand fleece. They developed fleece a while back, and the continue to produce the highest-quality fleece available. Their fleece does not pill, fade, or mat.

I only use Malden Mill’s Windpro or Windbloc fleece. These particular fleeces are water (and wind) proof, yet breatheable. Malden Mills says of WindPro, “The tight knit construction of the Polartec Wind Pro blocks 95% of the wind, yet is highly breathable…This fabric is intended for outerwear garments.” They describe Windbloc as having “a 100% windproof, water-resistant, breathable barrier, eliminating the need for a windbreaker or other additional shell. They are ideal for outdoor activities when cold and inclement weather demand high-perfomance outer protection.”

Within these two categories of fleece, I have a list of about 10 style numbers I feel are the very best for covers. I try to stick to those style numbers.

I am often asked why the Fleece covers are available only in boring colors, usually darker colors. Well, these are the colors the fabric is available in. It’s made for high-end sporting goods like jackets for backpackers. I could probably get different colors if I had it milled specially for me, but then I’d have to either buy like 30 times the amount I normally do, or I’d have to charge you double. Or both.

Construction

I make my fleece covers with HEMMED edges at the legs and waist, rather than using elastic binding. A few babies are sensitive to the elastic binding, and also it can tend to wick. Sewing them with hidden elastic and a hemmed seam eliminates both of these problems, and provides for a better fit, in my opinion. I’ve made myself some fleece covers using elastic binding, but I still prefer the hemmed edges, so that’s what I stock for the store. (Yes, many of my business decisions are based on what I personally prefer!)

In-stock fleece covers are made with Touchtape with the usual fold-back laundry tabs and crossover tabs at the waist. They are also available with snap closures if you order made to order.

When do I use fleece covers?

Personally, I tend to use fleece covers at night or when Genna’s wearing a shirt with pants, or a shirt without pants, or a loose one-piece outfit. I don’t use fleece covers with onesies or tighter-fitting one-piece outfits. I would not use a fleece cover for a long car trip. Fleece CAN be prone to compression wicking, meaning that when it gets pressure (like from a tight onesie or pressure of sitting in a carseat for long periods), it can wick through. Wicking generally does not cause WET clothes like leaking will, but it causes DAMP clothes.

All In One diapers.

First, why I make them the way I do.

I give customers so many options with AIOs because I’ve found that everyone wants something slightly different. While most styles of AIO are made with hidden elastic, some (the feel-wet inners) are made with elastic binding. Elastic binding simply works best for the feel-wet inners, whereas hidden elastic tends to work better for the other styles.

I don’t topstitch AIOs. When I first started making AIOs, I found that I had more wicking problems with them when they were topstitched, and also that I preferred to have the legs roll out anyway. Now that I’ve had a second baby, I’ve tried some AIOs both ways – topstitched, as well as not topstitched – and have really not had any preference, or found any difference in performance.

My personal favorite AIO style is with a feel-wet (flannel) inner and edge-sewn soaker. That said, I am not a huge fan of AIOs. They take a long time to dry. They don’t perform as well as a two-piece system, and they’re completely inflexible. AIOs are the absolute last thing I reach for.

Second, inventory.

I don’t currently have AIOs in inventory. AIOs are not my best selling product. I mean, they sell OK, but I don’t sell through them as fast as many other products, so they tend to be lower on my priority list for restocking. I’m also currently of two minds with the AIOs. I have historically inventoried AIOs with hidden soakers, but I’m leaning towards inventorying the edge-sewn soakers when I restock. These are, however, a bit harder/more time consuming to make, and I’m not sure if that would necessitate a price change.

Third, customer response to the AIOs.

AIOs receive the most varied feedback of any of our products. I think this is true of most brands of AIOs, and likely stems from the fact that, with an AIO in particular, fit is so important. A bit loose, a bit tight, not absorbent enough – it will cause leaking.

Those who like the AIOs, seem to really really love them. And then some people really really don’t like them. (Or, more accurately, they want to like them, but they just simply do not work for their kid.) Yes, it’s hard to tell in advance which camp you’ll fall into. However, I can almost guarantee you that if you buy 2 dozen of them, you’ll be one of those for whom they don’t work.

Fourth, washing and drying. I get this question a lot: aren’t all in ones hard to get clean?

I can see why you might think so. However, after receiving back one of my original AIOs after it saw use by several families and for several years, I cut it open to check it out, and it was completely clean. They need to be washed thoroughly, and dried thoroughly, but they get just as clean as anything else.

Fitted diapers are the item that started it all. My very first dipes were fitteds. They were uglier than sin. I drafted a pattern from scratch and put it together. Actually, it was a pretty good shot for a first attempt at a from-scratch pattern, but it quickly underwent numerous changes before I had some online friends give them a try on their kiddos. Then they were much refined after Wally was born, and underwent one last major pattern revision about 3 years ago.

I make my basic fitteds out of flannel fabric. I use flannel because it wears well, is soft and absorbent, and easy to get in cute prints. Flannel is fairly inexpensive compared to the other options for fitteds, keeping them in line with my goal of affordable prices.

I use cotton sherpa in the inside, it’s very absorbent without the stiffness you get from terry, and without the weight and density of many layers of flannel. I don’t use microfiber inside fitteds unless requested to do so – microfiber is good at absorbing quickly (for a time) but does not HOLD the liquid. Additionally, drying microfiber drastcally shortens its useful life.

I turn and topstitch rather than overcasting (serging) the edges because I like the look better – it looks more finished to me. I don’t topstitch stretchy fabrics like Tshirts, hemp, etc., only the flannel. The stretchy fabrics look better without the topstitching, in my opinion. Topstitching really doesn’t affect function.

The patterns I use were developed through trial and error, mostly with Wally as a baby, and with fellow mamas as testers. They seem to have a wide range of body types they fit, and they are engineered to make the most efficient use of fabric. The medium, in particular, has a crazy wide weight range. I love it. I kept dinking with it until it would fit the large end of the range as well as it fit the small end.

I personally prefer edge-sewn soakers. They give you the most absorbency with the shortest dry time and the least amount of work while doing laundry.

Some people prefer hidden soakers, this gives you a cleaner look, but takes a bit longer to dry.

Other options that people have asked for include snap-in soakers and lay-in soakers. Snap-in soakers are a lot like edge-sewn soakers, except that the soaker can some out, which is appealing to some people. Lay-in soakers, I’ll be honest, I just don’t understand. You have two pieces to keep track of and match up when putting clean dipes away. Two pieces to keep together in the diaper bag. Etc.

And that’s all about Fitted diapers. Got a question I didn’t answer? Post in the comments.

Alright. I’ve wanted to do this for a while. It might sound a little full of myself, but the intent is to give you, the customer, more information on my products. And more information = better, in my opinion.

So what I’m going to do is just go through my products, one by one, and discuss. Why I make them, why I make them the way I make them, or why I chose to carry them if they’re not my brand.

Let me also say that this is my opinion only, that I make my dipes the way I do because it’s what I personally feel is best, but that doesn’t mean that my way is the only way, or the right way. If you don’t like the way I make my diapers, the good news is, you have about 500 other brands to choose from. (And I mean that – that’s a good thing! Yes, I’d like it if everyone bought MY stuff, but my stuff’s not for everyone.)