Posted by KarenC on December 23, 19103 at 12:26:55:
In Reply to: Help with terms please posted by newfmum01 on December 23, 19103 at 11:41:09:
Hi,
Ok, liners, soakers, inserts and doublers (that's another one!) are often used interchangeably, that's why it can be so confusing.
Basically there are two types of "liners". You have the kind that will add absorbancy to a nighttime diaper. They're a piece of cotton or hemp that you add to a nighttime or naptime diaper to boost the absorbancy so the diaper will hold for a long time.
Then you have other kinds of liners that accomplish other functions. Some of them are simply thin pieces of polyester material that is either disposable or flushable. You put these in diapers to make poop cleanup easier. You can either flush the liner when it's been pooped on or, if it's not flushable, you just dunk the liner instead of the whole diaper. These are usually reserved for older babies on solids or those who are formula fed. Exclusively breastfed infants have mild smelling and water-soluble poop so you can just put the diaper in the pail or washing machine as is.
Others are called stay-dry liners and they're used to protect baby's skin when he or she will be in a diaper for an extended period of time. It's usually a piece of non-absorbant material such as polyester or polyester fleece and it works by wicking moisture right through to the diaper and staying relatively dry itself, thereby keeping baby's skin relatively dry.
Then there are liners that are a combination of more than one function. For example, some extra absorbancy liners also have a special lining sewn on that will keep baby dry. Some people also use fleece liners (homemade or purchased) to keep their baby's skin dry AND to aid in poop cleanup (for some babies poop doesn't stick to fleece so it's much easier to get off).
Clear as much now? LOL!
I hope that helps,
Karen.