Baby Alive Cloth Diapers

I have two granddaughters who love the Baby Alive dolls which eat and drink and go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the disposable diapers made to accommodate these activities are incredibly expensive, far greater than the cost of actual baby diapers. I have planned on making my own diapers for the m for a long time. I finally sat down to do the work this summer.

My first plan was to use layers of flannel held together with a decorative stitch from my new Pfaff machine. The water poured straight through the prototype.

My second plan developed after looking at the internet. I read Debbie Chapman's blog for help. I thought to myself, duh, avoid the time spent stitching around the edges and turn it inside out! I did not like the way she put the velcro all the way across the front of the diaper. I also wanted something waterproof, so I chose not to use fleece. I had leftover waterproof fabric from JoAnn from sewing my mom's wheel chair cushion cover, so I decided to use three layers of flannel, the waterproof fabric, and sew-on velcro. The waterproof fabric is not supposed to be machine dried, so I made it clear to the granddaughters that they would be responsible for hand washing the diapers!

I must confess that I experienced considerable joy while sewing the diapers. However, in spite of the joy and the nice snug fit which I achieved, the water still ran straight through when the doll was bottled lying down. We had better results when the doll was sitting upright, but I made Maja take the diaper off after one bottle to avoid leaks. I am sure those bottles hold at least an ounce of liquid!

Here are pictures of the flannel prototype, the pattern dimensions, and the completed diapers.