I had an old flannel sheet lying around.  And some leftover fabric from making pajamas.  I decided to use these to make an attempt at my own trainers for Galen.  I really enjoy sewing, and I really want Galen to be comfy and used to wearing pants/undies.  So I decided I'd use what I had to augment our current trainer collection.

I used free patterns found online and I am really very impressed with the patterns and the instructions.  The patterns work well and were easy to follow.

I did two different types – one a completely waterproof trainer and one with a little water-proofing right in between the legs but nowhere else (basically they protect from the initial stream but moisture will wick onto the non-waterproofed area.

The waterproof trainers have a brown PUL outer layer (called an “outer” in cloth diapering lingo).

I just sewed the sides of our waterproof trainers because I don't have a snap press and wasn't motivated enough to do Velcro (Aplix, hook-and-loop).  If you do want to do Velcro I would add some length around the waist (girth) of the area… I think most babies have a pretty chubby tummy like Galen does and if I'd needed to overlap the edges to close with Velcro I don't think they would have gone around his belly.

I used the flannel sheet for the inner padded area (the “soaker”) on both styles of trainer.  The inside of the waterproof trainer is also fully lined in the flannel.  The few layers of flannel give a little absorption (enough to hold one miss) but they're not bulky or hot for the baby.  Flannel is also very soft 🙂

For the outer of the non-waterproof trainer I used a white interlock I had left from making pajamas for my boys.  I used red ribbing for both the waist and the leg-bands.  So far that seems to be working well for both.  The pattern instructions recommend doing elastic inside the waistband if using interlock – I can see  where that might be helpful with the ribbing as well, but they are working just fine without it.

So now that both types of trainer are done, which were easier?  Well, I don't think I can say.  The waterproof trainers had a lot of elastic and I find elastic to be a pain.  The non-waterproof ones require more pinning and piecing together, but I find ribbing easier to deal with than elastic.  Both types took me about the same amount of time, though from start to finish the waterproof ones were probably a little quicker.

And I'm not helpful with which type I prefer – just like with the trainers I bought through another work-at-home-mom, I like each type of trainer for different reasons.  The waterproof ones are really nice for when I want to put Galen in the carrier and he hasn't pottied in awhile, or when he's in his Amby or something else I don't care to possibly get wet.  The non-waterproof trainers are nice because I notice a miss much more quickly.  I also think they're a little cooler for Galen and they're easier to slip on and off for pottying.

The most conclusive thing I can say is I greatly prefer trainers to diapers!  Galen now has a dozen trainers in circulation – plenty to get through a few days (because yep, we still have misses! 🙂 )

Here's where you can get the patterns – many thanks to this generous mama!!! Waterproof and Non-Waterproof.

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