Waking up to wet sheets is my least favorite thing to do. So is changing outfits on a cranky baby, potentially having to change my own clothes, oh and changing the sheets or sleeping on a lumpy towel until morning. Finding the right combination to last your baby from the time they go to sleep to the time you both wake in the morning is challenging. At some point, parents will stop changing the diapers at night even when a child wakes to eat. This is totally normal and it is ok as long as your child isn’t getting a rash, isn’t uncomfortable, and hasn’t pooped. Only you can decide when that day comes, or you will have the decision made for you when your baby starts sleeping through the night.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”22″ size_format=”px”]Myth:[/typography] Stay Dry Diapers are the best option for overnights
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”22″ size_format=”px”]Truth: [/typography]Diapers with a stay dry layer such as suedecloth or microfleece are far more prone to leaks than a diaper with natural fibers. Why? The synthetic material has a delay in soaking the urine past the stay dry layer and into the absorbent core. They are also more prone to repelling, and even the smallest amount of build-up can cause a longer delay in absorption that gives the urine time to find an escape route through the stomach, back, or around the legs. When your baby is standing or sitting this isn’t a huge problem, but when they are laying down it might be why your diapers are leaking. Plus, the speed of output is important- the faster your baby pees and the more they pee at one time, the more likely your diaper will leak at night with a pocket diaper. Natural fibers like hemp, cotton, and bamboo will immediately absorb liquids giving the urine no time to leave the diaper. My video on fitteds has an excellent comparison between stay dry diapers and natural fibers for definitive proof on this.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”22″ size_format=”px”]Myth: [/typography]My baby will wake up if they feel wetness.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”20″ size_format=”px”]Truth:[/typography] OK, yes some kids don’t like feeling wetness but for the most part, kids will sleep with a natural fiber diaper. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but the disposable diaper market likes to tell us that having a dry feeling diaper is the only way a child will ever sleep all night and as parents this makes sense to us. Pampers even had an awful and full of lies FAQ on their website a few years ago that said babies would catch a COLD from being in a wet cloth diaper. Not all babies are cut out for wearing diapers overnight that are wet to the touch (some might get a rash or some might just not like it) but if you are having troubles with leaks using your pockets or other stay dry diapers consider trying a fitted, prefold, or even flats to solve your nighttime woes. You can try using a stay dry fleece liner at night, it will keep the center parts feeling dry while giving a perimeter inside of the diaper of natural fibers to catch the liquids before it runs out.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”20″ size_format=”px”]Myth: [/typography]There is no way a cloth diaper can work for us overnight. My baby is too heavy of a wetter.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”20″ size_format=”px”]Truth:[/typography] I know many parents struggle with finding a cloth diaper combination for nights that works as well as a disposable does. Even though it is very tempting to use disposables at night (no one blames you if you do) there are combinations that can work. A few of my favorites for super wetters are the Sustainable Babyish Snapless and a wool cover, Tots Bots Bamboozle and a cover, flats and a cover (yes really! We used flats or prefolds the most at night for Everett), or a good WAHM made fitted like Orange Diaper Co. and a wool or PUL cover. My favorite PUL cover is the Applecheeks Envelope cover for nights. If you can’t afford wool fleece covers are also an option, they work much the same as wool does as a breathable cover but are cheaper and require less special washing. (Here is a post on how fleece covers work on Zephyrhillblog). Using a more absorbant material like hemp, or the new craze, bamboo fleece, will mean less bulk overall. If you insist on using pockets at night try stuffing with a natural fiber insert- a favorite is the Loopy-Doo– and don’t overstuff. More inserts≠better. Overstuffing leads to leaks too, by creating gaps in the fit around the stomach and back. See my post on troubleshooting cloth diaper leaks for more on why they leak and how to fix it.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”20″ size_format=”px”]Other Challenges:[/typography] Other than absorbency, the challenge with overnight diapering can be ammonia or rashes. Ammonia is when urine has built up in the diapers over time. You will know if you have ammonia in your diapers because they will stink! The smell will burn the hairs in your nose. It is natural- a diaper that has been sitting in your diaper pail for 1-2 days will start to smell like ammonia. However, a diaper that is being taken off your baby in the morning shouldn’t smell very strong of ammonia, if any at all. If so then you have a problem and need to remove that buil-up before you start to see rashes on your baby. Removing ammonia can be tricky- I do think bleach is best but check the warranty on your diapers before using it. 1/4 cup will be enough, use it in your wash, and do several hot washes with no detergent. This is called “stripping.” Sunning your diapers can also help to naturally “bleach” your diapers and kill germs so try that if you can. More information on stripping and washing diapers in this post.
Rashes, if your baby is prone to them due to being next to moisture, or from ammonia, are another challenge you may face. If it is an ammonia burn then removing the ammonia from your diapers will fix that (easier said than done, I know.) Rashes caused by being in a diaper and being wet can either be solved by using a stay dry liner, even a fleece one that lays in the diaper, or a diaper with a layer of stay dry material built in. If you have to change them once or twice a night when they wake up to prevent rashes then it has to be done. Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be hard or complicated and by reading some forums you would think that overnight diapering takes a degree in “Cloth Diaper Science.” There are very simple ways to diaper at night, like flats, or you can get more complicated by layering inserts are materials like crazy. I like to keep it simple in my stash, my wash routine, and in my diapering choices.
As an experienced cloth diaper user I’ve tried just about every diaper and every kind of solution for nights. I had far more leaks at nights with my pockets than I ever had with fitteds, prefolds, flats, or contours. Take that for what it’s worth and good luck with your overnight diapering. If you have a favorite solution for nights leave it in the comments, I’d love to hear it.
