Seven Days of Diapers - Nighttime Solutions

What to do at nighttime posed a whole new question for us once we began using cloth diapers. While Zach is not an exceptionally heavy wetter at night, he does cluster feed right before bed, so his nighttime diapers do need to be more absorbent than his daytime diapers. We tried a few diapers for nighttime use, but to be honest, this is still a work in progress, as we haven’t found a nighttime solution that we love.

The first thing that we did at night, and really the simplest, was double-stuffing a bumGenius diaper. We had no leaks with this option, but it became clear that Zach was wetting two inserts from front to back, and we weren’t sure how much longer a double-stuffed diaper would work…

The next option we tried was a Mother-ease Uno Overnight Diaper. I read about this diaper in Kelly Wels’ book, so I ordered directly from the company website.

Holy cow, this is the most absorbent diaper ever! Just the diaper was absorbent, and I purchased a microfiber terry booster for additional protection. Oftentimes, the microfiber insert is not even damp in the morning because the diaper itself is so super absorbent.

The diaper is bulky, but I can deal with bulky at nighttime if it means no leaks and comfort for Zach. However, I have a big problem with the elastic around the legs. Most of the diapers in our stash have a covering over the elastic/at the seams, either fleece or some other fabric. The Mother-ease diaper doesn’t really have anything to protect Zach’s legs and waist from the elastic. He usually wakes up with red marks where the elastic touches his skin, even though we’ve adjusted the sizing of the diaper and where it hits on his thighs. (These marks never seem to bother Zach, but they look so awful, and the last set took almost four days to go away. I just can't imagine that's comfortable!)

While I absolutely love the absorbency of the Mother-ease diaper, I just don’t like that there’s nothing to protect Zach’s legs from the elastic… After doing some research on the Mother-ease forums, I found that other people had this same problem and they suggested loosening the diaper. The inner gussets contain the leaks well enough that the outer elastic doesn't need to be so tight on the legs. So, we'll give it the old college try and see if a looser fit can be comfortable for Zach without leaving these heinous marks. Because I really, really want to like this diaper!

I also ordered a KaWaii Goodnight Heavy Wetter one-size cloth diaper. This diaper came with two very thick boosters.

This diaper was much gentler on Zach’s legs, as far as the elastic is concerned, than the Mother-ease Uno. I don’t think it was as absorbent, though, despite the thickness of the booster pads. However, I like the fit of the diaper and decided to use it with a hemp liner. (More on that below…) One of the best parts of the KaWaii diapers are the price: you can purchase a Goodnight Heavy Wetter diaper for less than $8 directly from the KaWaii website. (I ordered my KaWaii diaper as part of an order from another cloth diapering website, but when I looked at the cost of the diaper and shipping directly from KaWaii, it was about $12.)

I had read good things about hemp inserts, so I thought they might be a good option. I purchased a two pack of Thirsties hemp inserts, and I have to say that I love them. They are super, super absorbent and very thin. The inserts are very big, so it can be a bit tough to stuff them into diapers. However, I can usually fold over the front of the insert to give additional absorbency in the front. The KaWaii Goodnight diaper with one KaWaii booster and one hemp insert is our current favorite nighttime solution. It's never leaked, the elastic is gentle on Zachary's legs, and the pocket is generously sized, easily fitting one Kawaii booster and one hemp insert.

Please join us tomorrow on All Things Ng for a look at diapering accessories and a wrap-up of Seven Days of Diapers!