Talk to any cloth diapering
mom and they all agree that the biggest obstacle is how to cloth
diaper at night and not wake up in a puddle of pee. Yes, it's going
to take some trial and error. But it doesn't mean you have to resort
to using disposable diapers.
Disposable diapers leak,
bulge, excrete crystals, transfer dioxins and don't allow the skin to
breathe. They are not the "easy answer". When you chose to
cloth diaper you had a reason that overcame the convenience of any
throw away comsumer product. Whether it is financial, environmental
or health reasons that brought you to use cloth diapers, they are all
still valid when the sun goes down.
That being said, cloth
diapering at night is all the more satisfying when you find the
solution that works for your baby. Aside from the type of diaper
that you gently place on your baby before they drift off to sleep
there are another tip that is helpful. Limiting or eliminating the
fluids at bedtime and the middle of the night reduces the amount of
outflow during the night. However, even if your baby is a constant
nighttime feeder, you can STILL cloth diaper at night.
There
is not one nighttime system that works for all
babies but there are a few shining stars.
Prefolds as pocket
stuffers: Prefolds are highly absorbent and are perfect for
trifolding and inserting into a pocket. A prefold can be wrapped
around a doubler, like the Joeybunz hemp insert or Happy Heinys
Stuffin Insert, or two prefolds can be wrapped together. You can use
any pocket diaper, however many moms have had great success with
Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius diapers at night. There are a couple of
top performing one-size diapers on the market as well that have
caught the eye of quite a few cloth diapering families.
Fitted Diapers: Baby
Beehind (BBH), Very Baby Simply Nights (VBSN), and Bamboo Velour
Goodmama top the list of most highly recommended fitteds for use at
night. Fitted Diapers are a great nighttime option because of their
absorbent materials, the ability to add doublers, and their
breathability. Successful nighttime fitteds usually contain hemp
and/or velour for their ability to soak up large amounts of liquid.
These fitteds allow you to lay a doubler under the snap insert and
still have the soft material touching your baby's skin. Where as
pocket diapers contain a water-proof layer of PUL (polyurethane
laminate), fitted diapers do not have this and require a cover. The
lack of PUL is what allows a fitted diaper to "breathe". To
breathe means air is allowed to circulate to baby's skin. A fitted
diaper, though, is only as good as the cover you choose...
Wool:
The brightest star in the sky when it comes to having dry sheets is
WOOL. Wool is very breathable, comfortable, and can absorb 30x it's
weight in moisture before feeling damp to the touch. Wool keeps you
warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I live in the hot state
of Texas and wool worked wonderfully last summer. Wool is also
anti-bacterial because of the properties of lanolin. Lanolin
contains acidic fatty acids that react with the basic urea to create
salt and water. Urea is a component of urine that would normally
cause odors. Wool will need to be washed and re-lanolized every
couple of weeks. It is a great idea to put a wool soaker or wool
longies over any nighttime system you choose for that extra
protection. You can choice hand knit wool, crocheted wool, recycled
wool sweaters, or interlock wool for your nighttime safety net.
Getting enough sleep at
night is enough to worry about. Don't add to it by also worrying
about wet sheets. You may have to experiment with a couple of
different diapers before you find what works for your baby, but it
will be well worth the effort!
Autumn Beck invites those
looking for the latest information on cloth diapers to learn the "7
Key Strategies to Guarantee Cloth Diaper Success". Don't
continue to be frustrated with choosing, using, and washing cloth
diapers, visit Autumn's blog at:Click Here for Cloth Diapering Strategies
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