help me build a nighttime diaper?

[lalazap]

So, DD is 5 months old and we've been ECing her at night but I'd like to try to leave her in the same diaper at night as the pottying is feeling pretty disruptive to everyone's sleep.

During the day we use cotton prefolds (from a diaper service) laid in a cover (usually an empty pocket diaper) and change them as soon as they are wet - very simple system, and easy to deal with between potty trips.

Hoping some CD mamas can give me a few tips about nighttime diapering! She usually pees at least 3 times a night. 

Am open to buying some new items but my stash (consisting of random hand-me downs and things I've grabbed from the free store at the local midwifery clinic) as it stands contains:

Applecheeks pockets

Bumgenius pockets - pretty well-worn and not sure how waterproof they are anymore, work fine as a cover over a one-miss prefold but suspect the PUL is pretty toast

Imse Vimse wool wrap

A couple of simple PUL covers

Microfiber Bumgenius inserts x 3

Hemp booster x 3 - I think they are these or similar

Many cotton prefolds from the diaper service 

Cotton booster inserts from the diaper service

Bummis (I think) Egyptian cotton prefolds - way softer and fluffier than the prefolds from the service

Mother-Ease OS terry fitted

I think that's it ...

Given the above, what would you put your LO in?

Thanks mamas!

[MommatoGray]

I LOVE these:  http://www.earthmomandbaby.com/shop/new-bumboo-snap-size-1/I

My son is 20 months and wets like crazy, we have been using them for him since he was about six months. They are gorgeous, soft and natural, polyester free. Yahoo!!

[octobermom]

apple cheecks with the BG insert and a hemp booster..

motherease with cotton or hemp booset and wool cover

trifided bummi prefolds with eaither a BG insert in the middle (not exposed to skin) or other doubler in pul cover

these would probably be my first go to choices

Deanna

[lalazap]

Thanks for your thoughts! This is probably not that complicated but I am sleep-deprived, overwhelmed and sick of waking up with pee in the bed!

So I am wondering ...

For the first option you gave, would I put the hemp booster in the pocket underneath the BG insert, ie furthest from baby?

And with the MEOS/wool combo, would a booster go inside the diaper or between the diaper and the cover?

I guess I don't really understand boosters and where they go in the sandwich ...

Originally Posted by octobermom 

apple cheecks with the BG insert and a hemp booster..

motherease with cotton or hemp booset and wool cover

trifided bummi prefolds with eaither a BG insert in the middle (not exposed to skin) or other doubler in pul cover

these would probably be my first go to choices

Deanna

[pickle18]

We, too, found that nighttime EC resulted in a cranky baby - we did it off and on but ultimately stopped when he was too upset to go, or took forever to get back to sleep, etc.  

I have heard others say that hemp inserts work well as a "pee stopper" right before the cover - we use them there, but also right up against DS.  I second the motherease w/ hemp, wool cover combo.  With toddler level flow, we use a mothease sandy's fitted w/ both hemp and microfiber inserts inside (either against skin) PLUS another insert of some kind (cotton, hemp, whatever) between the diaper and the wool cover.

Wool covers are nighttime rockstars, IMO.  Of course, they are all we use (day or night) so I'm biased.   The longevity between washings/lanolizing (and how freakin' easy it is to do both) are great.  We have a kissaluv's soaker, and organic caboose wool cover, and a nikky - all do great, day or night. 

If you are in the market to buy anything new, I would get more motherease - sandy's or OS - if you like them for night (also love our Baby Bee Hinds hemp dipe - but got that one used!  Kinda pricey...).  

BUT the main thing I think you need to get are lots of hemp inserts - you can "nighttime proof" most daytime dipes with enough of those alone.  We do this right before wash day. 

Here is one website that has big, high-quality, high-absorbency hemp inserts, 6 for $20 - I fold in half to double up in the front for our boy, but you can do what works best for you (also sell some with fleece)...

http://www.babybunz.com/Organic-Cotton-Hemp-Fleece-Doublers.html

We also got our nikky wool cover there - fairly inexpensive for wool, at $21 (very trim, and it has gussets).

One last thing...we have re-appropriated alot of his early baby days burp cloths as inserts (you can also buy cotton gerber ones really cheap for this purpose - they are thicker in the middle panel, like a prefold, but much more trim) - they are great in dipes or between dipe and cover, as a last wetness barrier.  

HTH!!!

[octobermom]

for the first option I suggest the hemp under the microfiber like you wrote. Microfiber tends to assorb faster so will soak the pee faster hemp holds more though so it will kinda lock the wetness away untill the am.

for the MEOS its kinda up to you hemp is fine against the skin so you could just lay the booster/doubler into the diaper or between the diaper and cover really it is up to you..

for the prefold lay the booster in the center pannel and fold the side in at least for the microfiber since you dont wan that touching the skin, if you do a cotton or hemp you could just lay in ontop does that help any?

Originally Posted by lalazap 

Thanks for your thoughts! This is probably not that complicated but I am sleep-deprived, overwhelmed and sick of waking up with pee in the bed!

So I am wondering ...

For the first option you gave, would I put the hemp booster in the pocket underneath the BG insert, ie furthest from baby?

And with the MEOS/wool combo, would a booster go inside the diaper or between the diaper and the cover?

I guess I don't really understand boosters and where they go in the sandwich ...

[octobermom]

 While some kids are okay with it I can never reccomend putting microfiber agaisnt the skin, it is not only extremely drying but its abbrassive thats why its often used as an exfolient. I can personal attest to microfiber against skin causing horrid chaffing and bleeding.

With toddler level flow, we use a mothease sandy's fitted w/ both hemp and microfiber inserts inside (either against skin)

[pickle18]

Yikes, octobermom!    That sounds miserable.  We almost always put the hemp against his skin (because I am obsessive about natural fibers) but I had always heard microfiber was the closest cloth version of a disposable's "stay dry" layer, and should go against baby's skin so they wouldn't feel wetness.

I only have one (came snapped to the hemp) so I'm not a good authority - I do know microfiber (or anything synthetic) needs to be stripped a lot, as it often retains funk and can become easily coated by detergent residues, etc.

[bissess46]

It's -microfleece- that can go against their skin for a stay-dry feel. Microfiber will suck the moisture from their skin and is never recommended against the skin.

We use hemp at night. I take my bamboo pocket diapers and stuff them with 2 hemp inserts. Also, since my daughter is a heavy and fast wetter, the inside fabric of my diapers is absorbent (bamboo) instead of stay-dry (microfleece). This way the inside fabric of the diaper is also helping with the absorbing. If you use a stay-dry fabric like microfleece, if they wet a lot and quickly, the fabric doesn't have enough time to allow the pee through to the absorbing inserts and you end up with a lot of leaking.
 

[aprilb]

For overnight with my ds I use a Kissaluvs Marvel fitter diaper with a Kissaluvs liner and a flannel liner on top of that. The flannel keeps him bone dry. Than a PUL cover and he is good all night. The Marvel can be pricy new but if you can find a trustworthy person or there are some sites that sell gentle used diapers it would be cheaper. I have bought all my cloth used.

[5littlemonkeys]

this is what i do with my 8 month old. we stuff his bamboo alva baby pocket diaper with a 4 laybe microfiber insert and also a 4 layer bamboo/ microfiber insert (it has two layers of each) inside of two cheap prefolds ( similar to gerber kind) with the front folded down. yes i stuff the whole thing inside of the pocket and snap that bad boy on and it gets us through the night

[5littlemonkeys]

this is what i do with my 8 month old. we stuff his bamboo alva baby pocket diaper with a 4 laybe microfiber insert and also a 4 layer bamboo/ microfiber insert (it has two layers of each) inside of two cheap prefolds ( similar to gerber kind) with the front folded down. yes i stuff the whole thing inside of the pocket and snap that bad boy on and it gets us through the night

[5littlemonkeys]

this is what i do with my 8 month old. we stuff his bamboo alva baby pocket diaper with a 4 laybe microfiber insert and also a 4 layer bamboo/ microfiber insert (it has two layers of each) inside of two cheap prefolds ( similar to gerber kind) with the front folded down. yes i stuff the whole thing inside of the pocket and snap that bad boy on and it gets us through the night

[pickle18]

Ok, you guys got me thinking - and it's microfleece that I have - I misspoke.  Not microfiber.

See, I told you I was a synthetic fibers dummy! 

It's these...

http://www.diaperjungle.com/Thirsties-stay-dry-duo-inserts.html

[Choose2Reuse]

For nighttime diapers we've always used two prefolds inside the PUL cover.  One prefold is the current size DD wears, one is a smaller size folded up inside.  It works great.  Since you said you have some prefolds and covers, you could try that.  Or stick the boosters inside a prefold if you like that better.  Good luck!
 

[schoonersam]

"motherease with cotton or hemp booset and wool cover" I use this with basically two boosters. A prefold can sub for one of the boosters and I make sure that the layer that touches DD's skin has the wicking fleecy fabric.  I have an Aristocrats wooly cover and and a Woolybottoms wooly cover and though they are a little stinky in the morning, there is no actual leakage and the lanolin in the wool eradicates the dampness and odor by midday.  I was them once every two weeks and lanolize once every 3-4 months.
 

[amyjoyce79]

We use fitteds and wool covers at night and wouldn't be able to get by without them!  Before I got some heavy bamboo fitteds, I would use a prefold with a flat diaper over it to hold it in place.  I could add as many boosters to this as I needed; cloth wipes, cotton wash cloths, bamboo or hemp inserts, anything absorbent really.  I even made flats, at sizes that worked best for us, out of old flannel sheets.  Very simple, cut them out and hem the edges.  This could be bulky, but it works and he didn't need to move around much when he's sleeping!  It's important to have a good wool cover.  I've found that having one that's multiple layers and thick is very bullet proof.  I especially like the Underwater covers from Grateful Buns (etsy shop) http://www.etsy.com/shop/GratefulBuns

[lalazap]

Happy to report that the MEOS + booster under a wool cover has been working great! No puddles in the bed with that combo! I've added a fleece liner for a stay-dry layer right up against her. It's pretty bulky and she's going to grow out of the Imse Vimse wrap soon but I have a new wool cover on the way from an etsy shop. I'll have to check out that shop, amyjoyce!

Thanks for all of the input, mamas! Now if only I could do something about the milk puddles I make!

[amyjoyce79]

I've found that a large prefold or receiving blanket stuffed in my shirt at night does a great job soaking up those milk puddles 

[ahdancesing]

My daughter pees so much at night that nothing was working...I was changing diapers, clothes & sheets multiple times a night :(   I was using reusable diapers and NOTHING was working so I had to think outside my "cloth" diaper mindset.  I found Honest diapers and my life has changed :)  No more night changes and no more pee in the bed.  The diapers are all natural.  Yes, they are "paper" diapers but they are worth it!  Since I only use them at night I don't purchase many.