Cloth Diapering 24/7

Baby A's Holli Shiro, cloth-diapering wonder mom, offers some great tips on how to make your cloth diapers work harder at night so you and your baby can get more sleep. 

Problem:  Your baby is completely saturating their diaper at night.
    1.    Change the “stuffing” in your pocket diaper. You can add a second microfiber insert (most pocket diapers come with two), stuff it with a hemp doubler in addition to your microfiber insert or try a cotton prefold inside the pocket instead of microfiber.   If your baby is a tummy sleeper, put the folded part of your insert in the front.
    2.    Try a fitted diaper with wool cover.  If adding doublers or changing the stuffing in your pocket diaper isn’t helping, try a cotton/hemp or bamboo fitted diaper paired with a wool cover.  Wool covers can absorb 30% of their weight in liquid while still remaining breathable and waterproof.  For parents of heavy wetters, this system is the ultimate nighttime solution. 

Problem:  Your baby’s diaper isn’t saturated, but it’s leaking in the front, back or sides.
    1.     Adjust the rise of your pocket diaper or diaper cover.   Try setting your pocket diaper to the next size up to give more coverage and to close the gap between the inside of the diaper and your baby’s clothes.  
    2.    Make sure you have a good snug fit around your baby’s legs.  Sometimes you may not have a great fit if you’ve been stuffing more material in the diaper for absorbency or if your leg elastic is stretched out.  If you can’t get a snug fit with a pocket or AIO diaper, try switching to a prefold with Snappi (so it goes around your baby’s legs) or fitted diaper with a gusseted PUL cover or stretchy wool cover.

Problem:  You’re using a natural fiber diaper at night, but you want the wicking properties of a microfiber pocket diaper.
    1.    Add a fleece liner.  A fleece liner will help whisk moisture from your baby’s skin  while allowing liquids to pass through, helping your baby stay comfortable at night. (HS)