Good overnight cloth diaper: How to stop leaks for dry jammies

I have been cloth diapering for 3 years and I still have time when I am racking my brain trying to figure out how to keep this kid from leaking all over their bed.

The most versatile, easiest to clean and easiest to customize solution I have found is using flat cloth diapers for overnight.

But what works for me might not work for you, overnight cloth diapering is just like daytime cloth diapering, there is a lot of trial and error.

If you are interested in learning more about cloth diapering check out my article ” Cloth diaper inserts: What are they & which are best?”

Can you use cloth diapers at night?

I have been using cloth diapers overnight exclusively for 3 years, and while at times it is kind of a pain in the butt, it is totally possible.

Many people choose to use disposable diapers overnight because they either don’t like how bulky overnight cloth diapers are or they are fed up with the trial and error.

The trial and error of overnight cloth diapering has nearly driven me insane on more than one occasion, but you just persevere, get it figured out and move on with your life.

My overnight cloth diapering solution

Since overnight cloth diapers need to have a lot of absorbency, they are going to be pretty bulky, my 2 older kids look they are wearing basketballs under their jammies.

But that is what works, basketball butt = dry jammies.

My overnight solution for my 2 toddlers is one 500 GSM hemp fleece DIY flat, 1 bestbottoms large overnight hemp insert and 1 bestbottoms large hemp daytime insert.

And my favorite way to cover all that is a Thirsties duo wrap size 3.

Flats are great for overnight because they are very easy to add extra absorbency to.

Also, since overnight cloth diapers will have a lot of pee in them for several hours, you need to make sure they really get cleaned.

And flats, since they are just one layer of fabric are super easy to get clean.

I’ve been using flats in my overnight solution for years and they have never smelled after going through the wash.

There might be something out there that would work for my kids while also being less bulky but I just haven’t found it yet.

How to keep cloth diapers from leaking overnight?

The key to preventing leaks with any cloth diaper is making sure you have enough absorbency.

If you are trying to use the same amount of absorbency at night as you do during the day, it’s just not gonna work out.

A good place to start is to double the amount of absorbency you use through the day and put that in your overnight cloth diaper.

If you find that only like 1/4 of the cloth diaper is wet, then you can take some absorbency out if you want.

If you find that 3/4 of the cloth diaper is wet you might what to consider adding some more absorbency.

If there is pee outside the cloth diaper cause baby leaked, look at how much leaked out.

Is it just a little spot the size of a quarter? or is it everywhere, clear down baby’s leg, all over the bed and on the pillow?

If it’s just a tiny leak you could just use a little cotton terry wash cloth as a booster and problem solved.

Or if we’re dealing more in the Olympic swimming pool territory where pee is just everywhere.

Then if you were using double the daytime solution you probably are gonna want to triple it, and see if that is enough.

Some people use wool cloth diaper covers over their overnight cloth diapers since wool will absorb some pee itself and keep baby’s jammies dry.

Wool cloth diaper covers would work great for fixing the occasional small leak.

However, if you have a huge leak the wool won’t save you, nothing can save you if you just plain aren’t using enough absorbency.

How often should you change cloth diapers at night?

For my kids I don’t change their cloth diapers at night unless they have pooped.

If you have a newborn that poops 4 times a night then you’re gonna need to change them 4 times a night.

If you want to change your baby once or twice throughout the night you can, or you could add more absorbency and just change them if there is poop.

So, most of the time you will put your baby in their overnight cloth diaper, put them to bed and then change them the next morning.

But as a general rule you want to have an extra overnight cloth diaper ready to go if your baby does poop.

This is also one of the times having extra inserts comes in handy.

So in an emergency situation you can put together a quick overnight cloth diaper by just super boosting any daytime cloth diaper solution.

Are overnight cloth diapers worth the trouble?

If you have heavy wetting kids like I do, figuring out an overnight cloth diapering solution can be a nightmare.

But there is always a way, you just have to figure out for yourself if finding a solution that works is worth your time.

For me overnight cloth diapering is definitely worth the trouble.

I have 3 kids 3 and under, all in cloth diapers, if I was using disposables overnight, I would have to buy 90 overnight disposables every month.

That’s $33.30 each month for 1 pampers swaddlers overnight diaper x 3 kids for 30 days.

Now that may not seem like a big deal, but with all that’s going on in the world, I couldn’t imagine how stressed I would be worrying that the store didn’t have the brand or sizes of diapers I need.

My kids have skin sensitivities to at least disposable wipes.

They have never been in disposable diapers for very long, so I’m not sure if they can just wear any brand without getting a rash.

So, every week or month, whenever I would buy disposable diapers.

I would have to worry if the store will have all 3 different sizes that I need, and possibly if they have all 3 sizes in a brand my kids can wear without getting rashes.

Or I could just take a little bit of time and figure out a cloth overnight solution and all that jazz just isn’t my problem anymore.

Resources

Link to the fabric store where I got the hemp fleece for my overnight flats naturesfabrics.com

Link to bestbottoms inserts at nickisdiapers.com

Link to the Thirsties size 3 duo wrap cover at thirstiesbaby.com