Diapering Through the Night!

Nighttime- ah, nighttime. Blessed respite from a long day of a mama’s work (never really done of course, but we’ve all got to sleep sometime…) But night time can be anxiety inducing – not knowing how much sleep you’ll get before baby wakes up for a feeding, listening for baby’s every breath, or just wondering if you’re going to be coordinated and coherent enough to feed and change your baby properly in the middle of the night.

In those blissful yet bewildering early days, it seemed that there wasn’t a diapering solution that could work for nighttime. My new little daughter wanted to breastfeed every two hours, and a diaper change accompanied each feeding. I had a system that worked well during the day- Kissaluvs fitted with Bummis super whisper wraps. The fitteds were soft and easy to snap to just the right fit. The super whisper wraps were durable and just as easy, especially with the Aplix covers. They were also available in adorable prints, which was one of the big draws for me.

I discovered that at night, however, cute did not concern me. Sleep did. I needed to find a solution that was quick, easy and effective. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I won’t pretend that disposables never crossed my mind. How easy it would be, I thought, to have a one piece to change into and out of, and to not have to worry about more laundry in the morning.

In the daylight hours, I thought more clearly and chagrined myself for these thoughts. What did ease matter, I wondered, when I wanted the health and environmental benefits of cloth diapers for my baby? I was onto something, though, with the one-piece, so I opted for all-in-ones. I found very quickly, however, that these weren’t really easier. Sure, they were a bit easier to get on and off, as I did not have to snap them into place and then put a cover over them, but the fit was not great for my newborn, and I had a lot of leaks. Also, I discovered that frequent washing wears all-in-ones more quickly than other diapers, and reserve these now for traveling.

I tried every other suggestion, from wool soakers to pockets to pull-on pants, all of which were guaranteed by moms I knew and moms who wanted to sell their product via the web. I could understand their enthusiasm for each of these systems, but I was still left feeling that something was just not as perfect as it could be. Too hot, too messy, too time-consuming, I just knew that there had to be something better out there.

My best friend came to the rescue. With a baby only a few months older than mine, she was still figuring out her own perfect system.

“Fleece soakers”, she told me. “You’ll never go back.” And she was right. Fleece soakers are everything I could want in a nighttime diaper. Economical, environmentally friendly, available in every cute pattern imaginable. Easy to pull on and off without elastic, snaps or Aplix. They stayed dry, even as my daughter began sleeping more and going for longer stretches without a diaper change. The best part, I found, was that they made the transition from my newborn fitteds to the Bummis organic prefolds that I switched to for an even more cost-effective and environmentally option after the newborn stage. Now I just put a Snappi on the prefold, pick the fleece that matches her pajamas (or suits my mood) and settle in for the night, confident that my daughter will sleep warm and dry throughout the night…or as close to “through the night” as it gets with a five-month-old.