Our Battle Against Wetness

Cloth diapering at night-time can take some time to figure out. It can be the thorn in a cd'ing mamas side. Having your little one wake up wet is very discouraging, and obviously not comfortable for them. At first we used a combination of disposables and cloth diapers while I built my stash, got prefolds that fit (I needed the xs size for my little guy), and I fully recovered from my c-section.

We fully cloth diapered around 1 month old, and had no problems. We began running into issues with leaks when ds started sleeping for longer stretches at night time, which started around 5 months old. Ds was still waking up once in the middle of the night, actually due to weight gain issues we were waking him up if he didn't wake up himself. He would wake up wet then, and also in the morning when he got up for the day. Sometimes it was damp, sometimes it was soaking wet. Having to change his pajamas and crib sheet in the middle of the night is not fun, and then having to do it twice is even less. I was just glad I had my wonderful husband to help me. Our routine was I would go warm up his bottle (I was pumping and storing so the milk was in the fridge and sometimes frozen still) while he changed his pajamas. If the crib sheet was wet enough I would change that when he started to feed him. He would finish and I would go back to bed.

Our diaper stash consists of pockets, prefolds and flats. I did not want to buy several different diapers to try at night time. I wanted to make what we had work. Pockets were no good for us at night time, ever, double stuffed, stuffed with a variety of things; always leaked. Prefolds worked the best with either a Duo wrap or a Flip cover. Those are the covers we exclusively use. It was hit or miss with us at night and him leaking for a long time. Finally around 9 months old he started sleeping through the night completely, anywhere from 11-13 hours. That is when the more consistent leaking started. At that point he was wearing a snappi'd prefold, in medium, which is what fit him, with an extra small prefold pad-folded as a doubler. That is actually still at almost 14 months our current diaper at night time. He leaked more often than not, but I just kept trying different things. A hemp insert, microfiber, bamboo. Nothing helped. I finally bit the bullet, and about 50 dollars later I had an Eco-Posh wool soaker, and some wool wash. I had read about wool and how amazing it is. I anxiously waited for it to arrive, immediately washed it and loved how soft and squishy it was, and a few days later it was dry and I was finally able to use it.

First night, we were dry! Hooray! I was so excited. Second night, third night, first week, second week, first month. The same result I was convinced, and I now understood why everyone who has wool loves it as much as they do. In all my research, and forum posting & reading I don't recall many not loving the wool they have tried. It has so many benefits. It is natural, breathable, keeps you warm in the winter/cool in the summer, it is anti-microbial, and requires minimal washing. The only thing to have to get past is the cost. I first started using the wool cover in the beginning of September after almost a year of cloth diapering, and am kicking myself for not purchasing one sooner. I kept talking about them to my dh, but couldn't bring myself to ordering it due to the price. It is without a doubt worth the cost. Now, I have actually purchased a second one for when it needs to be laundered. I am also planning and thinking about future children and buying or making some wool soakers in smaller sizes. I guess I should actually get pregnant first though.

In the 2 months of using the wool, we had our first leak the other day, and I believe it was our fault. Ds had a belly ache and several dirty diapers, which led to a very red rash since his skin is easily irritated. We don't have issues with him getting red otherwise, and do not use a stay dry liner at night with his prefolds. Due to the rash, and his crying when he would just sit, I gave dh one for the night. I think it was right over his whole area and the pee could not absorb into the prefold. Besides this night, we have had absolutely no wetness.

If you are struggling with leaks and night-time diapering, using disposables due to leaks and want to use cloth full-time, try wool. I have absolutely no complaints about it, and have to hold back from ordering more for my son. If you try it, I guarantee you will not regret it!

About me: My name is Colleen, I am a 28 year old, first time, stay at home mom to an awesome 14 month old boy, named Gavin. I live in a small town in upstate new york with my husband of 5 years.