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Night nappy ideas

Nappying for night time can be challenging, especially if your little one likes plenty of milk before bed. This is true even if you use disposable nappies. (Before we used cloth nappies at night we used a very high performing brand of eco-disposable, but even with these we thought that damp pyjamas and bedding were unavoidable.) Leaking nappies means wet clothes and bedding, possibly a cold baby, not to mention night time disturbance, and no-one wants to be up changing nappies at night if they can help it!

You may need to experiment with different systems and levels of boosting etc. before you find what is right for you. To give you some starting points we have put together a few ideas based on our own experience and listening to what other parents have found that works.

Some people use pocket nappies very successfully for night nappies, though our preference is for a two part system with a good breathable wrap.

Boosted Sandy's with Air Flow wrap
We have never had a serious leak with this combination, even with our big 3.5 year-old daughter. The Sandy's is a high absorbency nappy, particualrly in the organic version, that gives good coverage of the nappy area. It will probably need a booster for night time, and a fleece-topped booster is ideal for this as it will help keep skin dry. We recommend the Mother of Eden microterry fleece-topped booster for its fantastic softness. In the morning our daughters nappy was soaked but her skin is only damp. She loves taking her Whales to bed (on the Air Flow wrap).

Alternatively a fleece wrap increases evaporation from the nappy helping to keep the nappy area cooler and dryer. It took us about 3 years to try a fleece wrap as we didn't believe they would work but they do!

Fluffles
A new addition to our range and one which we are most impressed with. Made form synthetic terry these nappies are very absorbent, yet surprisingly light weight. What makes them good for night time too is the fact that they stay soft when wet, unlike cotton which can lose its softness a little, particularly when washed in hard water (you will know if you have hard water by whether you get a lot of white 'scum' around your sink or scale in your kettle). Fluffles are also 3/4 fleece lined making them dry and comfy next to baby's skin. Not as bulky as the original Tots Bots nappies, Fluffles make a good day nappy too.

Huggles
These are a higly absorbent cotton terry nappy and we have found them to be highly reliable. They are completely flece lined too, keeping the baby's skin with a soft, dry layer against it all night. They are quite bulky but this is not problematic at night time. They work well with Air Flow wraps, Tots Bots fleece wraps or for the XL on a larger child the XXL Rebs Wrap. Click here for more details.

Pocket nappies
Many people use pocket nappies very successfully at night, when they have found the right level of boosting for their child. Pocket nappies can be a good choice as they keep the whole of the nappy area dry. For example, my son can go to bed in a Fuzzi Bunz or Wonderoo with two large microinserts and have completely dry skin in the morning. Having said that, for some older children and heavy night wetters it can be tricky to strike a balance between adequate stuffing and too much stuffing. Too much stuffing can cause the leg elastic to pull away from the leg, causing the nappy to gape, and the wee trickles out of the side before being soaked up into the nappy. However, this will depend on the type of pocket nappy you choose and how it suits the build of your baby. Minki pocket nappies, particularly the Standard cut, are a good night pocket option as they are completely fleece covered, making them less prone to wetness 'wicking' (like a candle wick, drqawing up moistere) through to the clothing because fleece is not absorbent. The Standard cut Minki also allows plenty of room for inserts. Click here for details.

That said, for many babies a pocket nappy will work well at night. Try stuffing the nappy with two microterry inserts, a Wonder-full insert or a more absorbent version ofwhatever you normally use.

Experiment!
You may need to experiment a little before you get the right combination of nappy, absorbency and wrap to last your baby through the night. When experimenting start off with more absorbency than you think you will need and if the nappy is still partly dry in the morning you could reduce the absorbency a bit. You may also want to take advantage of one of our night nappy kits which comprise an entire night nappy kit at a discount price (coming soon).