Night Nappies - do I need a dedicated night nappy?

Have you tried night time cloth nappies? If not what is holding you back?

You don’t necessarily need a dedicated night nappy depending on what is already in your possession and how heavy a wetter your little one is. Most of the time if you have a younger baby or one who isn’t a heavy wetter you can get away with boosted day nappies. It may take a little experimenting and patience to find a solution that works best but hang in there. The key to a successful night nappy is generally an abundance of absorbency that is able to hold in lots of liquid for a longer amount of time. In order to work out what options may work look at materials that inserts are made of. Bamboo and hemp are highly absorbent and will last longer whilst microfibre is fast absorbing but tends to expel liquid faster as well as being prone to compression leaks hence the reason most night nappies are largely made up of bamboo fabrics. 

If you have a lot of microfibre inserts at your disposal you can look at adding these in the pocket (they should never go directly against the skin as microfibre will dry the skin out) with either a bamboo or hemp insert or prefold such as the Rawr prefolds. Another option is purchasing night boosters from specific brands that can generally be used in most branded nappies. We carry a range from Baby Bare and Bubblebubs. Play around with the inserts and there positioning to see what combination works best for your baby but know that what may work at one stage may not work at another, these babies keep us on our toes. 

Fitted nappies are a good option for night time as well because you can tailor the absorption to suit your little ones needs by adding inserts either in the nappy or between the nappy and cover. One of our favourite options for night fitteds here is either a Bamboo delight Or Honey pot  teamed with a Bubblebubs night booster or baby bare night trifold. These work for us the best but the little one isn’t an overly heavy wetter for how much she feeds over night. 

The last consideration is adding a cover, you can choose from either a PUL or wool cover. Personally we have always used PUL covers as that’s what works for us but wool covers are a widely chosen option that work wonderfully. Covers can be placed over boosted day nappies as well to help add an extra layer of wetness protection. The only downside you may find with a PUL cover is it may cause some friction marks depending on what it is paired with. Wool covers are an excellent option for heavy wetters if only using a day nappy as well. 

The biggest thing to remember when working out a night option is to persevere, remain patient and if it turns out your little one is a heavy wetter and you have nothing at home that works perhaps try a dedicated night nappy. Don’t be alarmed either with the bulkiness of night nappies unless your little one shows signs of discomfort. 

Good luck and please get in touch if you need any help at all.