Tag Archives: night nappies

Part 3: Cloth at night – Using dedicated night nappies

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This is part 3 of the ‘Cloth at night’ series.

To read earlier parts please follow these links:

Cloth at night: an introduction

Part 1: Considering cloth nappies at night-time?

Part 2: Cloth at night – using day nappies as night nappies

Part 3: Cloth at night – Using dedicated night nappies

Dedicated night nappies are a relatively new sub-section in the world of modern cloth nappies.

Cloth night nappies are specially designed for babies and toddlers who sleep through the night and have a large volume of fluid output during night sleeps.

There are 2 types of night nappies

1. Night nappies that need a separate cover. The most absorbant night nappies usually fall in this category.

2. Night nappies that do not need a separate cover: all the absorbancy and waterproofing is sewn together, or in a pocket nappy format. Usually this kind of nappy has good quality polarfleece as the outer waterproof layer: it is rare to find wool outer nappies that are all together with the absorbancy.

Personally I think a fitted night nappy and a separate wool cover works the best at night. A fitted night nappy is fully absorbant, and allows superior breathability, especially when coupled with a wool cover.

Facts about dedicated night nappies

Night nappies are:

1. Usually made out of hemp, bamboo and microfibre materials, for maximum absorbency and trimness.

2. Are generally made from medium size onwards to large sizes, as night nappies really come to their own when babies grow bigger and sleep through the night.

3. Are generally bulkier than day time nappies, as the layers start from about 16 layers upwards to 22 layers or more. Guaranteed to induce the ‘cowboy swagger’!

Early dedicated night nappies were extremely bulky and extremely expensive to begin with, with up to 1 metres of cotton, expensive hemp or bamboo fleece in the one absorbant nappy (this is going back only 5 years!). Current designs make use of trim nappy patterns and contoured or customised absorbancy to trim down the overall size of the nappy.

4. Usually covered in wool, fleece or PUL for breathability, far superior to PVC in the old days.

Nappy tips for dealing with heavywetters

1. For best results, ensure the outer layer of the nappy is either wool or a good quality fleece material.

Personally I adore wool for its breathability, and its ability to ‘pull’ moisture out of the nappy to evaporate throughout the night, keeping baby drier for longer, and allowing the nappy to ‘reset’ its absorbancy all night. Malden Mills Fleece (300wt or Windpro) is an excellent outer layer choice if wool is not your cup of tea.

Read more about wool…

2. If using PUL as an outer layer, consider using extra layers of absorbancy, or change to wool or fleece if leaks continue.

3. How many night nappies? At least 3 to start off with, with the average around 5-6, as some of these very absorbent nappies have many layers and may take a few days to dry.

Night nappy brands in Australia

At Bean Sprout Bubba we carry the Baby Beehinds Nights night nappy, which needs a cover to go over it. These nappies are trim for a night nappy and have the ability to adjust absorbancy where it is needed.

Click here to shop for nappies to use at night time at Bean Sprout Bubba.

Baby Beehinds Nights - a fantastic night nappy in stock at Bean Sprout Bubba (s, M, L)

Other quality and highly regarded Aussie brands of dedicated night nappies to consider:

- Mandy Mac ‘Purple Nights’ (fitted, requires cover)
- Twinkle Lily ‘Supernightz’ (fitted, requires cover)
- Sustainable Hemp Products Nappy Chappies ‘Sandmans’ (fitted, requires cover)
- Keester Kovers (all in one, Fleece outer, no PUL, not currently being made UPDATED 31/7/2010: will be available again very soon!)
- Wild Child ‘Dreamy Nights’ (fitted, requires cover)
- Genesa Forge: various night nappies for heavy wetters up to super heavywetters (all in one)
- Whizz Kidz night nappy (fitted, requires a cover)
- Bubblebubs ‘Good Night Sleep Tight’ (fitted, requires a very generous nappy cover)

Does anyone have any questions? tips? Comment Away! :)

Please note: Assuredly night nappies are something I didn’t have to deal with, though I did come very very close with my then-nearly-3-year-old right before she night-trained! So please take what you read in Part 3 with a grain of salt, and tell me YOUR experiences with dedicated night nappies.

Part 1: Considering cloth nappies at night-time?

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This is part 1 of the ‘Cloth at night’ series.

To read other parts please follow these links:

Cloth at night: an introduction

Part 1: Considering cloth nappies at night-time?

Part 2: Cloth at night – using day nappies as night nappies

Part 3: Cloth at night – Using dedicated night nappies

Okay, so we’ve gotten the hang of day-time cloth nappies.

Night time will follow in the same way, once we’ve considered all the factors to determine which cloth nappy would suit your baby at night time.

Factor 1: Sleeping through the night, or not?

Tip 1 – Use night-boosted nappies or dedicated night nappies once baby stops pooing in his/her sleep and sleeps through the night.

Newborns and very young infants that do not sleep through the night typically do not require night nappies, as they would be changed before, during or after their night feed/s. As they are still so very small, there is no need for extremely absorbant nappies anyway.

Generally, babies do not pass any bowel motions or wee while fast asleep. It is when they wake between sleep cycles that any waste is produced.

For babies who take naps longer than about 1-1.5 hours, or sleep through the night, they may have some time between sleep cycles where they may wake sufficiently to wee/poo, then fall back asleep again (or wake up crying because they feel wet or dirty, depending on the nappy/motion).

Babies who have sensitive skin would be advised to have their nappy changed every time they poo (even in the middle of the night) to reduce the chance of skin irritation.

Factor 2: Light, average or heavy wetter?

Tip 2: Depending on your baby’s wetting habits: rule of thumb is to add 50-100% more absorbancy of a day nappy for night time.

Generally, older toddlers would have more wee output than young infants. Usually the absorbancy of baby’s current daytime nappies would be a good indicator of what kind of wetter the baby is.

Also, older toddlers tend to flood a nappy once or twice a night, or even store it all up until first thing in the morning.
Young infants tend to wet more frequently but in smaller quantities throughout the night.

Factor 3: Evening drinks for baby, or none?

Tip 3: be mindful of what bub has drunk in the evening, then either offer opportunities to go to the toilet (if old enough) or add extra boosting in the night nappy.

In our family, I try to limit drinks after 6.30pm. If my children need a drink after 6.30pm I would limit to 1/2 a cup maximum, or offer plenty of opportunity to go to the toilet before bed to reduce any nightly output. Be mindful if soup is part of dinner (or even swallowing bathwater!) and adjust the absorbancy of the night nappies accordingly.

Older babies/toddlers who wake for a drink of milk or water in the middle of the night would also tend to wet a lot more than babies who don’t. Either invest in extra absorbent boosters or use a dedicated night nappy in these cases.

Next in this Cloth at Night series I will share in Part 2:

- how to use your daytime nappies at night successfully.
- tips to determine whether your day nappies are suitable for the job at night.

In the third and final part I will talk about dedicated night nappies, the types that are available out there, and all you need to know about using these specialised nappies at night.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Or click here to shop for nappies to use at night time at Bean Sprout Bubba.

Cloth at night: an introduction

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So curiosity about cloth nappies has led me to fully cloth nappy my baby during the day.

How did I transition to cloth nappies at night-time, and for long sleeps over 4-6 hours?

In the old days, using nappies at night simply meant doubling a cloth terry nappy, and putting a BIG cover over the top.
You can just imagine how big baby’s bottom would be!!

Following comments from this post about cloth nappy tips and questions, this week I intend to share, over 2 or 3 parts, how night time cloth nappying is just as simple to perform as daytime, by following a few key tips.

In the first part I will mention how baby’s sleeping patterns may affect night time motions, and share some simple tips to reduce wetting at night.

In the second part I share how certain daytime nappies can be converted into nappies suitable for night time use by following a few simple tips, saving you money from using disposable nappies.

In the third and final part I will talk about dedicated night nappies, the types that are available out there, and all you need to know about using these specialised nappies at night.

Note that any advice or tips I share should take your baby’s needs and the needs of your family into account before deciding whether to follow them, as every baby and every family has different circumstances.

Click here to shop for nappies to use at night time at Bean Sprout Bubba.

If you have any other specific questions regarding nappies at night please comment below and I will try to cover it in my 3-part series.

:) Rebecca

This is the introduction to the ‘Cloth at night’ series.

To read earlier parts please follow these links:

Cloth at night: an introduction

Part 1: Considering cloth nappies at night-time?

Part 2: Cloth at night – using day nappies as night nappies

Part 3: Cloth at night – Using dedicated night nappies

Want to submit a question or future cloth nappy-related topic? Click here for more details, you could win an ecoBumba onesize nappy! Closes 31 July 2010, giveaway details here.

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