Cloth diapering Q and A, please come in.

[greenmimama]

So I am not the only expert around, but wanted to throw it out here, that I am well versed in cloth diapering and used to teach the local classes here in town. I would be happy to answer questions that anyone has.

I have cloth diapered my 3 children 1 of which is still in diapers, but as a full disclosure, he is in disposables for many reasons, but just for the last bit here, I have cloth diapered for basically 7 years in a row. I have used just about every kind on the market :) Too many actually, but now I can help you, so here I am, ask me anything.

[mxt0133]

Since you are offering.  We did cloth diapers for my oldest, but always used disposable during the night.  He is off diapers during the day but still use diapers at night.  Any good suggestions on getting of disposables for overnight sleeping?

We do cloth for my youngest and also do disposable for overnight sleeping.

[KimPossible]

Using cloth diapers at night was what got my daughter to finally stop using nighttime diapers.

I wish we had cloth diapered.  We did Elimination Communication with my oldest, and it went wonderfully.  Seriously, she was the poster child for EC.  Then we had kid #2....  (I'm learning that kid #2 is very adamant about doing things her own way).

She didn't take to EC as well as #1, but it wasn't a complete failure.  She was completely out of diapers in the daytime but very resistant to not sleeping in pull-ups.  When it became clear that this was a choice on her part, I finally got fed up and bought a couple of g diapers at a thrift store.

Funnily enough, it took less than a week of sleeping in cloth diapers to convince her that it was time to switch to panties at night.  I wish I had done it months earlier.

[greenmimama]

Since you are offering.  We did cloth diapers for my oldest, but always used disposable during the night.  He is off diapers during the day but still use diapers at night.  Any good suggestions on getting of disposables for overnight sleeping?

We do cloth for my youngest and also do disposable for overnight sleeping.

Night time cloth diapering can be confusing, our very best bet was using a diaper that we normally used, but then using a few extra absorbent layers, so like a pocket diaper but instead of putting 2 stuffers in it we used 4 at night, and then topped it with a wool cover. Our first son was just a waterfall everynight and this worked well on him, have you tried any wool yet? It is a whole nother ball game, but it's really much simpler than it seems, I could walk you through it if you want me to.

[greenmimama]

Using cloth diapers at night was what got my daughter to finally stop using nighttime diapers.

I wish we had cloth diapered.  We did Elimination Communication with my oldest, and it went wonderfully.  Seriously, she was the poster child for EC.  Then we had kid #2....  (I'm learning that kid #2 is very adamant about doing things her own way).

She didn't take to EC as well as #1, but it wasn't a complete failure.  She was completely out of diapers in the daytime but very resistant to not sleeping in pull-ups.  When it became clear that this was a choice on her part, I finally got fed up and bought a couple of g diapers at a thrift store.

Funnily enough, it took less than a week of sleeping in cloth diapers to convince her that it was time to switch to panties at night.  I wish I had done it months earlier.

ECing, wish I would have tried it with any of my kids, I have a friend who successfully did this with her daughter and it was so cool!

[momo5]

I agree that wool covers are the way to go for nighttime. I would use a fitted with an extra flat folded up inside plus a wool cover over it. if you want to be wild and crazy, put the child in fleece pj's, fleece is a good barrier too. (not the microfleece, the polar fleece)

I cloth diapered for a few years, I made my own diapers, handed them down and then sold them. it was fun! I learned to knit wool soakers too, and you can also sew them from old wool sweaters.

[mxt0133]

FYI my son is 3, i'll give it a shot.  He has gotten up a handful of times in the middle of the night to pee, but mostly just sleeps trough.  Thanks for the advice.

[momo5]

FYI my son is 3, i'll give it a shot.  He has gotten up a handful of times in the middle of the night to pee, but mostly just sleeps trough.  Thanks for the advice.

I take it back then. I thought you were talking about a baby, I had no luck with overnight cloth for the older set. their bladders just hold so much! my 4 yo isnt consistent with nighttime yet, I've pretty much resigned myself to taking her to the toilet before I go to bed. that seems to help her stay dry. my plan, and I have no idea if it will actually work, is to start taking her earlier and earlier, thereby stretching the amount of time she is staying dry at night until eventually, her last trip to the potty will be right before bed.

[abhe8]

I also need help with older nighttime wetters. my boys are 3 and 5 and still in pullups overnight. (i've cloth diapered all 4 of my children, and with my oldest she night learned about the same time as daytime...but not the boys. sigh.). but they have huge bladders and will pee through anything i've tried. i finally decided the pullups are cheaper then washing the sheets every day.

[greenmimama]

I also need help with older nighttime wetters. my boys are 3 and 5 and still in pullups overnight. (i've cloth diapered all 4 of my children, and with my oldest she night learned about the same time as daytime...but not the boys. sigh.). but they have huge bladders and will pee through anything i've tried. i finally decided the pullups are cheaper then washing the sheets every day.

SOmetimes it is a good choice. I had a very heavy night time wetter, I just doubled up on every soaker or insert and used wool, it worked really well, no wet sheets in the morning, we also used a nice thick fleece sleep sack, that works really well too.

For the wool, Check out this info http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/kissas-wool.html Tons of info and good pictures, I prefer this style as it covers all the leaky areas as well as the whole diaper.

Although Interlock wool was my favorite, like this http://www.etsy.com/listing/82639886/merino-wool-interlock-soaker-moisture?ref=sr_gallery_29&ga_search_query=interlock+wool&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

[inthenavy]

This is an answered prayer! I have just started cloth diapering my first baby, shes 2 months old, and whenever I try to learn more online (while simultaneously rocking/nursing her} I become overwhelmed by it all, esp all the acronyms!  so thank you for sharing your wisdom.

I am interested in learning more about wool.  Did you exclusively use it at night?  it seems like some moms put their kids in wool pants all day and that seemed weird to me that it was a diaper cover/pants.  Right now we arent having trouble leaking.  I use mostly pocket diapers during the day and a fitted with pull cover at night.  However I am thinking leaking may be an issue bc  i lucked out and have a 2 month old that sleeps 8 hours.  Is wool also somehow better for her than pul covers?  I cant afford to do all wool but i am interested in learning how to sew a cover.  Did you have a link for that? 

Also did anyone try the potty sprayer and not end up blasting poop water on the floor?  I have heard there is a gaurd but being mustachian i am hesitant to buy unitasking accessories.

Thank you!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

inthenavy--Sprayer never worked well for me, either, or for this lady: http://crappypictures.com/cloth-diapers-the-good-and-the-crappy/. Now I just wear dishwashing gloves and dunk in the toilet.

Re: overnight diapering, I don't have wool and it's pricey. But both my kids (ages 3 and nearly 2) were peeing right through a pocket stuffed with the ultimate combo of microfiber over hemp. I am getting some extra protection by covering the whole damn thing with nylon pants (Gerber or Dappis). It's not a panacea, but it really cuts down on the leaking. The younger one was sleeping in a pocket and just having leaks sometimes, but the older one has been sleeping in disposables and I'm trying to cut back on those.

[SJS]

I can't even begin to imagine the $$$ parents spend on disposable diapers these days!  Not having kids, don't have a clue.  But I'm one of 8 kids, and my mom ONLY did cloth diapers!!  Back then it wasn't about "ease & convenience" - it was about "we need to raise 8 kids and still save for retirement!"  What a woman my mom is! 

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

And those were the primitive cloth diapers, too! They are all fancy now :-).

Update on night cloth diapering: I have successfully cloth-diapered my three-year-old at night! Cotton prefold folded around a Thirsties Hemp insert. Econobums cover (still BARELY fits over all that). Nylon Gerber pants on top. It's holding! And he gets to feel wet.