Reading Time: 5 minutes Cloth Diapers Overnight Troubleshooting and Tips
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Using cloth diapers overnight can be tricky. Many new parents experience the frustration of cloth diaper night leaking. Cloth diapers at night do not need to be a challenge.
We’re here to help troubleshoot and give tricks on how to use cloth diapers at night.
Table of Contents
Causes of Cloth Diaper Night Leaking
To figure out how to cloth diaper overnight, we need to understand the cause of the leaking. The most common issues causing cloth diapers to leak at night are:
- Volume: It’s just too much pee and poop
- Cloth Diaper Type: Some work better than others
- Poor fit: Is it a good fit
- Absorbency: Is it the right type and a great fit but the diaper has lost some of its powers
- Compression Leaks: Stomach sleepers can cause compression leaks, or you have the diaper too tight
Volume
Why are cloth diapers at nighttime a challenge? During the day you change your baby’s diaper as many as 14 times. That is every 2 to 3 hours, give or take.
Most babies sleep 10 to 12 hours a night. You simply aren’t changing their diapers as often at night and the diapers can only absorb so much.
Adding extra inserts or trying different material for the inserts are easy ways to troubleshoot. There will be some degree of trail and error here. Try adding an additional insert each night, until you find the number that works for your baby.
Cloth Diaper Type?
Perhaps a different cloth diaper type is worth trying overnight. When it comes to overnights, not every diaper is created equal.
For more information on cloth diaper types see 11 Cloth Diaper Types Explained Simply.
Poor fit
If the diapers you are using for overnights are too big, or too small laeaks will happen.
Absorbency
Diapers can only hold so much. They also lose their absorbency overtime. There are things you can do to increase the absorbency of cloth diapers.
You’ve eaten dehydrated fruit, and it’s still real fruit. Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets are along the same lines. They’re actual laundry detergent but made in eco-friendly sheets. They’re just dehydrated laundry sheets that come in cardboard envelopes.
For more information on how to fix cloth diaper absorbency issues see Cloth Diaper Absorbency Hacks, Tips, and Tricks.
Compression Leaks
If your baby sleeps on their stomach it may be bunching up the diaper around the legs or waist. Another form of compression leak is if the diaper is too tight.
Cloth Diaper Night Solutions
Try to adjust the fit of the diapers you are using. Play around with where you are snapping closures. If your diapers have a two closure system, try snapping the top closer to the belly button and the bottom on snap further out. We will post a photo of this soon.
Try to improve the absorbency of your diapers.
Try using different types of diapers. If you have more than one type of diaper
Consider cloth diapers made specifically for overnight. Here is one that is popular, and comes highly recommended in the cloth diapering community.
AmazonGo With The Flow: Leaks Aren’t the End of The World
Another solution is to just go with the flow. Do your best, but don’t stress out over some leaks. If you have concerns about changing sheets and mattress pads daily while testing different fits, inserts, and types of overnight cloth diapers, you can also add pads to the best to prevent extra work.
Think of the pads that the hospital used for you after birth, but softer. There are also disposable options. Either option can help make your life easier while working through leak issues.
These are also great to have around during toilet training days. Here are a couple that we hope you find helpful.
What Cloth Diaper Is Best Overnight
If you have it in your budget to invest in Hemp Diapers, you will see the best results. Hemp diapers are the most absorbent overnight cloth diaper. Fitted Diapers offer the most bodily coverage making them the most most ideal for overnights.
So look for Fitted Hemp Cloth Diapers. Here’s a few that rate highly on Amazon.
Alternatively adding hemp inserts these are great, and allow you to buy different quantity.
How Many Diapers Specifically For Overnight
If you decide to buy a different type of cloth diapers specifically for overnight you’ll need to know how many.
You’ll want to have at least the number of overnights for days you go between washes. Add another 1 or 2 diapers for middle of the night changes.
Each baby is different, if the sleep schedule you and your baby have requires diaper changes, you will need more diapers, or have a daily or bi-daily schedule.
Disposable Diapers vs Cloth Diapers At Night
Sometimes it makes more sense to use disposable diapers than cloth diapers. If you are not cloth diaper exclusive, then consider disposable diapers overnight.
Overnight specific disposable diapers typically guarantee that you won’t have leaks, and if you have a baby who sleeps through the night, you won’t need to wake them (or you) for diaper changes.
See our guide on When To Use Cloth Diapers, When To Use Disposable Diapers.
Bottom Line Cloth Diapers Overnight
Do not become discouraged if you baby’s cloth diaper leaks overnight. There are quick and easy fixes that should help prevent leaks. It’s not that you are doing anything wrong. It’s that cloth diapering overnight is different than during the day.
Just keep in mind, there will come a time when your baby will sleep through the night.
Happy Fluffing!
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