Nighttime diapering

We bed share.  That being said, it's especially important that our diapers don't have leaks in the middle of the night.  We've tried different disposable diaper brands, and different types of diapers in those brands and have found that none of them are great for 12-hours of leak protection.  The 12-hour thing is clutch for us because Linus is usually happy lounging around in bed for about that long, and he only wakes up about 2-3 times in that 12-hour period.

We've had all sorts of fun accidents in our bed, from just a little pee to a whooooooole lotta poo.  And, finally we found the solution.  It's quite simple, actually.  The answer is: cloth diapers.

There are two reasons that I trust cloth:

1. There is actual elastic that goes around the waist and legs.  I can adjust the fit to ensure that there's a tight seal so even the biggest messes stay contained, and
2. I can stuff it with whatever materials I choose.  More on that in a bit.

Now, even within the cloth diaper continuum, I've narrowed down 2 brands that I trust for overnight wear.  The brand I trust most is BumGenius, but I'll settle for Fuzzibunz if my BumGenius are dirty.  I'm sure there are a lot of other great brands, but of the brands that I own, those are the two that fit Linus the absolute best.

And, for anyone who is looking for a diaper to try, I highly suggest the BumGenius.  I'm pretty sure that every single cloth diapering mama and papa that I've talked to trust them the most for nighttime wear.  I haven't tried their AIO (Elemental or Freetime), but I hear they're fantastic.  I use their 4.0 diapers, which are pockets and are adjustable for newborns through toddlers (8-35 lbs).

The snap closure is great.  I hear that some kids eventually start taking off their diapers because they think it's HI-larious.  The snaps really don't allow that because they're tougher to get loose.

Okay, so I mentioned the bit about how I love pocket diapers at night because you can stuff them with whatever you want.  After doing some research, I found that stuffing with the microfiber insert that comes with the BumGenius PLUS a layer of hemp (I use the Thirsties hemp inserts) can easily keep my kid dry for 12-hours, no matter the pee or poo situation he encounters in the middle of the night.

The deal is this: keep the microfiber closer to the kid's bum (but never touching their skin directly) because its job is to act quickly to pull the moisture away from the kid's body, then keep the natural fiber (hemp or bamboo, etc.) underneath that because natural fibers are fantastic at holding the liquid.  So, we wick it away and then we have our holding tank.  Here's one person's comparison of a couple different inserts and how much liquid they can hold.  You can, of course, easily conduct that test on your own.

That's all the time I have.  I'm off to care for a crying baby!  Niiiiight.