Night Time Solutions
Night time cloth can seem daunting at first, but once you have the right solution it works just as well as day time cloth. Just know that your baby will have a big bum and that's okay! It bothers the mom more than it does baby, rather a dry bed and sleeping baby than a small bum that leaks.
Nappies that are absorbent all over are the most recommended night time solutions - for example fitteds, flats and/or prefolds with a cover.
Important Factors
When it comes to night cloth nappy solutions, the following factors are very important, even if the nappy has the absorbency capability to hold your LO's output, if these factors are not correct you might still get leaks
FIT
Elastics needs to be in the panty line, no gaps at the waist (especially for tummy sleepers) and rise snaps correctly adjusted.
COMFORT
Remember the bulk bothers you more than your baby. A night nappy will be bulky, since it has to cope with up to 12 hours of urine. Some babies do have specific night time preferences though, which can affect comfort. For example some babies are prone to redness when using PUL at night, so fleece or wool are better options for them. Some babies do not like feeling wet at night, so a big micro fleece liner will help give a stay-dry effect. Serged (over-locked) instead of turned edges can be more comfortable at night especially for chunkier babies as the elastics are gentler. PUL covers with gentle elastics are typically also better for night time. Different brands give a different fit!
MAX ABSORBENCY CAPABILITY
Absorbency is determined by the number of layers, the size of the layers and the fabrics used. Also make sure you layer the inserts at the wet zone or boost at the wet zone for maximum absorbency effectiveness. This is especially important if your little one pees quickly/forceably so that the nappy can keep up while s/he pees.
TYPE OF FABRIC
Some fabrics like microfiber are prone to compression leaks, so they are not ideal for night time. If you have a fleece cover with tight fitting cotton clothes over, you can also get compression leaks etc. Try to opt for natural fibres in night nappies as they are generally more absorbent and hold on to moisture better (and will not smell if cleaned properly)
BOOSTING
Make sure to boost in the wet zone. You can boost either inside the fitted/flat/prefold or boost between the fitted and cover. Adding the booster in the cover can help give a better fit, especially if the nappy is already on the bulkier side.
How to determine what type of wetter your baby/toddler is
If you already know what cloth solutions work for your baby/toddler, you can go and have a look on the heavy, medium and light wetter (night and day) comparisons to see where your baby/toddler falls.
Another way to determine if your baby/toddler is a light, medium or heavy wetter is by measuring their output (this can be done with disposables as well). How it works:
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Weigh your cloth nappy/disposable before putting it on baby
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Weigh the cloth nappy/disposable again when taking it off
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Subtract the dry weight from the wet weight. The grams translate to an equal amount of ml, so you can determine the ml volume of baby's output
It is VERY rare to have an extreme heavy wetter or even a heavy wetter, most babies will fall under the light or medium wetter mark, so the spread over the categories is not even.
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