Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Night time solutions

I recently got a Slinki Minki nappy to try. As I'm a big fan of the Classic Minki pocket nappies for using at night, I thought I'd test the Slinki for night-time use. I duly stuffed it with the Minki insert it came with (slimmer than the standard Minki insert), plus two bamboo boosters. Cue one soaking wet baby at 3am. So, it seems the Classic Minki is the only pocket nappy I've used that's good for nights.
During the 3am nappy-change, I decided on another trial. This time the 'Easy' Nappy by Petits Dessous. This is a French All-in-Two that I've wanted to try out for ages. 3am last night was not the time! I stuffed the pocket with a Petits Dessous Bamboo insert and put it on my now wide-awake baby. Cue one soaking wet baby at 7am.
So, most pocket and AIO nappies aren't meant for night. What's the alternative? Lots of mommies use the same two-part nappies and wraps that they use during the day, but with a booster or two added. But I'm not the biggest fan of PUL wraps at night. Too sweaty! The other options for night-time wraps are fleece and wool. Fleece wraps are great. Easy to wash, quick-drying and mega-breathable. Not strictly waterproof, they may be a little damp in the morning, but never soaking.
Even better, in my mind, is wool. Again, not waterproof, but the kindest fabric for your baby. Wool wraps dont need much washing, only gentle airing if damp. In fact, I rarely wash mine. Maybe once a month. And the Bumpy wool wrap I use is machine-washable! You do need to treat wool wraps with lanolin every now and again, but this is easy to do. Some women even knit their own wool wraps, something which I keep saying I'll do. There are loads of free patterns on the internet.
And what to put inside the wrap? I find it depends on the wrap I'm using. I read somewhere that you should only use natural fibres under wool wraps, so I usually use a bamboo or hemp nappy, with about 3 bamboo or hemp boosters. I find the Little Comfort One-size excellent when used with it's two boosters. Added bonus is the boosters are fleece-lined. Although sometimes I'll use a cotton nappy if the bamboo and hemp are still drying. And just increase the boosters. If I'm using fleece, then I like to use my Fluffles, with their snap-in booster. But that's mainly because they're too bulky for daytime but I love them and want an excuse to use them.
To be honest, I used disposables at night for my son when I first started using cloth nappies. I reckoned that one disposable at night meant that I used one pack a month, instead of one a week. I dont regret that decision, but I'm so glad I decided to try to crack the night-time problem this time round. And, except for last night, I no longer have to deal with a soaking-wet baby in the middle of the night.

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