Babies – The cute and cuddly angels are a divine gift to the parents and family. There is a lot of cuddling in the day by the extended family but as night time approaches it is the frazzled parents who have to spend waking hours pacifying the little one. The mother is generally exhausted after the long day, looking after new situations that arise out of new motherhood and recuperating from the birth. Although fathers do get a modicum of fatherhood leave, the constant juggling may cause serious sleep deprivation.
The new baby is often out of sorts and it takes nearly a year or more for night time to be peaceful. The first year can be a constant struggle for both parents handling nightly feeds, diaper changes and interrupted sleep. There may be days when both parents are awake trying to calm a distraught baby, who cries and fusses incessantly for no apparent reason.
Gone are the days of irritation due to wet diapers
A soaked diaper can be a reason for a baby’s distress. It may also mean a change of bedding and an enormous amount of washing the next day. Effective cloth diapering at night time can save you the trouble and ensure that your baby remains dry and comfortable through the night. So, dispel the myth that cloth diapering does not work for night time.
Day time cloth diapers may need a change every 3 hours or so, but nights can be another story all together. The baby often needs a dry bum for nearly 12 hours or so, with a couple of feeds thrown in. The best meaning parents give in to disposables at night time, assuming cloth diapering is not doable at night. However, there are some really simple solution when it comes to cloth diapering the baby at night.
For the baby to sleep through for longer hours without feeling wetness, the trick is to just add more absorbency! Did you know that you can just add an extra insert to your Fig-o-honey pocket diapers and customise the same diaper for night-time cloth diapering?
Some combinations that are popular with parents-
- 2 microfiber inserts
- Microfiber insert + 3 bamboo insert
- Microfiber insert + 4 bamboo insert
- 3 bamboo insert + 4 bamboo insert
- Make your own combination using DIY inserts, flats made out of old sarees, towels, etc
Experiment with the layers to see what works for you and the baby to find your own night-time cloth diapering solution.
Some tips for night-time diapering
- Make sure thatnew inserts are prewashed (prepped) so that they’re fully absorbent.
- It is not advisable to use an insert directly against the baby’s skin. It can dry out the baby’s skin and lead to rashes. Always use the inserts inside the pockets provided for them.
- If your little one has dirtied a cloth diaper with poop do make sure that you change it immediately.
- Prewash cloth diapers before adding them to the wash cycle. It makes them cleaner and the ammonia smell goes away easily.
Cloth diapers are a healthier alternative for your baby as well as the environment. Modern cloth diapers can be easily customised to be used overnight and make your nights diaper hassle-free, by reducing the stress of diaper changing at night.
