Of the many reasons people choose cloth diapers, the top ones are usually: comfort, cost, and convenience. In addition, people often think about the impact on the environment given the 6,000 to 8,000 diaper changes your baby will go through by the time he or she is potty trained. The cloth vs. disposable diaper choice is one that can have a very real impact on the world we leave behind for our children and grandchildren.
But have you ever considered how cloth diapers affect sleep? And if you do choose cloth what is the best way to ALSO get your baby sleeping well at night and naps?
Last week I sat down with the owner of Diaperstork, Carrie, to discuss all things cloth diapers and sleep! We discussed all the different variations that parents can choose when it comes to using cloth diapers. Some choose all cloth all the time, others choose cloth diapers during the day and disposables at night. The overnight stretch can be one of the tricky areas of cloth diapering. Many parents want to sleep – and let their baby sleep – through longer stretches than the typical 2-3 hours daytime cloth can last.
So when your baby is starting to sleep longer than 2-3 hours (typically by the second to third month) then you will want to consider some different options.
- Option 1: Add more absorbant layers (2-3 x the amount that is done during the day).
- Use a pocket style diaper that has a microfleece liner. Micro Fleece material has wick-away properties.
- Wool is a great option for at night diaper cover as well because it is naturally antimicrobial and wicking. Wool will absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture and is slow to feel damp, yet remains breathable, allowing for maximum air circulation around your baby’s bum.
- Option 2: Add a protectant to the skin such as coconut oil to help decrease skin irritation caused by moisture. Coconut oil is safe to use with cloth diapers and does not stain or damage. *Always make sure if the baby has a rash to get the rash under control prior to going long stretches without diaper changes.
- Option 3: Switch to disposables at night. If baby is now sleeping > 12 hours at night and waking up soaked no matter what you do then consider a disposable night time diaper. You also can try spacing out the last bottle or breastfeed of the day to 30-45 minutes before bed for older babies and children then change the diaper right before bed. This is a good habit to get into anyway in order to decrease the risk of feeding becoming a sleep association ( what the baby needs to fall asleep or fall back asleep during the night).
Experiment and try different options! Every baby is different in how much they are filling their diaper at night. Remember this though, you don’t want to have to disrupt sleep to change a diaper. Once the baby is sleeping longer stretches add on one of these options above so that precious sleep can be enjoyed by the whole family!
