If your baby keeps peeing through diapers at night, it's time to switch to new night nappies or learn a few tips to avoid night-time leakage. We understand how frustrating and tiring it is to wake up at 4 in the morning and find your baby all wet with pee. In this article, we've compiled a few tips and tricks to avoid leaking nappies at night.
Know Your Nappy Material
Baby nappies come in a variety of materials, and each material has different properties. Try out different materials for your baby and stick with the one that suits your child. Here's a list of nappy material available in the market:
- Microfiber - Lowest capacity, Quickest absorption. This is a synthetic, non-biodegradable fibre but can be recycled.
- Cotton - Lower capacity, quicker absorption. Cotton is a natural, softest, and biodegradable fibre.
- Bamboo - Greater capacity, slower absorption. Bamboo is a semi-synthetic fibre and is 100% biodegradable.
- Hemp - Greatest capacity, slower absorption. Hemp is a natural fibre and completely biodegradable.
The capacity of a material is the amount of liquid it can hold, while the speed of absorption is how quickly the material insert soaks up the liquid. The key to select the best night nappies for your baby is to choose a material that balances the capacity and absorption.
If you buy a material that has low absorbing speed, then baby pee might not be absorbed quickly and could leak out. Similarly, if you buy fast-absorbing nappies with low capacity, then the nappies won't last the whole night. Your child's wetting habit will also help you decide the right material. It is recommended to begin with a combination of two materials and then adjust later.
Choose Bigger Nappies
This is one of the easiest ways to manage leaking nappies at night. Switch to a size up. Nappies usually come with a size guide based on your baby's weight. Just ignore the recommended weight guideline and go a size up for better results.
Add a Pull-up Nappy
When putting your baby to sleep, make them wear a regular nappy and a pull-up nappy over it. Make sure the pull-up nappy is one size bigger than the regular nappy for more comfort. These pull-up nappies will work as a second layer of protection for your heavy wetter.
Try a Different Brand
Various brands make nighttime nappies that differ in size, fit, and shape. Try our different brands to find a nappy that perfectly fits your child’s body shape. Check out Junior Tribe Co. nappy packs made with hemp and bamboo fibres.
Sneaky Midnight Change
Change night nappies for heavy wetters before you go to bed. Keep in mind that this might wake sensitive sleepers. So, only change the nappies if you're sure that the baby will not wake up during the change.
Waterproof Nappy Covers
Did you remember those old-school waterproof nappy pants? Those plastic granny panties-style nappies were used by our parents and grandparents. If you are looking for nighttime nappies for your child, get a few waterproof nappy covers.
Nappy Liners
Just like panty liners, you can line your baby's nappies with a nappy liner or a pad. This will increase the absorption capacity and will solve the leakage problem. You can easily find nappy liners in the market or can use a maternity pad.
Fewer Fluids Before Bed
Limit the fluid intake before bed. If you are bottle-feeding your child, cut down the quantity of liquid intake at night.
Point south
It's a theory that boys tend to leak more than girls. To manage the leakage, check if your baby boy's penis is pointing downwards when you put the nappy on. Otherwise, he'll just pee wee out of the top of the nappy.
Cloth Nappies
Go basic and invest in cloth nappies. These nappies are environment friendly and are made with a similar concept to the waterproof covers. You don’t have to keep changing those cloth nappies. Just put them over your regular disposable nappy at night.
Use Waterproof Sheets
If everything else fails and your baby is still waking up wet, then use two waterproof sheets over your child's bed mattress. This way, you can easily remove the first layer without making the bed wet. Just remove the wet layer, and you'll have a dry layer waiting underneath. You can also use linen savers for your mattress.