Tip #32: Diapering a supersoaker overnight

Our son has been soaking through every diaper we've tried on him overnight, from several kinds of cloth to several kinds of disposables. I hit up the Arlington Parent's e-mail list for some advice and had lots of great responses. Here's the summary:

Disposables

• Huggies overnight were the preferred brand by far
• Tip: Add a disposable diaper liner (they are similar to maxi pads). Buy plastic-free, biodegradable liners from gDiapers
  
• Tip: Tuck in the top of the diaper to stop overflow
• Tip: Buy a larger diaper (one mom pointed out with variation in lengths, they may grow out of a size before the upper end of the weight limit is met).
• Tip: Put a pull up diaper over a disposable.
  

Cloth

• The general thought was to add a doubler.
• Favorite disposable doubler: gDiapers
• Favorite place to look for cloth doublers: Diaper Lab
• Tip: Choose a fleece lined doubler for next to baby's skin, it will feel dryer longer.
• Tip: Use more than one doubler.
  

Tip #20: Have a special toy for the diapering table

As babies get squirmier and more active, diapering gets harder and harder! Try having a special toy for the place where you change their diaper that will distract them in order to keep them still and keep them from getting their hands/feet in the dirty diaper!

Source: Mom's group instructor, hm..I think I also just read it in a Baby center email.

Tip #10: BabyLegs make for easy diaper changes

A mom from my first mom's group always had her baby in the cutest baby leggings, BabyLegs. She was kind enough to share her source with me recently at Naturally Trendy: An eco-friendly baby boutique. These things are great for the diaper bag in case it turns out to be a little too cold for shorts or a onesie only. Also, you don't need to remove them when changing a diaper and can be put on while their legs are hanging out of a carrier. I was going to save this little gem of advice for later, but they are having a half-off sale on baby leggings right now at Naturally Trendy..I may have gotten a little carried away when I saw that.

Source: Friend

Tip #8: Use cotton washcloths or paper towels instead of wipes

Related to Tip #7, one way to minimize baby's exposure to harmful chemicals is to replace conventional wipes with cotton washcloths (great if you already wash cloth diapers) or your favorite soft paper towel. Simply place some water on these just before using, I keep a water bottle at the changing station. There's also a lot of do-it-yourself suggestions on the web for creating your own paper-towel wipes using a little bit of oil. Just search for "Make your own diaper wipes".

If you go the simply water route and you have a temperature sensitive baby, you can put warm water in one of those coffee thermoses with the pump feature and have warm water at the ready. Always make sure water going into the thermos is less than 98degrees Fahrenheit for safety.

The bonus of cotton wash cloths is given their size one will usually do for even the largest diaper blowout! Costco carries white cotton washcloths in packs of 24 that are a great size. Then you only need to carry the more expensive wipes with fewer harmful chemicals in the diaper bag (or go the do-it-yourself route).

Tip #3 - There are diaper rash creams that can work with cloth diapers

Source: Pin stripes and Polka Dots has a list of diaper rash creams and rates them with their compatibility with cloth diapers.

Summary of diaper rash creams that work well (and don't require a liner):

• Angel Baby Bottom Balm
• Baby Bottom Butter
• California Baby (this is the one we use and have very good luck with available at Whole Foods)
• Claymazing Powder
• Grandma El's (available at Target.com)
• Northern Essence Diaper Salve
• Norhtern Essence Better Butter Cream