Our Nighttime Diaper Solution (Illustrated)

            Hello lovely fellow cloth diapering friends! It’s been a long time since I’ve done a cloth diaper related post!…Too long. ;) I can’t believe I haven’t shared this one sooner, actually, since finding a diaper or “system” to keep baby dry at night while cloth diapering seems to be a pretty common problem.

            You know me: I am loathe to pay for something I’ve never tried and not 100% sure it will work. Therefore, I have not rushed out (on the Interwebs) and bought a bunch of different diapers to try at night. (As much fun as that WOULD be!) Instead, I have worked with what we already have and came up with something that will work and works out to be cheaper to “make several” than one purchased diaper would probably cost you! NOTE: You will need a sewing machine or borrow a friend or relative who has one!

What you’ll need:

-flatfold diapers

-flannel

-diaper cover

1)     First, you’ll need to sew up some nifty flannel inserts like the ones shown. I suggest using at least 6 layers if you use flannel. (It also depends on how thick the flannel you use is. Yes, some are thicker than others.) You don’t NEED a serger to sew the edges, but make sure you use a durable stitch! (Don’t use the bottom of the line needles either that are pretty much only good for sewing through light cotton. You’ll want a more heavy duty one if you don’t want to break a bunch of needles!) Also be warned that they will fray the first few washes. Just cut the excess off each time as needed. Even if you’re not a sewing expert, these are totally doable! They don’t have to be perfect. : ) They’re just going to get pooped on anyways.

2)     Take a flatfold diaper and lay it out flat.

3)     Put your flannel insert close to one edge, but not lined up, and center it as well.

4)     Fold the little extra edge over onto the insert.

5)     Holding onto that edge and insert, fold over repeatedly and you should end up with the other edge close to the middle of the wrapped up insert.

6)  Don't forget to fold the ends under however much you need to fit inside of your diaper cover snugly. 

            It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. This would be a fund project if you’ve been wanting to experiment with making your own diaper inserts or just get used to a sewing machine. Happy diapering!