Never will you feel more comfortable discussing bowel movements than when you become a parent! The sight of a parent sniffing his child’s butt for poo will no longer be shocking. Day time diapers typically are changed every 2-3 hours, and leakage is sometimes more of an issue for overnight diapers. Especially when babies start sleeping through the night, finding the right overnight diapers for heavy wetters or toddlers becomes mom’s mission.
The convenience of throwing away a smelly diaper without having to wash it cannot be underestimated. In fact the disposable diaper has been named one of the most important inventions of all time, according to regular people (but not necessarily according to scientist). But if the diaper overflows and leaks, you still have to deal with wet, dirtied sheets and mattresses.
Finding the best diaper for overnight usage can be daunting, and most brands claim great absorbency. Here we take a look at some of our favorite brands for heavy wetters that hopefully will prevent an additional laundry load.
Benefits
- Comfortable to wear - Overnight diapers for heavy wetters are designed to be more comfortable, with a snug fit and soft materials that won’t irritate your little one's skin.
- Minimizes blowouts and leaks - Overnight diapers are designed to absorb and lock in moisture, preventing blowouts and leaks that can damage bedding or clothes.
- Odor control - Overnight diapers come with extra odor protection to help keep your baby's bottom fresh throughout the night.
How to Choose Overnight Diapers
If you're juggling feeding the baby and pumping, you don't have alot of time to be messing around with leaky diapers. Here are a few of the main considerations for choosing overnight diapers.
- Absorbency - Heavy wetters need extra layers of material to increase absorbency. Make sure to look for diapers that are labeled as ‘overnight’ to ensure maximum protection.
- Size - Overnight diapers come in a variety of sizes to fit babies from birth to potty training. Choose a size that fits snugly and won't leave red marks on your baby's skin.
- Breathability - Overnight diapers should also be breathable, allowing air to circulate and keep your baby's skin dry. Look for diapers with extra ventilation or air channels to help reduce moisture buildup on the skin.
- Price - These diapers are more expensive than regular day time diapers, so be sure to shop around for the best deals.
- Durability - You need diapers that are durable enough to last all night without leaking or tearing. Look for a diaper with reinforced elastics and extra layers of material for maximum leak protection.
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers – The Classic Choice
- 12 hours of protection
- 3 layers of absorbency
- Channels to distribute urine
- No wetness indicator in diapers larger than size 2
Price $$
Pampers Baby Dry diapers are designed to accomodate heavywetters. Due to 3 layers of absorbency and channels for extra absorption, the diapers aim to provide a drier feel for your baby. They are billed to provide up to 12 hours of protection throughout the night, and the diapers flex for a snugger fit.
Pampers Swaddlers Overnights vs Pampers Baby Dry?
The other major branded line of diapers by Pampers are Pampers swaddlers, which we found to be slightly softer. As that brand name suggests, we speculate that they were made with younger babies in mind.
Even though Pampers swaddlers have an overnight line, our checks found the absorbency to be significantly worse than baby dry. This may require a bit of trial and error to see which type fits your child the best, but for overnight usage we would try Baby Dry first.
Huggies Overnight Diapers – The Past Favorite
- #1 selling nighttime diaper based on nighttime diaper category sales
- 12 hrs of protection
- Wetness indicator
- Not pull-ups
- Newer version has drawn negative reviews
Price $$$
Huggies markets their overnight diapers as the #1 selling nighttime diaper based on nighttime diaper category sales. So they’ve certainly racked up some fans over the years. Huggies diapers have a double leak guard which is almost like an inner railing or barrier for any blowouts or potential leaks.
Diapers undergo product redesigns regularly, which is why finding up to date information is crucial. As of 2017, the newer Mickey Mouse version of these diapers have been rated quickly poorly among the mom community for its strength and absorbancy. If you can find the older Winnie the Pooh version, those were a crowd favorite and first pick in overnight diapers.
Luvs Super Absorbent Leakguards Diapers – The Budget Choice
- Money-back guarantee if not satisfied
- NightLock Plus technology that keeps wetness away
- Soft and comfortable
- Budget brand for same manufacturer as pampers
- Newer versions seem to be declining in quality
Price $
This product, in comparison to the regular Luvs diapers,claims to be more absorbent and to provide a drier feeling throughout the night. It also has a leakguard core, which prevents leaks and subsequently the formation of rashes
Luvs and Pampers actually are both owned by the same company, Proctor & Gamble, and there are some obvious similarities in both products. They are meant to be a budget brand compared to Pampers. Moms who’ve had difficulty with these diapers have complained about the quality.
- Unscented
- No chlorine processing involved
- Do not contain petroleum based lotions
- Made with renewable resources
- Pricier
Price $$$$
This too, like the rest of the diapers, claims to provide a dry night for a peaceful sleep of your baby.
While most users say to be happy with these diapers, some claim that they are not doing their job right and are not proving to be the ones for their babies that pee a lot. For heavy wetters, these do not land too high on the scale of absorbency, and may result in rashes due to this. There’s sometimes a tradeoff between absorbency
- Highly absorbent
- Eco-friendly
- Super soft
- No odd scents
- Sometimes result in leakages and blowouts
- Pricey
Price $$$$
Apart from the fact that they are absorbent, Bambo claims these diapers to be designed to minimize the risk of allergies and rashes on babies.
Loyal users of this product seem to be finding themselves staying away from these now due to the reduction of quality in newer versions, while some claim that these diapers are not good enough to last the entire night but are still however a good choice for the daytime. While their absorbency is pretty good, they can in some instances lead to leakages. And, understandably, a diaper that results in leakages results in discomfort and rashes.
For more eco conscious parents, having natural diapers may come with the tradeoff of leakage.
What If They Leak Anyway?
Not even a good overnight diaper is ever going to be 100% foolproof, so if you are still battling diaper leakage after much trial and error, try the following:
- Use a waterproof pad – Placing a machine washable pad underneath the top sheet will help limit the damage so that you can throw everything in the wash right away.
- Limit liquids right before bedtime. Many toddlers have developed the habit of drinking milk or water right before they sleep. Try to move this step up in the bedtime routine so that they have finished an hour or 2 before bed. In the transition period this may have to be moved up slowly.
- Try A Bigger Size – If leakages are constant, it’s possible that your baby has just outgrown the diaper and needs to size up.
- Change diapers before your bedtime. You might need a fairly sleepy baby for this, but a fresh diaper can would help cut down the chance of leakage
- Add a diaper liner – Technically called a diaper booster, these are pads that are stuck within the diaper for extra protection.
Find Diapers that Don't Leak
Parents are estimated to use 2700 diapers in the first year alone. That number drops as your baby gets older, but the kicker is that as the diaper sizes get larger, so does the cost per diaper.
Given most parents now toilet train between 2-3 years old, choosing the right diaper needs to make sense both economically and for your sanity. Babies spend a considerable amount of time in these disposable briefs! Finding that good night’s rest as a parent cbe difficult, made even worse by the possibility of having to wash sheets in the morning.
