Extreme Super Soaker Overnight Cloth Diaper Combo

I successfully diapered Cub overnight using my Overnight Insert Sandwich combo all the way until he potty-trained at about three-and-a-half years old. Little Miss saturates that combo and the diaper leaks without fail; so have a lot of other options I’ve tried.

There are a few factors that explain this:

• She still nurses at least two to three times at night because I am too lazy to night-wean her.
• I put her in her overnight diaper around 6 PM even though she is usually not actually sleeping until 8 PM.
• We laze about in bed in the morning so sometimes I don’t change her until 8 AM, so ya, fourteen hours is a lot to ask from any diaper.

You might guess that I rarely buy diapers. My stash is voluminous thanks to writing reviews and trading diapers for social media work. I did, however, recently buy three extra diapers to round out my new overnight diaper rotation. (If possible, I find having four complete overnight diapers is the perfect amount … three will do, but two means you have to really rush to get the laundry done.)

This is how I put together Little Miss’s diaper every night:

• a BumGenius Elemental
• a Flip Organic cotton overnight insert
• a hemp booster (AMP, Geffen or Funky Fluff—they’re all great)
• Sloomb Playwoolies

Now I realize that BumGenius just released a new version of their Elemental. The ones I have are the “2.0,” the ones that were most recently discontinued and cleared out by retailers and that I reviewed here. The combo I’m describing would totally work with the newly released 3.0 Elemental, but if you can score some 2.0s being cleared out by your favourite retailer, DO IT! The fact that the 2.0 does not have a cotton lining sewn into the PUL leaves more room for the Flip insert, so I would even encourage using the 2.0 for this overnight solution!

I fold the Flip overnight insert (which is the same one used in my Overnight Insert Sandwich) so that there are extra layers at the front since Little Miss is a tummy sleeper.

I tuck it under the Elemental’s sewn-in inserts.

I fold the Elemental’s inserts like so:

(I use the Elemental with the rise fully unsnapped to fit all this in.)

I place the hemp booster on top. You can fold it if you want to add another layer where you need it.

The result is hefty, but it does fit on Little Miss Cub and does nothing to impede her mobility!

But that ain’t all, folks. Nope. Since I’m committed to putting the overnight diaper on when I am getting the preschooler into his pajamas, and I’m also committed to not rolling out of bed as soon as she wakes up to change her, I also put our pair of Sloomb Playwoolies (which I have lanolized) on top.

I don’t like to use wool as a cover over fitted diapers, but I am in love with using Playwoolies in lieu of pajama pants. If there is a diaper leak, the Playwoolies absorb it and keep it from getting onto the bed. Plus, wool is AMAZING. You do not have to wash it every day, even if it’s gotten pee on it! It’s naturally antibacterial and super breathable. I only wash our Playwoolies once every few weeks. I swear, I sniff them EVERY morning. Even though I know they’ve caught some pee, they don’t stink! Not to mention, they’re totally cozy for bedtime.

And the coup de grâce? The icing on the cake to truly make my life easier in case there is an overnight or early morning leak? The PeapodMat. Since I started putting Playwoolies on top, I haven’t had to deal with any diaper leaks, but I like to play it safe. Plus, the Peapod has absolutely caught vomit, drool and breastmilk.

Alternative options:

This combination doesn’t come cheap. The Flip inserts I am using were bought second hand and are now on their fourth year of use, so know that they are well worth the investment. Remember you can still find the older Elementals on sale at many retailers! You don’t have to use Sloomb-brand woolies, either. There are many brands of wool at different price points.

To save a bit of dough:

• Use flour sack towels or receiving blankets inside the Elemental rather than a Flip insert. (IKEA’s burp cloths work perfectly, I’ve tried!)
• Use thick fleece pants on top instead of Playwoolies (fleece repels moisture and should be enough to contain small leaks—this is what I use when our wool is drying after being washed and lanolized).
• If your child isn’t peeing quite as much as mine, you can likely skip the hemp booster.

I am confident that once I night-wean Little Miss, we won’t need such an intense solution. But hopefully this helps if you’re in the same, soggy, super-soaker boat as we are!