We have one blog post addressing how to cloth diaper on trips already. But it;s focus is on washing, and storing cloth while away from home. Not on what to do if your in a car, on a train, or a plane for extended periods. This blog post will address cloth diapering, absorbency and getting by when you can;t easily change often.
Disclaimer, I am in no way telling you not to change your precious one! This information is provided for occasional use when you're in a situation that simply does not allow for frequent changing. I am providing info I have gained via having a heavy wetter who sleeps through the night, along with simple at home absorbency testing done in my own kitchen. For healthy skin I still recommend changing as frequently as possible. As I said this is not provided as a way for you to skimp on diaper changes.
Like using tampons or feminine hygiene products I highly recommend you evaluate your child's actual needs. And use the lowest absorbency needed to fit your childs needs. Going longer between changes means more chance for skin irritation, rashes and infections. For child's safety please change as frequently as possible. Again this guide is for heavy wetters that even one urination may lead to leaks with less absorbency, and for times when you can not change frequently such as long trips and overnight.
I first want to supply you with info on how to test absorbance at home. This is a great idea to do any time. It is good to know how much your diapers hold 1) in case your childs dr needs to know how much liquids they are voiding, 2) so you know how much your stash holds at optimal performance, 3) so you can tell if your stash is possibly repelling and not absorbing like it should at optimal performance, 4) so you have a base line for when childs urination changes, 5) so you can more easily customize your absorbency to fit your childs needs.
Get out a large clean bowl and a measuring cup that measures ounces. Lay your item to be tested in the bowl. it is okay to fold it up. Fill measuring cup to 16 (or 8) oz. Using a slow steady stream much like your child's urine, pour water onto your item to test. This also gives a visual how fast your item absorbs. Some children urinate faster than others which if you have a slow absorbing material can lead to leaks before it even can wick the liquid up. Be aware how much liquid your pouring onto the item and pour slow. When you first start to see water in the bowl around the item stop. Your item has absorbed all it can. Check how much it held, and how much is left in the cup. Evaluate item. Is it fully soaked? Are there still dry spots? This will tell you a lot about your absorbent material and help evaluate possible leaking issues.
Ok on to my experiments and my conclusions. Now all brands are different so this will serve as a general guide line not as a hard and fast rule. Not all diapers are created equal as we all know. Also in the future as I or others test more absorbency I will add that here. For now this is not a complete list.
Inerts: can be used with pocket diaper or as a doubler with a prefold.
*2-3 layer
bamboo terry cloth inserts. Regular size. Absorbs very fast, holds around 4oz of liquid, very trim. Great for light wetters, and doubling with another insert for fast wetters or just to add non bulky extra absorbency. Doubled up holds equal or more than other insert options. Does not retain odor after washing. Can be used directly against babies skin.
*4-5 layer
bamboo blend. Regular size. Absorbs faster than microfiber not as fast as pure bamboo (depends on the blend). Has 2 layers of bamboo which are on the outside with 2-3 layers of micro fiber on the inside. Holds 6-7 oz on average (may very). Bulkier than bamboo alone, about same bulk as MF. Can retain some odor after washing. Can be used directly against babies skin.
*4-5 layer
charcoal bamboo blends. Regular size. Holds the most alone, very slowest to absorb. Holds 8 or just over, oz of liquid. Has 2 layers of charcoal infused bamboo on the outside with 2-3 layers on microfiber on the inside. These are great when paired with a bamboo for fast absorption that holds a lot. Does not retain odor after washing. Can be worst at developing repelling issues. Can be used directly against babies skin.
*4-5 layer
microfiber inserts. Regular size. Holds 7-8 oz of liquid. Some claim to hold more, many mf inserts are only 2-3 layers and hold only 2-4 oz. Mf inserts seem to have the largest discrepancy in actual performance and very greatly from brand to brand! Alva and Sunbaby both respectively hold about 8 oz. They do not absorb as fast as bamboo but do absorb just slightly faster than CBI's. These can work well when paired with a bamboo insert. These will retain odor after washing. In fact these can have a very bad odor issue. These can have issue with compression leaks (not holding liquid when pressure is placed on them like when baby is sitting on your lap). Can not be used directly on babies skin, ever. Can cause rashes and skin sensitivity even when using a pocket on babies with sensitive skin.
*4 layer
bamboo terry inserts
XL. Holds 9-10 oz of liquid. Absorbs very fast, very trim for a larger insert, wider and longer than a regular size. Great for mid to heavy wetters, and doubling with another insert for fast wetters or just to add non bulky extra absorbency. Doubled up holds is a non bulky, very absorbent option. Does not retain odor after washing. Can be used directly against babies skin.
*4 layer
microfiber inserts
XL. Holds just shy of 16 oz of liquid. These can work very well when paired with a bamboo XL insert. These will retain odor after washing. In fact these can have a very bad odor issue. These can have issue with compression leaks (not holding liquid when pressure is placed on them like when baby is sitting on your lap). Can not be used directly on babies skin, ever. Can cause rashes and skin sensitivity even when using a pocket on babies with sensitive skin.
Prefolds: can be used with a cover to prevent leaking or can be used as an insert in pockets.
*
Chinese cotton NB 9x11. Holds 6-7 oz of liquid. Absorbs very fast. Bulkier than pockets and inserts, but the wrap around absorbency means great absorption, few leaks and blow outs. Great for messy newborn poo. Can add extra absorbency with a doubler or natural fiber insert. Needs a fastener to hold closed. Can be used directly on babies skin but must be changed often. Wet diapers not being changed frequently can lead to rashes.
*
Homemade cotton flannel NB 10x11. Holds 8 oz of liquid. Absorbs fast but not quite as fast as chinese cotton. Bulkier than pockets and inserts, but the wrap around absorbency means great absorption, few leaks and blow outs. Slightly more bulk and less conforming than chinese cotton. Still decent for messy newborn poo. Can add extra absorbency with a doubler or natural fiber insert. Needs a fastener to hold closed, some flannels do not work well with snappis and boingos meaning you need to use diaper pins. Can be used directly on babies skin but must be changed often. Wet diapers not being changed frequently can lead to rashes.
*
Birdseye cotton 11x16. Holds 7-8 oz of liquid. Absorbs fast but not quite as fast as chinese cotton and more prone to want to leak before fabric is fully saturated. Bulkier than pockets and inserts, but the wrap around absorbency means great absorption, few leaks and blow outs. Great for pre solid food poo. Can add extra absorbency with a doubler or natural fiber insert. A bamboo insert laid in these would help their absorption. Needs a fastener to hold closed. Can be used directly on babies skin but must be changed often. Wet diapers not being changed frequently can lead to rashes.
How to apply this knowledge.
If your child is sleeping through the night, or sleeping longer periods at night. Or if you plan to be traveling and will not be able to easily change your child as frequently as you normally would I highly suggest using the above knowledge to come up with a higher absorbency game plan. This can mean adding extra absorbent layers to your fitted or prefold, or adding extra inserts to your pocket. I also want to remind you that if you will be going longer between changes you need to protect babies skin. That means making sure you have some form of stay dry barrier between baby and the absorbent layers. Fleece and wool can both be very good options for this. Our DIY section has instructions on how to make your own for an affordable option to keep babies skin safe and protected while on trips or even just for overnight.
So lets break this down.
Taking a CBI and adding a bamboo will give you approximately 12 oz of absorption.
Taking a CBI and two bamboo will give you approximately 16-18 oz of absorption.
Taking a CBI and a MF will give you approximately 16 oz of absorption.
Taking a CBI and a MF XL will give you approximately 20-24 oz of absorption.
Taking a MF XL and a bamboo XL will give you approximately 24-26 oz of absorption.
Taking a newborn to medium sized prefold and adding a bamboo insert will give you approximately 12 oz of absorption.
Notes
When pairing bamboo with another insert always put bamboo closest to baby even if inside a pocket. It is the faster absorber and will grab the urine giving the layer behind it time to absorb.
Absorption rates will vary and may not be exact as quoted above. Combining two inserts may not give you exactly combined absorbance what the individual inserts rates are.
XL inserts do not fit well in most os pockets but do fit great in big baby diapers and larger sized pockets. BBD are anything 35lbs and over. These are often sized like os diapers but for the next size up. Great for older kids not yet potty proficient, who still have night accidents, or who are special needs. The larger pocket diapers are long and wide enough to comfortably accommodate these larger inserts.
Insert and prefold sizes vary. A vague average size range for prefolds is.
Premie 9x13 fits 4-9lb (2x6x2 ply)
NB 11x14
Infant 12x16 fits 7-20lb (4x8x4 ply)
Reg 13x19
Baby 14x21 fits 15-40lbs (4x8x4 ply)
Tot 17x19
Abbreviations:
MF: Micro Fiber
CBI: Charcoal bamboo blend inserts
OZ: ounce
LB: pound
OS: one size
BBD: big baby diapers
NB: newborn
Xl: extra large
Reg: regular
Tot: toddler
