misconceptions found frustrating

More and more we are finding that parents are being told they need different diapers for different times of the day.  Following are of some of the comments we encounter on a regular basis:
 
“I know a lot of parents who are still using disposables at night as their daytime cloth options aren't keeping baby dry and comfy at night.”
 
“You can own different diapers from different companies and meet the needs of a particular time of day or a particular body type.” 
 
“Just as adults come in all shapes and sizes, so do babies.”
 
“Not all diapers are made alike - they won’t fit all babies in the same way (despite what the big companies have us believe)”
 
“Not only are we shaped differently, but I learned that our bladders are different as well.  Same for babies.  Some hold more liquid and wet more at once, others hold less and wet less but more frequently.”
 
“It’s also a good idea to try different brands or styles for different times of day.  Babies wet differently at night than in the day”
 
“I learned that the position of sleep affects the leakage protection of a diaper.  There are cloth diapers better suited for babies who sleep on their tummy and for those who sleep on their back or side.  And, then, there is the 360 degree sleeper (like my son!) – which makes a diaper shift throughout the night.”
 
 
We find these comments distressing from the point of view that most parents make their decision about which kind of diapers (cloth or disposables) they want to use before their baby is born.  They often spend considerable time researching their options.  These type of comments help to add confusion to what should be a relatively simple selection process:  Do I want to use flat or prefolded diapers with pins or a snappi with a diaper cover like my grandmother did?  Do I want to use fitted diapers with covers?  Do I want to use pocket diapers or the newer hybrid type All in Two diapers, or the easy to use All In One style diapers?  Some research into these types quickly narrows down the selection process and ultimately you choose a diaper type and brand.
 
With the huge selection of diaper options and brands available - ones recommended for various sleep positions or times of the day, how would a parent be able to decide on what diaper they need and when, when they can’t predict the determining criteria?  A parent can’t know they have a “side sleeper” until their baby sleeps on its side.  At that time it is a little late to begin a selection process let alone wait for an order to arrive.
 
How is a parent to be going to know if their baby is going to be a heavy wetter?  What if he becomes a heavy wetter ½ way through the diapering years?  What kind of bladder is he going to have?    What if he wets frequently early on and holds his bladder longer as he gets older (as most children do which indicates early potty training signs).  How big is my baby going to be? How fast will he grow?  What body shape will he have?  Chubby? Thin? Thin then chubby?  Chubby then thin?  Good heavens, most parents don’t know what their baby will weigh when he is born let alone know what body shape he is going to have, assuming that doesn’t change along the way.  And once we have to start to consider sleep positions, it gets to the point where one may well want to pull their hair out.
 
Did you know a well designed, well constructed diaper can be used day or night?  It will fit most all body types within its size range regardless if baby gets chubby before a growth spurt and/or thins out again? Sleep positions do not affect diaper performance regardless of how they lie.  There should be no different diapering system required for night time use regardless of  “wetting patterns”.  Only an absorbent liner or insert/booster need be added to ensure there is enough holding capacity for the duration until the next diaper change is possible.
 
It is logical and it is possible and every cloth diaper on the market should meet this criteria!!    
 
Any one of our diapers whether you choose the Uno, EasyStuff or Duo (day time or night time), Sandy’s fitted, OneSize fitted all work just as well during the day time as during the night time.  If a diaper doesn’t work at night it won’t work during the day either, because the design of the diaper doesn’t allow for it to work.  Pocket diapers are examples of diapers that require more frequent changes.  That is why they don’t work at night.

An effective diaper should only leak if it has been allowed to become super saturated.  Hopefully a parent will change their baby’s diaper before that time.
 
A quality diaper designed to perform and made from fabrics suited for the “end use” (textile terminology) will work, and without all sorts of parameters.  You don’t need to buy an assortment of diapers for various times of the day.  It is so much easier to be able to just grab any diaper and change your baby, no matter what time of the day it is, knowing every diaper in your stash works at all times.

 

Here here! I think it's a sign of the times because cloth diapers certainly aren't the only choice where things can get needlessly complicated.
 
Karen.