How I Stopped Waking Up Every Night From Leaky Overnight Diapers?

Having a new baby means sleepless nights, midnight feedings, and dark circles under your eyes, there’s just no way around it. But when my daughter continued to wake up every 4 hours well past her 6-month marker, and even past her first birthday, I started to feel hopeless. I knew that the diapers and wetness were what was waking her, (and us), but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do! I’d bought the hypoallergenic diapers that were sold as the “softest diapers” for babies in her age group, but they just weren't doing the job.

The sleepless nights seemed never-ending, as was the laundry. I didn’t understand why her diapers weren’t working and I felt terrible for her that she’d wake up wet from peeing through her diaper. We tried changing her right before bed, we tried feeding her less at night time, we tried, and tried, to no avail.

My husband and I looked like the walking dead, dark circles and all. We ended up having to incorporate a morning bath time into our daily routine so that she could be clean. The hours we spent trying to work around the issue were innumerable, so finally, my husband and I decided to attack the issue head-on.

 

We started with research… And I use the term “we” loosely.

Although I was amazed by her ability to pee this much, my amazement was no match for my deep and sincere need to sleep through the night and not be met with the potent smell of pee every single morning. I was curious, confused, and even a little concerned as to why my baby was peeing this much.

I came across a few reasons as to why this was happening. The first thing I discovered was that she could have an antidiuretic hormone issue. ADH is what regulates urine production and this hormone generally increases at night so that we don’t have to use the bathroom every 4 hours. What I found is that all babies have lower ADH levels, which is why they need diapers, but if your baby has a lower ADH level than normal it’s going to cause them to leak through their diapers at night. My daughter wasn’t between diaper sizes, like 4 or 5, but on the off chance that your baby is, I felt I should share that that too can be the cause of leaky overnight diapers. Babies who sleep on their stomachs or move around a lot at night are more at a higher risk of leaking.

This was when it finally all made sense! When my daughter was 6-12 months, she was like an Olympic gymnast in her crib, moving around and getting into crazy positions throughout the night. This is because babies spend nearly 50% of their sleep time in REM which is defined as light active sleep. My husband and I just called her a “dreamer”, but we didn’t realize that this was the reason she was leaking through her diapers so often. Eventually, she stopped moving with as much vigor but had become a stomach sleeper, which is why the leaking was still in full effect.

 

Next, we needed the goods…

We knew that if we wanted to forgo the multitude of changes throughout the night, we’d need the heavy hitters. The strong absorption baby diapers, the ones reserved for the movers, the shakers, and the pee-ers. We needed a diaper that could keep a great amount of urine while still fitting my relatively tiny baby girl. I initially kicked myself for my ignorance of the difference between a diaper and an ultra-absorbent overnight diaper. Overnight diapers are designed to keep your child dry for 12+ hours, although they are more expensive than regular diapers, they are worth their weight in gold. Truly, I would have spent every penny I had to get one night of uninterrupted sleep.

 

I tried a lot of diaper brands that make overnight diapers, but through trial and error, found that many companies change their products but keep the reviews of the previous model. Until recently, I found a new brand diaper that saved my sleep! Here, I also would love to save you the pain (and pee) of trying out as many brands as I did. It’s BabyCozy, the sub-brand of Momcozy. You must remember Momcozy, it has breast pumps that have helped many moms. Its new product, BabyCozy diaper, is the parents’ MVP.

 

At the first touch of the BabyCozy diaper, I realize that it was different from other diapers. It’s super soft just like velvet which gives my baby a cozy diaper experience. What’s more, its wider and longer size makes it possible for babies to wiggle freely but with no leakage. It broadens the side liner to prevent side leakage. The double leak guard helps to keep urine in the diaper and not on their bed. Its chlorine-free ultra-absorbent pulp core can absorb urine in 10 secs and then lock it up. So no soaking and makes 12 hours of dryness possible. That means a good night’s sleep. That’s not enough, I also found some thoughtful designs. The Smart indicator can remind parents to change their diapers in time. The line of the new one is yellow and it will turn to blue when the diaper needs to change, so my husband also can change diapers for my daughter easily. Further, the size 1 is specially designed for newborn to protect their navels.  The S-shape edge Velcro won’t cut the baby’s delicate skin. So a perfect diaper for babies. I love it. It’s my dream diaper.

  

How We Finally Got To Sleep…

We found a bedtime routine that worked which for us meant earlier feedings, pre-bedtime diaper changes, and ultra-absorbent overnight diapers. Soon we were able to get through a full 10 hours without a change. I swear to you, it was like the heavens opened up and I saw color again.

Finding the ways to get my baby through the night allows me to sleep, which makes me a better mom, and most importantly, helps my daughter to get the rest she needs.

So don’t lose hope… just get new diapers!