Having a baby brings a whole new world. A person learns a ton of things they had no idea about before the baby came. Sure, you can read all the books in the world and think you have a good grasp on what having a baby will be like. But actually having a baby is a completely different experience than what a person can only read about. Books do not tell you about the unexpected moments, or the "accidents" you should be prepared for.

Okay, so you’ve decided to cloth diaper probably because you know you’ll save thousands doing so not to mention the fact that you’re helping the environment and your baby’s precious skin.  But what next?  What does cloth diapering your baby entail?

The stash. You need a stash of diapers that will suit your cloth diapering needs.  The amount of diapers you should have will depend upon whether or not you will be using cloth diapers full time or part time.  A newborn will soil 8-12 diapers a day and an older child will soil 6-8 diapers a day.  I would suggest that you need enough cloth diapers to get you through at least two days of diaper changes if you’re going to cloth diaper full time.  If you are going to do it part time, any number of cloth diapers will help keep your disposable diaper bill down.  Even if you only use three cloth diapers a day, that means you won’t have to buy 90 disposables that month.

A question came in today about cloth diapers for overnight use. Of course, cloth is a viable option for long nights in the crib. Think about it, our grandmothers and their mothers had to use something to dress babies in at night to keep them dry and fresh as they slept. I think part of the reluctance to switch entirely to cloth among disposable diaper users rests with overnight usage, although I don't see why that mindset has to keep a mother from trying cloth in the wee (pardon the pun) hours.

Think about it: how many times do you change your baby during the day? How many times do you check on your baby at night? If you smell something, you're going to make a change regardless of whether or not baby is sleeping, yes? Given that it is possible to change a sleeping baby, the idea of using cloth for overnight purposes shouldn't be daunting. Yes, the question of what to use in the stretches when you finally get to sleep yourself do arise, and you'll find the options available to you work just as well - if not better - than throw-aways.

Using cloth diapers at night can be a scary idea. Especially if have already used disposable diapers and feel secure they will not leak. Believe it or not, you can have that same security at night with cloth diapers! There are many ways to find the right night-time cloth diapering solution for your baby - even if he is a heavy wetter. Here are some night-time solutions that have proven to work for many a mama.

We've shelled out a lot of money in the last year or two buying disposable Goodnites pants for night time diapering. I've always felt terrible-because first, we're wasting so much money, and second, all those disposables are going into the landfill!

I know there has to be a better way, but we have tried other cloth potty training pants and nothing has stayed dry through the night.

Using cloth diapers at night is basically the same as cloth diapering in the day, but with the need for added absorbency. Think about it. Babies don't pee more at night than in the day, they are just in an unchanged diaper for a longer period of time as the family sleeps. Finding a night time cloth diaper system is about fine-tuning the additional absorption your baby needs during that longer period of time.