How to Keep Your Baby or Toddler Dry through the Night

I know I'm not the only one to deal with this. You go to get your baby or toddler out of the crib in the morning just to discover that he or she is completely soaked, and sometimes the blankets and sheet as well. Not fun. Especially when it becomes part of your daily routine.

I was determined to find a solution that did not involve restricting my son's liquids before bed. Having a bottle a milk was part of his nightly bedtime routine and I didn't want to take it away because

• He needs the nutrition from the milk.
• Without it he might wake up starving in the middle of the night
• It's important that he stay hydrated and drinking milk helps him to do it.

Besides that, while trying to find a solution, I read about mothers who did try to restrict liquids, say the last couple of hours before bedtime, that did not find that it helped. So I turned to other solutions: I just knew there had to be a way.

First I tried different diapers. I typically use Pampers Cruisers, so I decided to try Pampers Baby Dry. After all, they're supposed to last for 12 hours. Well, those were worthless. Alex was even wetter in the morning than with the Cruisers, so don't bother wasting your time with those. Second try was with Huggies Overnites diapers. Those didn't work either, though better than the Baby Dry diapers. He still wet out, but not as much. Still, it was enough that I kept looking.

Then I found Select Kids diaper booster pads. They're pads that remind me of really big maxi pads, but without any adhesive. You just stick them in the diaper and they help hold more liquid. I found them at Babies R Us by the diapers, though even though an associate told me they were there, I admit I had a hard time finding them.

In addition to the pads, I got the idea of trying a size bigger. So even though Alex wears a size 4 during the day, I put him in a size 5 diaper with the booster pad. The result? Dry pajamas in the morning, and not having to worry about Alex waking up early because he's wet.

Now since finding this solution, Pampers came out with a new version of Cruisers that is supposed to be able to absorb more, but I haven't tried them. As long as my current method works, I figure it's worth continuing. And it's funny how one diaper works for one kid and doesn't for another. Many parents swear by the Huggies Overnites. Others have used Pullups at night with their kids. So if you're having the same problem I had, just experiment. It's worth it to have consistently dry mornings and save on all the time it takes to launder blankets and sheets.

If you have found a way to keep your kids dry throughout the night, please share it below. Let us know what your solution is.