I’ve tried many of the raved about nighttime cloth diapering solutions. One I’d not tried was the DryBees Fleece Nighttime pocket diaper.
Last night we gave it a go.
Why go with fleece for a diaper cover? Fleece is breathable. This means airflow can occur between the outside and your baby’s skin.
Why does this matter? Heat builds up as your baby pees throughout the night. This heat if left against baby’s skin encourages the growth of microorganisms. By creating a way for the heat to escape your baby is more comfortable.
I bought 2 small DryBees Fleece Nighttime diapers. When I got them I couldn’t remember if I had bought them for the new baby or Sterling. I tried it on Sterling (you should never just go by the weight limits on size charts. Use the measurements.) and it fit perfectly. Although Sterling is 15m old and weighs 20ish lbs he is very thin.
For a nighttime insert I used a Rumparooz 6r microfiber soaker with an Envibum absorbency pad sandwiched between the layers.
Here’s my review breakdown:
Fit: Good stretch. Comfortable leg elastic. Bubble butt expected with a thick insert in a fleece pocket.
Material: Love the fleece don’t love the fact that it attracts fuzz in the laundry. I am not a fan of their “specially milled suede cloth”. It’s very, very unnatural feeling. A lot rougher than suedecloth found in other diapers (like bum genius or cutiepoops, for example).
Cost: Higher than other sized diapers but worth it for a nighttime diaper.
Effectiveness: At this point, Sterling is not a heavy wetter at night. He didn’t push it to it’s limits but for us it worked great.
Child preference: Sterling did not like the feel of the inner fabric. He woke up more than usual pulling at the diaper.
Overall: I think this is an excellent overall concept. Fleece combined with a pocket is perfect for adjusting absorbency yet still allowing airflow. I am really disappointed in the suedecloth and because of it I probably won’t continue to use it. One of the aspects of cloth diapering that is so nice is the softness you can place next to your baby’s skin. DryBees negates this perk.
These diapers are made with the same well loved diaper pattern as other DryBees Diapers. Made with Heavy Weight Malden Mills Windpro Fleece these diapers are perfect over night and heavy wetter diapers. Where other night time diapering systems have failed – DryBees Fleece Pocket Diapers have been the answer for many families, including my own.
DryBees Fleece Diapers feature our specially milled suede cloth. Milled in the USA specifically for DryBees. Leg Casings keep a snug yet gentle fit against your baby’s leg to help keep them as DRY as can BEE!
Because of the nature of the fabrics used to create DryBees Fleece Pocket Diapers you will find they are more bulky than your typical PUL pocket but are an amazing solution for night time and heavy wetting babies. Inserts must be purchased separately.
I will tuck these away until next year and see how the new baby likes them.
Autumn is a wife, mother, homeschool teacher, friend and most important a follower of Christ.
Tracey says
No…my go-to stash is mostly RaR which I love….use them all day, but I just can’t seem to stuff them enough for nighttime, using MF, hemp, bamboo in every combo you can think of. That is why I bought the DryBees, cause I was reading fleece is second to wool.
Autumn Beck says
wow. that is a heavy wetter. is it possible to change baby when you go to bed? i know it isn’t always possible but with Sterling for some reason i can change his diaper (if dad puts him to bed in a daytime diaper) and he doesn’t wake up.
tracey says
Using DryBees nighttime. Fully prepped all around. Trying to avoid wool
Because I am highly allergic.
Autumn Beck says
Are you opposed to PUL?
Tracey says
I have been using these for about 2 weeks in hopes of finding a nighttime solution. I even bought the SuperDo inserts and have used them twice…my DS is absolutely soaking the SuperDo! Therefore, he is compression leaking(no true leaking) at night–wet jammies and sleepsack. I am at my wits end. Any other ideas for stuffing? I may just have to put up with compression leaks–he is absolutely dry and happy in the morning, never has had a rash, and always happy. Mommy is just frustrated.
Autumn Beck says
What type of diaper are you using? Did you buy the inserts fully prepped? They may need a few more washings. Once I know the diaper type you are using maybe I can offer more suggestions. A wool cover will help too.
Jargon says
When an ammonia burn is so bad that it requires several visits to the ped, medicine, creme and antibiotics, and when the doctors are stressing the need to heal the burn by using disposables instead — why fight that? I’ve cannot believe how stubborn people are because they refuse to put anything but cloth on their kid. It make me so upset that someone would put their preferences above the wellbeing of their child.
Heather H says
We’ve been using these for a year or so, and, while not perfect, we are happy enough with them. I use a Knickernappies SuperDo insert stuffed inside. The inner lining doesn’t seem to bother my son. We do have leaks occasionally (big diaper, thin legs) but he’s not red nor irritated in the morning. My daughter got such horrible ammonia burn and heat rash from wearing cloth at night, that I had to put her in disposables (7th Gen, and they’re great). But this is a great solution for my son!
Jess Nye says
We tried these and of course my guy pooped in it, and OMG, the STINK! I have now washed this diaper in everything from Tide to RnG to bleach, and that suedecloth inner will NOT give it up! And I’ve used other suedecloth dipes before (BG, Cutiepoops, Kawaii) and NEVER had this issue!
yanira says
I used these diapers for my daughter who is a heavy wetter. I did not like the inner fabric and my daughter complained when I put them on her. We used them only for a couple of weeks. I use disposable diapers at night because I never found a diaper that was perfect for night time use on a heavy wetter.
Kim says
My 27 month old son wears these in the largest size (large or XL?) stuffed with a Knickernappies Superdo. (He wears 3-4T clothing.) Perfection! It creates hardcore pajama bubble-butt, but it’s the ONLY combo that can keep my supersoaker dry…
Autumn. thanks for spreading the word on these. They’re the best!
Liz says
I love our Drybees Fleece Diapers!! I actually bought more because of the inner fabric, our son has super sensitive skin and these were one diaper that didn’t cause his “bits” to get irritated. We use them on our daughter too and haven’t had rashes either, she has a sensitive birth mark on her upper leg and some fitteds or pockets cause irritation at night, but again Drybees saved us! They are one diaper I recommend everyone tries! So nice!
Tonia says
I got this and used it with a super-doo insert among other combinations when my daughter was about 8 mo. each time she work up have way through the night completely soaked and the bed was too. Don’t know if it just couldn’t hold more or if I did something wrong. Either way, we used it as a back up daytime diaper, but I eventually sold it after using it only a handful of times.
Heather says
I have had the same problems. I also bought the super-do inserts and baby wakes soaked at night. Still looking for a good night time solution.
Cami Court says
i have used fleece for a long time now. but i make my own. i love using fleece for diapers.. but yes, suedecloth is a touchy fabric. either you love it or you dont. thanks for the review! good to see other people trying the fleece :D i’ve got the fleece love!
Heather says
I guess I don’t get the fleece pocket thing. When I washed my fleece soakers in with the diapers, they wicked like crazy, so I wash them with clothes and softener and they work great.
Molly says
We use these for our nighttime diaper, they have worked great for us with two microfiber inserts. I love the fleece and how the pocket is sewn with elastic on the fleece and suedecloth sides. The suedecloth is not as soft as I would like it to be, but it doesn’t bother the babe.
Jessica says
We absolutely loved these!!!!!! They were great not only for nights with my super soaker, but also on hot days paired with a coordinating tshirt. We never had any issues with the suedecloth, it’s always been soft enough for us. Never had any leaks either unless he’d drank too much, and that’s high praise with a tummy sleeping boy. For us a trifolded hemp prefold (babykicks) with a microfiber insert on top was the bullet proof stuffing combo.
I only wish they made an XL so we could still use them since our son isn’t dry at night yet.
AnastasiaDenton says
Amanda, actually not so weird, my 3 yr old just dropped from a 4T to almost a 2T (dang broad shouldered genes, lol) whereas my 6 week old (yes a newborn) just jumped (I swear overnight) from a OS (anything) snapped down as far as it could go to just barely being a bit to big when let all the way out! (slightly covers the belly button) They just LOVE to keep us guessing!
Sharon I put a microfiber insert INSIDE a folded prefold! Can be a bit bulky so I have to use the next size cover. A few places make “organic” pockets (swaddlebees comes to mind 1st) They work just as well as their synthetic cousins imho!
Autumn you said it! I LOVE being able to put a fluffy soft dipe on my babes and I Line Dry! Pockets are wonderful for that! Simplicity at home & soft but showy convenience on the go!
Asashia says
I currently use a Flip cover with an Envibum T-shaped liner and an organic Flip insert. Do you think the fact that he has on that cover could be causing his ammonia burns? Could those same inserts work in a wool cover or would I need something more compact? He has bad reactions to microfiber so I have to go with organic materials.
Thanks!
Autumn Beck says
the ammonia burns would be coming from the liners/inserts, not the cover. i’ve used breathable vs. non-breathable and if there is buildup in the diaper it doesn’t matter about airflow…in my experience.
Beth - Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique says
I agree about the suedecloth in these, but we love them for nighttime! My DS needs a double layer of stay-dry to keep him from being red in the morning, so I lay a soft fleece liner on top. It works great for us! :) We have stuffed it with several insert combinations and have not had any leaks! (I do prefer a fitted and wool for night, but for “pocket people,” these are great!) ;)
Heidi says
This is the diaper we have been using for nights for almost 2 years now. They have worked great for both of my girls. Our suedecloth is soft, although not as nice as in the Rocky Mountain Dipes (which is the only other suedecloth I own). It does not bother either of our girls, who both have really sensitive skin. We have mediums and stuff with 2 med/lg microfibers and it’s good to go for 12 hours on my heavy wetters.
I like that there is elastic on both sides of the pocket (on fleece and suedecloth), as it helps prevent blowouts.
I have had to replace the elastics in them, as putting them through the dryer made the first set go slack after about a year of constant use. But the fleece works better if it’s tumble dried with heat. The elastic was simple to replace, and I was able to do it myself with no issues.
If you have ammonia issues in your inserts, you will smell it with this diaper, as it certainly does breathe.
All in all, I like this for nights. My only wish is that it had snaps, as the velcro gets all jammed up with fuzz at almost every laundry cycle.
Sharon K says
I hear you on the suedecloth thing. I can’t use any synthetic fibers against my youngest daughter’s skin- she’s 6 months old. I am still looking for the perfect nighttime solution for my 2 1/2 year old (I think the perfect solution is to get her out of dipes at night lol). What I use for her is a bumkins all-in-one with a prefold, folded into thirds, tucked under the soaker on the diaper. Or I will use a fitted with the added prefold, and put a Dancing Bears nighttime weight fleece soaker over it. Those are great for nighttime, maybe you should review a Dancing Bears soaker? I got mine from diaperware.com
Angela says
I tried these in a desperate attempt to stop my toddler’s nighttime leaks. Didn’t work for us. Couldn’t get a good fit with them and since she’s a belly sleeper, we always had leaks right out the top in the front.
I agree with the suedecloth assessment too. Very disappointing. Always felt like I needed to put something on top of it to make it softer. Too bad.
Thanks for the review.
Amanda says
We just started using these at night in the last week and I really like them. We did get a true leak one night (zero compression leaks) and I determined that it was from the pee running down the “channel” created by the very thick stuffing I use (2 hemps and a BGOS MF insert) and the edge of the pocket. The pee got a short circuit to the back of the pocket where it leaked out. The fix was replacing the suffing with a Flip Organic that I could fan out in the back to stop the short circuit and 1 hemp insert in the middle of the flip. So far so good, and slightly less bulky than what I was using, and definitely more comfortable.
It’s funny your 15month old uses the smalls, because my 4 month old uses the larges.