LONG: What insert/s for Apron Strings fleece pocket overnight?

[kozachka]

Based on all the wonderful reviews here and at MDC I got two Apron Strings pockets, one Large and one Medium. I kept going back and forth on the sizing since according to the measurements DS should fit into Medium but Rebecca thought Large would have more room for stuffings and growth. So to 'convince' me she just threw in Medium one for free :P. What a nice surprise!

The large one came with an ifant DSQ prefold, which I used wrapped into a white Target MF towel for overnight. Not only this combo was puffy but it did not provide enough absorbancy either :(. DS woke up with wet PJs. What would you use to increase absorbency and improve fit?

FYI, DS wets in the front. He gets asleep on his tummy with 'butt up' but a lot of the times I find him sleeping on his side as well. I nurse him around 5 AM, at which time he is still completely dry, and than he floods when he wakes up. I used to be able to get him to the potty right after he wakes up but either he no longer cries for me than or I jinxed it by all my bragging :( Last night we used the medium AS with only a MF towel and two washcloths (nothing better was available) and the dipe was only very slightly damp on the outside. So I am not even sure what kind of a wetter he is anymore!

So what inserts should I get for my two Apron Strings pockets? JB, LJ, MOES, Cotton Babies or something else. I also have looked at Happy Heiny inserts since I have their hemp pocket as well.

[mudder17]

Okay, I've been playing around with stuffings for my fleece pockets for overnight--one is the ApronStrings, and the other is the Snapping Turtle. Kaya is a tummy sleeper and the front is always soaked while the back is dry--go figure.

Here's what I've tried:

1 SEZ night insert (hemp fleece/burley knit) trifolded perpendicularly and 1 trifolded microfiber towel doubled (6 layers) and tucked in front.

This combo was ALMOST good enough. Her clothes were nice and dry, but her front was slightly clammy in the morning.

1 SEZ night insert, 1 trifolded microfiber towel, and 1 fuzbaby hemp insert (a JB would do the same thing)

This combo worked perfectly. She was dry and the clothes were dry.

1 SEZ night insert, 1 MOE large insert

This combo is somewhere in between the other two, but it could also have been because she drinks more or less on the days I've tried these

Tonight I think I'm trying 1 SEZ night insert, 1 LJ night insert. I'll let you know how that goes.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif Breastfed 1 Year -- Woohoo!

[KrisM]

I know what you mean about variations in pee output. We have the same problems. Currently, my favorite stuffing for my Apron Strings is a Cottonbabies and a JB, with the JB towards DS. It's not too poofy and is pretty absorbant.

Which size fits best, do you think? I have a large and I wonder if he'll run out of rise soon.

What color/patterns did you get? I am going to order 2 more soon.

[kozachka]

I'd love to hear how SEZ+LJ combo works for you. I've also e-mailed Rebecca so maybe she'll have some good suggestions.

[kozachka]

To be quite honest neither size fits DS that well :( but if I were to order another fleece pocket from Rebecca it would be in Large for sure. Medium fits DS just right without any stuffings but gets low if I put so much as an infant PF into the pocket. Large is bulky for us not that it matters for the night. DS did not seem uncomfortable, just getting PJs on him was a bit tricky ;) IYKWIM.

DS is tall and slender, he measured almost 33" and 22 lbs. 7 oz at his 15 months check-up today. Even so I can't see him running out of the rise on size Large anytime soon. He's got long legs though so it depends on your DS built. E-mail Rebecca if in doubt, she is a pleasure to work with.

We've got a front snap Squash pocket in Large and Aztec Bunnies Applix in Medium. Squash is a nice yellow, not too loud, I like it but than again yellow is one of my favorite colours. Never thought I'd say that but I LOVE snaps :7, so much easier to get a dipe on my wiggler. We have to do it standing up for most part.

If I could only figure out which inserts to use with these pockets!

[essnce629]

I haven't got my Apron Strings fleece pocket yet, but we haven't had a single leak overnight (in any of my pockets) when using one large MOE insert and a large nighttime LJ. His skin is always completely dry in the morning and the stuffings are quite wet, but definatley not soaking. Only 3/4 of the LJ is usually really wet. The longest he's slept has been almost 13 hours and no problems at all :). I put the MOE on top (closest to his skin) since it's softer than the LJ.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif 18 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[mudder17]

Oops, turns out I didn't use the SEZ+LJ combo last night. I used the SEZ + lg MOE combo. It's not quite the best thing for my snapping turtle since the bottom of her onesie was slightly damp this morning. But that could be because they sort of ride into the leg openings. I'll let you know as soon as I try the SEZ + LJ combo, though.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif Breastfed 1 Year -- Woohoo!

[kozachka]

Guess I'll have to get a large MOE insert and one of the hemp inserts (LJ, JB, DB etc.) for my large Apron Strings pocket. And something less absorbent for the medium one, which we'll be using during the day.

Here's what Apron Strings owner Rebecca had to say on the issue of inserts:

"I apologize for the wet bed. That stinks. I find 2 infant prefolds are usually adequate at night for us. It’s bulky, but my children have never minded.

From your choices listed, I like the MOE microfiber (not familiar with LizaJane or Cottonbabies). It seems thicker than the microfiber towels I bought at walmart to use as pocket stuffers (those work nicely during the day, btw). Some people have problems with joeybunz and other tightly knit inserts (hemp jersey/hemp fleece) in a fleece pocket, though they work for us and are super trim. I’m sure your baby could wear that medium one with one joey during the day for a little bit longer.

The problem some people had was when they had a child that peed forcefully enough that the urine didn’t have a chance to be absorbed into the joey. It would roll off the top and out either the leghole or through the fleece outer. I prefer to use a loosely knit/woven fabric like gauze prefolds or flats, or even microfiber inserts over hemp ones that seem stiff to me, though they may be more trim. I guess there’s an experimental learning curve with the fleece dipes! LOL"

On to shopping and experimenting :). Please keep me posted on what works best for you, ladies.

[mudder17]

Okay, I tried a night LJ + SEZ night in my apron strings last night and Kaya was slightly clammy this morning, but everything else was nice and dry. So it looks like that combo basically works for her. Both were pretty wet almost to the back, so it looks like they did manage to wick away the dampness from the front. I still wish I could come up with a combo that will keep her completely dry, but I do appear to have a super soaker on my hands!


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif Breastfed 1 Year -- Woohoo!

[nitaghei]

I have a long skinny boy who sleeps on his tummy as well! Don't have Apron Strings, but these are the stuffins' that work for us (Snapping Turtles, Knickernappie, Babyblankets) at night:

1) Night Lizajane insert with a MOE insert in the middle.
2) Two JBs with a MOE insert in the middle.

All large.

We've been using this combo for a long time. I found that neither all hemp nor all microfiber worked well, but the combo is pretty much leak-proof for us. There are nights when the stuffins' are completely soaked, but we've had almost no leaks.

If DS has has a ton of water late in the evening, I add a Daisy-Doodle doubler. I just got a doubler from Shandelle (funnyfarmcreations) that I have also used successfully, but it was probably over-kill. Neither of these add any significant bulk to the dipe, which is good, because my DS objects strongly and loudly to bulky dipes. :)

HTH

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker(at the Rainbow Bridge)

[kozachka]

Thanks for all the recommendations, ladies. I should be getting some MOE inserts from MDC TP shortly and will also buy few hemp inserts, either JBs or Lizajane. Need to read up on the differences between the two.

Last night we used an infant prefold wrapped in a Target blue MF towel with another MF towel wrapped accross them for extra coverage in the front. This combo works great :P! DS was completely dry in the morning. BUT you should have seen his diaper, it was huge, I could barely zip DS' PJs :(.

Tonight DS is sleeping in the medium Apron Strings pocket stuffed with MF towel wrapped around doubled hemp soaker from SugarPlumBaby dipe that's too big for DS. It's a much trimmer combo, will see how it works. DS peed in the potty right before going to bed :7 so hopefully it'll hold up till morning. I could not have put anything else in that dipe and get it on, the rise is too low for us ;(. Need to get couple more night dipes in size large.

ETA: He soaked throught this combo (MF towel & doubled hemp soaker) by midnight and woke up crying inconsolably x(. That was the end of my experiments for the night, I put a sposie on him :( and he slept fine till his 5 AM nursing. We'll try medium one more time during the day when get MOE inserts. If it gets soaked, off to Diaper Swap or MDC TP it'll go.