C.M.
Just like everyone else is saying, you should try a hemp or bamboo insert. These fibers are more absorbant than microfiber. My daughter is a heavy wetter, so when we just use the single microfiber insert in the bg, I have to change her every hour to hour & a half most of the time. If I know we will be away from the house where it will be inconvenient to change her so often, or on a long car trip, or just playing outside when I won't be able to coax her in to change her diaper very often .... I stuff my bg's with hemp. Hemp, while it is more absorbant, does have a couple of downsides. First of all, hemp doesn't absorb as quickly as microfiber. So if my daughter pees alot all at one time, the hemp might not absorb the liquid fast enough & cause the diaper to leak. This can be fixed by pairing the hemp insert with a thin microfiber (like the bg newborn inserts) on top. It sounds bulky, but the hemp inserts are so trim that it's no more bulky than just using the single microfiber insert that comes with the bg. The other issue with using hemp is that it does tend to hold ammonia odors. I think it's because the hemp inserts are so dense that the ammonia salts get trapped deep within the insert & it's hard to wash them out. I have two different kinds of hemp inserts. One is a Babykicks Joey Bunz insert. It is shaped similarly to the bg microfiber insert & you just stuff it in the dipe like you normally would. It is really trim, but really dense. I also have a Hemp Babies flat. It's just a big flat piece of fabric. You can fold it however you want to. I just fold it in the same shape as the bg insert & stuff it in the dipe. The advantage to the flat is that it's not quite so dense so it will soak up moisture a little more quickly and you don't have to pair it with a microfiber insert. Another advantage is that since you can unfold it all the way, the ammonia salts can't get trapped in it like they can with an insert that has multiple layers that are all sewn together. These are the only hemp inserts I have tried, I am sure there are others that work just as well or better. I also like bamboo. I use an Organic Bamboo Fleece fitted diaper from sustainablebabyish paired with a wool cover for my heavy wetter at nighttime. Never had a leak!
I wanted to add that I just read Rachel J.'s response ..... are the inserts you are talking about microfiber? You really should never put microfiber directly against baby's skin. It absorbs so well that it actually absorbs the natural oils produced by baby's skin and will dry their skin out and can cause a rash. It is okay to put natural fibers such as cotton, hemp or bamboo directly against baby's skin, but never microfiber. Rachel, if you were having problems with your diapers not absorbing when the insert was stuffed into the pocket, you are probably having repelling issues with the stay-dry fleece part of the pocket diaper. You should try stripping the diapers to resolve this problem. You should call or email Cotton Babies or visit their website for suggestions on how to strip your diapers.
