Reusable Nappies for a Heavy Wetter

Hi there, my name is Em and I am a big fan and advocate of cloth nappies. I’ve been through some trial and error along the way but I was determined to stick with it. I’m so I am glad that I did. I currently have one son, (Benedict) who is 22 months old and the biggest wee machine known to man. I’m going to share my top reusable nappies for a heavy wetter!
Our reusable nappy journey
We started our cloth journey when my son was just two weeks old. He started out in muslin cloths with a TotsBots wrap over the top. We’ve moved on so far from those original muslin cloths I can’t believe he was ever in them! It became apparent from quite early on that my son was a ‘heavy wetter’.
We tried lots of different types of nappies, from Terry squares to Close Pop Ins. Every time we thought we had cracked it and found him the perfect nappy he would start to out wee it. By 7 months old he would soak through the Close Pop-In Bamboo nappies within 30 minutes. It was very frustrating and felt like we were going nowhere and would have to resort to disposables. It sounds silly but I thought I was doing something wrong. I was failing somehow at something that I was so passionate about.
GroVia ONE reusable nappy
It was at this time that we discovered the Grovia ONE. A super absorbent nappy that is completely tumble dryable, a very handy feature when you live in a small two bed and its turning to winter. The Grovia ONE comes with two inserts made from cotton and microterry.
When we first started using the Grovia we were able to use just the one main insert inside and get up to 4 hours from it. This was very different to his previous nappies where we were using several boosters just to get 2 hours. As he grew older and bigger we needed the other insert but we were still getting 4 hours comfortably. He even had them as a night nappy for while which is great for a heavy wetter. These lasted well for us up until a few months ago where he started to wet through these in 2 hours.
Baba & Boo reusable nappies for a heavy wetter
I was sent a trial kit for Baba + Boo nappies just as my son started out wetting the Grovia. I was really worried about using them even as a trial as I couldn’t see how they could be any better. Without bothering with a prewash as I wasn’t expecting much from them, I put the nappy on. Four hours later he was still dry.
The fact that I had gotten 4 hours from a nappy that wasn’t even prewashed definitely justified me buying more! We are still using these today in a rotation with the Grovia and now they have been washed several times I consistently get over 4 hours from them. They can withstand my sons super pee power in the day so I can see these being very suitable for other children at night.
Tots Bots Bamboozle an overnight reusable nappy option
Our heavy wetter night time solution is currently a size 3 TotsBots Bamboozle with two bamboo boosters inside and the Close pop in wrap over the top. This will get my son through the night with no leaks. It took a while to get to this point, having a nappy that works for the day and one for the night. I’ve learnt that having a heavy wetter does present more challenges when using cloth nappies but not to give up. You will find the right nappy for your child and when you do everything will fall into place and become easier!
Fab post! I’ve still yet to try Grovia! Might have to give them a try xx
I’m sure fb is stalking me! I’ve just been to the nappy library as ours just leak out, to see if they have something I can try. Unfortunately I can’t afford brand new nappies. Hope the ones that the nappy library has loaned me will contain something that works. Good to know about the grovia though
This is an amazing post. I love your phrase ‘It sounds silly but I thought I was doing something wrong, I was failing somehow at something that I was so passionate about.’ because this is where I am right now. My son is 13 months old and has been in close pop in since birth and I have sworn by them… Until now. He regularly wets through (particularly at nursery) and, whilst it’s not as bad as your experience, I am getting so frustrated about it all that I am almost to the point of using disposables. Thank you for making me feel so much better.