How do you tell

[DragonfliiMama]

when a diaper is wet and needs changed? I mean, if you LO doesn't fuss about it or anything? Or for you EC folks, how do you tell when they need to pee? Just curious. :)

[trustingGod2]

With cloth diapers I just change every 2-4 hrs depending on which child and how much they have had to drink and never had an issue

[DragonfliiMama]

Yeah, that's pretty much what we do too, and it's not typically a problem. I just hear others saying how they change every pee or as soon as it's wet, and I'm like :hunh :scratch but how do you KNOW? :giggle

[BlessedBlue]

Well...

Two ways. Learn their cues, stick a finger in there. The second way is very helpful in learning the first way.

My learning-how-to-sit babies will fall over when their diaper is wet. They'll be doing just fine and then suddenly - flop. :giggle If left too long in a wet diaper, the diaper alarm will go off (screeching, repetitive squealing, etc)

Basically, it's my first item on the checklist whenever there's a transition. I'm taking the baby out of the sling - check diaper. The baby is ready to get up from a nap - check diaper. The baby seems distracted, or fussy - check diaper. The baby is rooting for milk - check diaper.

(Yes, I change diapers a lot. Probably a lot more than most cloth diaper-ers. I ECed my first 2, and this third child's potty "style" is not really compatible with EC and having preschoolers. So, this is the next best thing.)

[tazmom]

I very rarely use a cover when we're at home. When they're wearing just a prefold, you know when it's wet. ;) I have a tendency to forget to change for several hours when she's got a cover on. :O

[Chaos Coordinator]

if you're using prefolds or fitteds or something like that, its obvious - the outside of the diaper is wet. H cannot tolerate moisture against his skin so we use fleece or velour, anything else (birdseye, flannel, etc) turns him red immediately. suedecloth gives him blisters even though it wicks. fleece wicks so he lasts a long time in those before rash sets in. velour doesn't wick but it seems to give me more time than any other non-wicking fabrics. and by more time, i mean, he soaks a fitted w/ a doubler in about 45 min - with a velour inner i can get maybe an hour in a diaper.

if you're using covers or pockets, here's how to tell when its wet - a dry microfiber insert feels fluffy. a wet one feels like a wet towel - its bunchy, kind of hard and inflexible. the same difference applies to hemp inserts although not as drastically as they are much trimmer and thinner than microfiber.