Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential Review

I received this item at no cost in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Have you struggled to find an overnight cloth diaper solution that works for you super soaker? I happen to hang out in a lot of cloth diaper groups on Facebook, and not a day goes by where someone isn’t asking for suggestions for an overnight cloth diaper that is absorbent enough for the heaviest of wetters. This seems to be one of the most challenging aspects of cloth diapering. Families want to cloth diaper full time, but feel like they simply can’t find a cloth diaper that’s absorbent enough for their little one. This is where the work at home mom (WAHM) behind Just For You Baby Designs comes in. You see, Jocelyn is something of a cloth diaper master. Her pocket diaper is divine, her AIO is quite literally my favourite AIO at the moment, and now her Hybrid Nightly Essential fitted diaper has proven to be more than just the super soaker absorber to end all super soaker overnight leaks. Not only is the Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential beyond incredibly absorbent, but it’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve had a diaper crush on this diaper style in this particular print since I first saw it at the Great Cloth Diaper Change in Calgary in 2016. Let me tell you that this overnight hybrid fitted did not disappoint! 

The Details:

Just in case this is the first time you’ve heard of Just 4 You Baby Designs, let me give you a brief introduction.  Just 4 You Baby Designs is a local to me (she’s just north of Calgary in Cochrane) WAHM who has been sewing works of art she calls cloth diapers for over two years. Her diapers are nothing short of perfection in every way from the quality of the materials she uses to the precision of every last stitch. I know first hand how hard Jocelyn works on the development and design of her diapers. Each style goes through rigorous testing, and each style is tweaked again and again until everything from the fit to the absorbency is exactly how it should be. The Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential fitted cloth diaper is no exception.

The Hybrid Nightly Essential is a one size hybrid fitted cloth diaper. A fitted cloth diaper is one where every layer of the diaper is absorbent from the snap in inserts and booster right out to the outermost layer of the diaper. Where a hybrid fitted cloth diaper differs from a fitted cloth diaper is that the hybrid has a hidden layer of windpro fleece between the absorbent core and the outermost layer of the diaper. This hidden windpro fleece layer helps to keep moisture from pushing through to the outside of the diaper. Although not completely waterproof without a cover (lanolized wool or PUL), a hybrid fitted will keep the moisture inside the diaper longer than a fitted diaper.

The Hybrid Nightly Essential is a one size hybrid fitted overnight cloth diaper. It fits babies from 8 to 35 lbs and it accommodates that range of sizing with a 4 x 3 snap adjustable rise. The diaper has a double row snap closure along the front. Each of the tabs has one hip snap and two waist snaps to ensure a custom snug fit on every baby. These tabs can also be crossed over to fit the smallest babies. The lower row of snaps at the waist are male snaps across the front of the diaper and female snaps on the diaper tabs. When the Hybrid Nightly Essential is used on a baby at the upper end of the recommended weight range, the hip snaps may not be needed. In case this happens, those hip snaps on the tabs are female snaps so they don’t dig into baby’s skin.

The Hybrid Nightly Essential comes with four components: the outer shell, a large snap in insert, a small insert, and a snap in booster. The outer shell is made with a cotton/lycra blend material. This is the print portion of the diaper, and there are a variety of prints to choose from through Just 4 You Baby Designs. The inner material of the outer shell is an athletic wicking jersey (AWJ) material. This material helps to wick moisture down and away from baby. In between the exterior print and the AWJ is one layer of hidden windpro fleece, and one layer of hidden bamboo & organic cotton to increase the overall absorbency of the whole diaper. Inside near the back of the outer shell is a set of double snaps where the large insert can be snapped into place.

There are two inserts that come with the Hybrid Nightly Essential. The large insert is very long, twice the length of the entire shell, and it has a set of two snaps just beyond the middle of the insert. These snaps allow you to snap the large insert into the outer shell. You simply fold this large insert in half, and then snap it into place. The large insert consists of three layers of a bamboo & organic cotton, and one top layer of sherpa bamboo. The sherpa bamboo is especially soft and helps to pull the moisture down and away from baby. These four layers of absorbency are doubled to eight layers when the insert is folded in half and snapped into the outer shell. The layers of the insert are stitched together in the middle, but left serged and open along the edges. This helps to speed up the drying process. The large insert is a contoured hourglass-type shape. It is widest at the back, then narrows through the middle, and flares a little bit at the front. The small insert is made of three layers of bamboo & organic cotton, and has a top layer of sherpa bamboo. Like the large insert, the small insert is sewn together through the centre to help speed up the drying time, and it has an hour glass shape that matches up with the large insert. The small insert can be layered on top of the large insert, or placed in between the folds of the large insert. When the small and large insert are used together, you get twelve layers of absorbency. Finally, there is a booster that comes with the Hybrid Nightly Essential. The booster has two snaps at the back which can be snapped directly to the outer shell when the large insert isn’t in use, or it can be snapped into the middle of the large insert in between the folds. The booster is made of two layers of bamboo & organic cotton, and is topped with one layer of cotton & lycra blend matching the outer shell. When both inserts and the booster are used together, you get fifteen layers of absorbency (plus the extra layer built into the outer shell).

How It Works:

Petit Prince has been using the Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential for a number of months, and it’s beyond absorbent for him. Over Petit Prince’s toddlerhood, he’s gone from being a super soaker (a much heavier overnight wetter than The Heir ever was) to being a light overnight sprinkler. Lately he’s a much lighter wetter overnight (likely thanks to night weaning), but for a while, I was struggling to find something that would be sufficiently absorbent for his super soaker nights. The Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential is an overnight sensation. Even on his heaviest soaking nights, I still didn’t need to use both inserts and the booster together to keep him leak free. The large insert on its own is more than enough now that Petit Prince isn’t nursing through the night, but when he was still nursing through the night, the large insert with the small insert or the large insert with the booster was sufficient to keep him contained. In fact, when I used the large and small insert together, the outside of theHybrid Nightly Essential shell was still dry in the morning. What does that mean, exactly? That means it could have been used without a waterproof cover and Petit Prince’s sheets would have still been dry. Of course, I’ve always used it with a wool cover simply because I don’t like tempting fate, but to date, with the large and small insert together (that’s without the booster) moisture has never pushed through to the outside of the shell. That hidden layer of windpro fleece in the shell is definitely doing a great job of keep moisture inside the diaper where it belongs. Now if Petit Prince’s heaviest wetting phase didn’t require both inserts AND the booster to last all night, just imagine what using them all together could do for your super soaker!

Now that I’ve covered the absorbency, let’s talk about the fit. First off, you can expect that any overnight cloth diaper is going to be bulky, but that doesn’t mean it has to fit like a hefty box. The Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential is created with fit in mind. Yes, it’s going to add some bulk to the bum, but the way the outer shell and the inserts are constructed provide an excellent fit on baby. I’ve struggled in the past to get the right fit with a fitted diaper on Petit Prince. I really like to eliminate gaps at the leg openings, and when I can’t eliminate gaps with a fitted diaper I spend the night worrying that Petit Prince might wake up soaked. The Hybrid Nightly Essential’s inserts are very narrow through the middle/crotch. This eliminates a large amount of the bulk between the legs allowing the lovely soft elastics of the outer shell to make contact with baby. In other words, no leg gaps! Petit Prince wears the Hybrid Nightly Essential on the large rise (the third of the four rise settings), and I find the fit really great for a hybrid fitted cloth diaper.

One of the things I most appreciate about Just 4 Your Baby Designs’ Hybrid Nightly Essential is that it comes prepped and ready to go! That’s right. You can forget washing this diaper 5+ times to get it even close to its maximum absorbency. This diaper is ready for the bum the moment the mailman delivers it to your door. As a cloth diapering mom herself, Jocelyn of Just 4 You Baby Designs really gets it. She knows the prepping process can be time consuming, but she also knows that diapers that need a lot of prepping may also shrink a bit through the prepping process. By prepping the materials beforehand, not only are you avoiding the dreaded prep delay, but you’re also getting a diaper that isn’t going to shrink or curl up along the edges.

As far as covering the Hybrid Nightly Essential, you will need to choose a cover to make this creation waterproof. You won’t want to cover it because it’s just so amazingly beautiful, but you’ll probably need to use a cover. My preference is to use a wool cover which I lanolize every few weeks so it maintains its waterproofing capabilities. You could also use a PUL cover over the Hybrid Nightly Essential, if that’s your preference. Just keep in mind that you will need a fairly substantially sized PUL cover to fit over a hybrid fitted (though this really goes for any fitted or hybrid fitted overnight diaper).

Pros:

• WAHM made in Canada
• Sherpa bamboo & bamboo/organic cotton absorbency
• Really really absorbent, great for super soakers and the heaviest overnight wetters
• Includes two inserts to customize the level of absorbency
• Includes a booster that snaps into the shell or into the large insert
• One size rise adjustment fits a wide range of sizes (8-35lbs)
• Cross over snaps on the tabs make for a snug fit at the waist for the smallest babies
• Can be used with one insert, two inserts, or two inserts and the booster, or any combination that suits the absorbency needs of your child
• Narrowness of the inserts allows for a great fit around the legs
• Hidden layer of windpro fleece keeps moisture inside the diaper allowing the outer shell to stay dry for longer
• Dries quickly compared to other fitted diapers
• Can be made completely customized to your liking
• High quality workmanship that will last
• Arrives prepped and ready to be used

Cons:

• The Hybrid Nightly Essential is pricey. The cost will vary a little depending on the finishes that you choose (almost everything is customizable on the diaper), but the Hybrid Nightly Essential featured in this review retails for $60.99 CAD. This is a carefully hand made item, made with the highest quality materials, by a local WAHM who takes all the care in the world with each and every diaper she makes. Yes, she makes every single one herself, and she’s not pulling in some massive profit from selling these diapers. However, at $60+ CAD each, it’s a price that simply isn’t within reach for everyone. You’d need at least three Hybrid Nightly Essentials to have enough to use them exclusively as your child’s overnight diapers. Keep in mind that you are getting a diaper that comes with enough absorbency to last overnight from birth through potty training. You won’t need to purchase a bunch of additional inserts and boosters to add as your little one increases their overnight output. Compared to other overnight options available, it’s not actually much more expensive ($5-10 more), and not all those other options are going to be as absorbent or long lasting as the Hybrid Nightly Essential.

Final Thoughts:

Just 4 You Baby Designs has created yet another incredibly beautiful and incredibly functional cloth diaper. I love being able to support a local WAHM’s business, and the fact that her products are some of the absolute best in terms of function, fit, and quality, just makes it all the better. The Hybrid Nightly Essential is the answer to your overnight super soaker woes. If your child wets through everything you’ve tried so far, whether it’s cloth or disposable, the Hybrid Nightly Essential is the solution. It’s very very absorbent, but it’s still soft for baby. I find some cotton blend inserts can become stiff when wet, but the sherpa bamboo and the bamboo & organic cotton that Just 4 You Baby Designs uses stays softer. The beauty of the Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential is undeniable. Though it is a very functional cloth diaper, it’s also a wonderful piece of art. Jocelyn works hard on these diapers, and they are worth every penny.

Just 4 You Baby Designs Hybrid Nightly Essential fitted diapers are available through the Just 4 You Baby Designs Facebook page. You can stay on top of all the latest news and special offers from Just 4 You Baby Designs by joining their Facebook Chat and B/S/T group!