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I'm needing some advice on what's best for side sleepers. We've tried Depends underwear super absorbency for men and TENA protective underwear. There seems to be a lot of options these days. Any input you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hello JonB, I am primarily a side sleeper as well, and wore disposables for years, Tena Super and a cover pant, and always had problems with absorbrtion. It seems almost all dispoabale diapers are not made for side positions and wetting, so I changed to cloth pull-on diapers for at night, they work amazingly well for side sleeping. I add a cotton liner so the side I sleep on has some extra coverage, and not one wet spot in the morning. The cotton just does a much better job at wicking fliuds then the disposable did, no question. Not cheap to make the change over, and a bit of extra laundry, but for the benefits of a better nights sleep, it is worth it. I got the Kins heavy duty type, and tried the Gabby's as well, buth work great, but the Kins is more comfortable. The cover pant Gabby makes is tops too. Hope that gives you some insight, Puffy

I agree completely with Puffy. Cloth diapers way out perform disposables for side sleeping and actually for any kind of sleeping. More comfort and easily ajusttable to how much protection you need Papa

Thank you! I appreciate the responses. Do you all have any preferences on where to purchase these from?

I got mine from both BabyKins and Gabbys. I prefer the heavy cotton type from Kins, and the cloth like cover pant from Gabbys. The all in one works well too that Gabby's makes, I just dont like the loose insert that runs down the middle and is attached at the front and back lip. Sites are here : http://www.gabbys.net/ http://www.babykins.com/index.htm Any questions, feel free to ask, I am new to cloth as well, it is a learning curve, but works far better for me, and Papa is a wealth of cloth knowledge as well (gave me great advice) Puffy

I've been using cloth at night for a good while. Presently I use birdseye and gauze prefolds. I usually put the gauze inside the birdseye. That gives me the soft comfort and incredible wicking of the gauze by the skin and the wicking and durablity of the birdseye on the outside. I buy from ADC and Changing Times. Both have good service.

Well sized plastic pants are important. I use hi-back pants from ADC. I buy them on the large size so they cover the diaper loosely but still have a good leg and waist elastic fit. I have very few leaks and even then they are minor.

At first I used flannel prefolds and found they took a long time to dry and did not wick as nearly as well as the gauze and birdseye fabrics. I also got more rashes with them.

I have tried a few of the pull-ons and velcro form fitted briefs. They had two issues. First not enough material down the middle. Second I have only been able to get them in flannel. They are ok for daytime but require more frequent changing than a good disposable.

Good luck with trying cloth. I have found them to be considerably more comfortable and reliable at night than disposables.

JonB
I am now wearing the best diaper for a side sleeper. Only bad thing is, though, it's not on the market yet. I am in the middle of trying a new diaper design that both new in design and material. It's the best design I've seen for side sleepers in the 10 plus years I've been back in diapers. The material is a "fleece" type that is unbelievable in absorbtion and comfort to wear. It is constructed in a way you can add extra inserts in the side of the diaper. They are not on the market yet, but when they do become available, it's going to change the market completely in my opinion. I am completely sold on this new diaper.
Puffy has the next best thing suggested in a cotton pull-on which I have used, but you still need a little bit more protection on the sides. Of course a seperate insert will work as you can pin one on. This new design does not need any pins to hold the insert in.
But cloth is the way to go for night protection, especially for men.
As this new diaper becomes available, I'll let all who are interested know. .......Paul Martin

Now why am I not surprised at the fact that someone on this forum who has bladder issues is in the design side for making a newer - BETTER cloth diaper... that is cool Paul, I am looking forward to when you have it all dialed in and going to market. You can put me on the list of future customers, mainly because I know it will work for night wetting problems, and will have coverage in all the right places to avoid any leak issues. What is out there is OK, but can always use tweaking for sure... good on ya, Puffy

Jon, Why cloth diapers work better all the time and esp at night comes down to a couple of reasons. First as you know disposables have no absortion on the sides where cloth diapers cover completely. Next disposables advertise how much they could hold - if you laid them out flat and poured water on them. We all know they don't come close to holding that amount in real time use. No Wicking. Cloth absorbs and wicks the wetting to the whole diaper therefore using the whole diaper. People complain that cloth diapers feel wetter without the "stay dry" liners of dispossble diapers - actually they are wetter since they hold more and that "stay dry" liner? Take off a wet disposable diaper and feel your skin - it's wet. I found with dispoables that you leak more because you are never as aware of how wet your diaper is untill it is too late. With cloth diapers you are much more aware of when you need a diaper change. And as others have said - adding extra absorbancy is so much easier just double diaper or add a thick insert. With disposables you can also add inserts but sleeping on you side it most likly will not absorb anything if you are side sleeping. We all find what works for us so keep trying till you have the confidence to get through the day or night in peace. Papa

Papa is right on the money. I used to wear disposables at night but would end up leaking as I am a side sleeper. In my experience disposables just don't wick the wetness throughout the diaper like cotton does. Even if I'd fall asleep on my back I'd wake with a diaper that would be soaked in the low-lying areas and pretty much dry everywhere else. I know that there are now disposables on the market that claim to have better wicking capabilities but so far I've found no match for cloth diapers.