Using and washing night nappies

Understand the ins and outs of using cloth night nappies, including washing methods and benefits for overnight wear.

Baby sleeping
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Night nappy treatment is based on the amount of urine in the nappy. They can require a little more effort to remove the heavy urine load. A good wash routine will prevent smells and ammonia.

Like day nappies, night nappies need two washes: a first wash (prewash) and a main wash. The first wash should be done on the same day the night nappy comes off the bum. The first wash can be done either in the morning or the evening.

Table of contents

What counts as a night nappy

A night nappy is a nappy that has been on the bum for more than 4 hours and contains a significant amount of urine. This is usually a nappy that is worn overnight.

Dedicated night nappies have a greater absorption capacity than day nappies. Many dedicated night nappies are on the bum for 12 hours.

Washing night nappies

Adding night nappies directly into your first wash cycle (alongside day nappies and other items) saves time and makes using cloth easier.

There are three options for washing night nappies:

  • add to a daily 60+ minute 60ºC (140ºF) first wash; or
  • add to a daily 45+ minute first wash, any temperature*, using bleach in addition to detergent.
  • hand-wash in hot water with a small amount of laundry detergent, spin in the washing machine and dry pail until you run your first wash; or

* If night nappies smell after washing in cold water and chlorine bleach, increase the water temperature to 40-60ºC (104-140ºF).

When Clean Cloth Nappies began in 2015, most members handwashed the night nappy before adding it to their first wash. Now that the community has embraced more frequent first washes, with longer, hotter cycles, a separate hand wash is no longer necessary.

Adding night nappies directly into your first wash cycle saves time and makes using cloth easier. We trialled this extensively before updating our advice.

When you don’t have day nappies to wash

Many children toilet train during the day and still require a nappy at night. In this situation, most members continue to do a daily first wash, and then wash the night nappy with towels or general laundry for the main wash.

When people are down to one nappy a day it’s usually the night nappy. Because of the amount of wee it contains this nappy needs decent wash. This stage of nappy life is hard! There is no best process, only what is best for you and your family.

~ Anastasia, Environmental Scientist and founding Facebook group admin

If your child wakes up dry, treat the nappy as if it were underwear. There is no need to double wash a dry nappy.

Adapting your wash routine when using night nappies

We asked members what changes they made to their wash routines. Here are some of their responses.

With my first baby I increased first wash temp and time during the heaviest wetting stages. With my second baby I started using bleach in the first wash, and that meant that I could dial back the time and temp.

~Jacqueline, Australia

I’ve used night nappies from the start. First wash depends on the day. If every day currently it’s a 40ºC cycle with bleach and washing powder, every 2nd day its 60ºC. Main wash is always an intensive 60ºC 4ish hour cycle

~Ashley, New Zealand

We are just on night nappies now but I still run a first wash for a single night nappy. Can’t be bothered hand washing. Sometimes I just do 30 mins 60°C if not much wee… I use laundry booster in first wash.

~Kira, Australia

We’ve used night nappies from the beginning. They get a first wash for an hour at 40°C and then a good long wash on 60°C, using biological detergent. This seems to be the most efficient way for us and they can be accidentally left in the machine for a day or so and still come out smelling totally fresh.

~Aimee, United Kingdom

We’ve always used night nappies. We wash first thing in the morning, laundry booster + detergent. Toploader so only warm wash.

~Ashlea, Australia

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Additional information about caring for night nappies and our updated recommendations.

Will adding the night nappy directly to my first wash work for me?

In most cases, yes!

  • Front loader machines usually have 60ºC cycle that is around 1 hour long.
  • Top loader owners need to add chlorine bleach to their first wash to include night nappies in the washing machine.

If you are unable to run a 60ºC cycle and also do not want to use chlorine bleach, you will need to hand wash the night nappy before adding it to your first wash.

My child wears a day nappy overnight. Should I treat this as a night nappy?

If you use a day nappy for overnight and it’s very wet, you may still benefit from night nappy style treatment. This is not likely to be as important as it will be with dedicated night nappies that are designed to take 10-14 hours of urine.

Need help with your cloth nappy wash routine?

Join the Clean Cloth Nappies Facebook group, tell us about the issue, and one of our dedicated volunteers will try to help you find the solution.

Information to include with your post
  • The issue you are having
  • How often you run your first wash
  • How often you run your main wash
  • What detergent you use
  • How much detergent you use for each wash