Night time CD solutions and how often to change cloth.

First lets talk about when to change a diaper -daytime use.
People wonder how often do I need to change a cloth diaper.  The answer varies a little. 

A newborn needs changing about every 1.5-2 hours on average.  An older baby about every 2-4 hours.  Or whenever baby poops.

The answer is in part how absorbent a cloth diaper is and how often baby pees. 

Cloth diapers are not designed to hold 6 pees or more like disposables are.  This is a good thing.  It is healthy for baby to be changed and not sitting in their own urine.  Personally when I see disposables advertise "good for 12 hours" I just think that's sad. 

You could in theory make a cloth diaper that lasted that long but why? Also it would have ammonia issues. 
What about at night?
Well a newborn is gonna need to eat throughout the night. There bodies require that.  Consequently they pee and poop more and need more diaper changes. An added soaker will give you that extra hour of sleep if your newborns system will allow it.  As your baby gets older they will pee less often, eat less ofte. and wake less at night.  So yes you might need a long haul diaper for nights.  Especially if you co-sleep (and so likely nurse throughout the night with you and baby barely aware).  Its a good way to get sleep for some families.  Depends on mom and baby. 

Regardless you want that nighttime long haul absorbency
So we do have 6 pee diapers....but that's for night.  You let all diapers get that full of urine all the time and you will have issues.

Having a specific night time diaper is a popular option.  Some company's even make nighttime specific diapers.
•sloomb overnight diaper
•mother ease Sandy's diaper

You can also make your own nightime diaper.  Fitteds and HF's tend to be the best night time performers as are wool covers.  You can use any absorbent fabric of your choice.  I use flannel.  But the big performers here are hemp or bamboo-rayon fleece and hemp or bamboo-rayon terry.  I do not recommend zorb or MF.  Its no secret I'm not a fan if these fabrics but their compression leak problems are a big night time issue.  If you don't usually use a stay dry layer you might want to for a night time specific diaper.  It is optional, I haven't yet. 

Night time attachments.
Another alternative is to make boosters or doublers for nights.  This is a soaker but references this specific use.  A high absorbency fabric soaker often with a staydry layer.  You can also makes an HF shell (water resistant fleece cover).  With these options you lay your booster into your regular diaper  and put the fleece shell over it.   With a pocket you can make a set of night time soakers with your bottom most layer being a water resistant fleece.  It's not as effective as the fitted adjustments but it will help.

And lastly a wool cover.  It really is the night time bullet proof answer. 

Why are Fitted's popular at night?  They just work great and are more versitile for adding fleece, wool, and a booster.  With a pocket or aio you can really only add the booster although you could make  wool longies (pants that double as diaper covers) to use as pajama pants over your pocket or aio with the added booster inside. 

Fit
With the added booster (night soaker), you need to make sure you haven't made your diaper to tight.  A diaper that is to tight will add to leaks. 

Throughout the night
If your baby wakes and that diaper needs changing, change it.  Just cuz baby has a night time diaper that will make it through the night doesn't mean it always should.  For this reason I recommend 3-4 night time diapers for a 2 day laundry routine.

When Morning Comes
Come morning if baby slept through the night you are going to have a very urine soaked diaper.  Rinse it and rinse it well.  Now I recommend rinsing every diaper.  But if you don't, please do with the night time diaper come morning.  And not a little run under the tap or sprayer.  Fully soak under tap, wring and repeat, and then again.  It's common to hear "I have ammonia but only in my nighttime diapers".  Yeah well that's cuz they got peed in all night and then the ammonia from urine built up till laundry time.  This also is why we don't make cloth diapers that last 8 hours....except for nighttime diapers.