Reading through this thread I thought it might be helpful to share my own experience with using terries and why they're such . My LO is almost four years old now and apart from the occasional accident, is dry during the day. Night time however, is another matter entirely and having a nappy on before going to bed is a reluctant daily ritual for him. Mostly for convenience I always used disposables on him, however they did often leak, especially at night - and despite ensuring the nappy was not too tight, by the morning he was often quite sore around his legs.
The problems gradually worsened as he grew bigger and wet more heavily through the night. Despite trying numerous brands of disposables and adding a booster to them, wet pj's and bedding had become a frustratingly regular occurrence, not to mention his frequent distress from soreness.
I mentioned the problem to a friend and she suggested I try using traditional terries with plastic pants, which she had used with great success on both of her LO's, especially at night time when well boosted. With both of her's now out of nappies, she very kindly gave me everything needed to give it a try without making the financial outlay. The only thing I needed to get were plastic pants large enough for the job, as I found that a boy of his size in a boosted terry nappy needs a far bigger size than those she'd given me! As some of you have also mentioned, firmly securing a big nappy using a nippa is very difficult, so nappy pins are far more successful.
Without delay and eager to see the result, I gave a night time terry the chance to prove its effectiveness and the first thing I found was that some preparation and organisation is needed prior to putting on the nappy. You need to make sure that everything is to hand before you start; nappy(s), pins, plastic pants, cream, etc. you ideally also need to fold the nappy ready to go on before taking control of your LO. (folding is NOT difficult and with a little practice you'll have it done in a few seconds). This all differs greatly from a disposable, which of course you simply unfold and put on. However, it's really not much trouble to get everything ready - and you soon get in to a routine.
I'd been told that as he's quite a big boy, the kite fold would be best suited to my LO and that the nappy should be boosted with a second terry folded over length ways three times and placed in the centre to help cope with his heavy wetting and help prevent leaks. I followed these instructions and very soon had the nappy ready to go on, but did find that unlike using a disposable, it's best to place the terry nappy on a safe flat surface such as a bed, with all the other things close to hand, and to then lay your LO down on to it.
This is when my first noteable problem occurred, as my little one, who had grown used to having a small thin disposable put on for bed time, unexpectedly found himself needing to do the splits to make room for a nappy that was enormous in comparison! Once the nappy's up between his legs however, it's just a case of being a little firm to hold it there with plenty of reassurance to keep him still while you pin it on. In honesty, he didn't like the experience and continued to object for several days, but he's used to it now and we never have any fuss.
So, with the nappy on, what was the outcome? - Well, the overall result is excellent and I've had nothing more than a rare minor leak to deal with and I've continued successfully with terries ever since. Once you have the nappy on, there are a couple of tips that through experience I would offer 'though: Firstly, as this is quite a big and bulky nappy, I leave puttting it on my LO until he's actually about to go to bed - in fact the routine is now "nappy on - in to bed." The advantage of this is that while he is relatively comfortable laying down in bed, he definitely doesn't like waddling around the house awkwardly in a huge nappy and can become quite stressed about it. Also, make sure the plastic pants are not too tight around the legs, as they can become sore by the end of a long wet night. I always have some nappy poking out from the leg area of the plastic pants to act as a soft cushion, but push it all well inside the pants just before I go to bed, by which time his nappy's usually already damp and would most certainly be leaking from there by the morning. The usual way of pinning a kite folded nappy is with two pins, one on each side. However, I've found that with a large baby or toddler, a very effective way of preventing leaks, is to use two more pins to ensure the nappy remains snug and close around his legs. Yes, I know using four pins seems a bit over the top, but they do the trick so it's very wothwhile.
If your LO is quite big like mine, definitely use a second nappy as a booster. While it may look very bulky- and feel a bit strange and uncomfortable until he's become used to it, it will definitely keep him much drier and prevent leaking, which is what the exercise is all about. Finally, I always put a onesie over the nappy, which keeps it firmly in place, especially when it's wet. It also prevents any tampering of the nappy, and especially its pins.
So there, that's my very detailed account of the most definite advantages of using terries, - which overall completely outweigh the use of disposables, especially at bed time. For me they're an absolute godsend and worth everyone giving a try.