How To Stop Leaks & Get a Perfect Fit
Happy Heinys One-Size Diaper, Groovy Squares
Diaper leaks stink! Literally. They are a pain and are why my husband will only use one kind of cloth diaper now. Experimenting with the others scared him off, because who wants to wonder whether their cloth diapers will hold messes or not? There are a few things you can do to make sure your diapers don’t leak and to get the perfect fit whether your baby has chunky thighs or skinny legs, a big belly or skinny waist.
Preventing Leaks
Leaks are caused by a few culprits:
- Wicking
- Lack of absorbency
- Poor Fit
We will deal with all of these issues, one by one. And if you have more suggestions for me and for other readers, please leave them in comments!
Wicking
Wicking is what happens when the absorbent inside of a diaper peeks outside the waterproof outer shell/cover and gets moisture (what a polite word) on baby’s clothes or bedding. Here is how to keep your diapers from wicking:
- If you are using prefolds or fitted diapers, make sure they are completely covered by your diaper covers. A peek at the leg casings and the back of the waist will often reveal a little bit of diaper sneaking out of bounds. You can prevent wicking leaks by just tucking the diaper back into the cover.
- If your pocket or all-in-one diaper is wicking, make sure you are following the manufacturer’s instructions for putting on the diaper. Some diapers are designed to have the fleece lining layer roll out slightly at the legs, so all that touches baby’s skin is soft fleece. If a diaper is designed this way, do not roll the fleece in to try to prevent wicking; that will actually cause wicking! Learn how your diapers should be used and follow the instructions for happy, dry diapering.
Lack of Absorbency
A lack of absorbency can cause your diapers to leak for two reasons:
- You don’t have enough absorbency in the diaper. This often appears as a sudden leak after your baby has been wearing the diaper for a while, often out the leg casings, because when baby pees that final time the diaper can’t hold it all. Solve this problem by doubling up your pocket diaper terrycloth insert with a hemp doubler or hemp insert. Hemp absorbs more slowly than cotton, so it shouldn’t be used alone unless it is a hemp/cotton blend fabric, but it holds a lot more moisture than cotton so it makes a great doubler with a fast-absorbing terry insert.
- Your diapers are repelling moisture. This can be caused by either not pre-washing your diapers to strip the oils off the natural fabrics, or by buildup on your diapers. Buildup can be caused by goopy diaper rash creams, by your diapers not getting fully clean in the wash, or by your non-cloth-diaper-friendly detergent coating the diapers with softeners, additives, and the like. To avoid diaper rash cream buildup, use a cloth-diaper approved cream such as Burt’s Bees or California Baby. These zinc oxide creams are unlike Desitin because they only require a small amount to be rubbed into baby’s behind, rather than needing to be glopped on to create a moisture barrier. (Then there’s the difference in the ingredients, but that’s another post.) Less glopping means less buildup on your diapers. If you have pre-washed your diapers according to the instructions and the leaking is still getting worse, you probably have a buildup problem and should strip your diapers. Then experiment with different amounts of cloth-diaper-friendly detergent such as Rockin’ Green (which comes in Hard Rock variety for hard water), Allens Naturally, or Charlie’s Soap in the wash so you can make sure your diapers are getting clean and to avoid buildup in the future. Remember that sometimes less is more with detergent. Try pre-soaking in detergent followed by a hot wash and several rinses to get your diapers totally clean. I will cover diaper stink and other washing problems in another article to troubleshoot more laundry problems, but if buildup is your only problem, stripping and finding a good wash routine should fix it.
Poor Fit
If your diapers are loose around the waist or legs, you might get leaks. Here is how to get proper fit on your cloth diapers to avoid leaks:
- Fasten the velcro of a pocket or all-in-one diaper straight across, not at an angle. Fastening at too much of an angle can cause “wing droop” which means the leg casing can sag open and cause leaks. To fasten tightly, pull the near side of the front of the diaper straight toward baby’s hip and pull the tab the other direction over it and fasten the velcro straight across, then repeat on the side farther from you.
- Take advantage of the versatility of two rows of snaps on your snap diapers by angling the fit. A baby with chunky thighs will get the best fit if you fasten snap number two near the thighs but fasten snap number three up near the waist, to get a tighter waist fit.
- Again, don’t buy all one brand! Different diaper brands have different fits. Our baby girl has chunky thighs and a small waist, so she gets the best fit from Thirsties, which has a very flexible fabric and large leg holes with leg gussets to catch messes. When we put her in diapers with small leg holes instead of gussets, she gets red marks on her thighs or the diaper leaks out the waist because the only way to get the legs to fit is to let the waist be loose. Trust me: you don’t want a loose waist when your baby is sitting upright and has a big poop! That equals a poop geyser up baby’s back. Try different diapers as your baby grows and those super chunky legs suddenly disappear in the toddler-running-around-and-slimming-down phase. Ask your local diaper shop for recommendations on a good fit for your baby’s build, or look online for parents’ reviews.
