Your cute little bundle of joy has a leaky diaper all the time, what do you do? Of course, the first action you take is to change the diaper quickly. It’s not a big deal if this happens every once in a while but if this is a frequent and daily problem there are several things you can do to prevent diaper leaks. Our Top 7 Tips to reduce diaper leaks are below.
1. Choose a High-Quality Diaper
Choosing a high-quality diaper is essential to prevent diaper leaks. Unfortunately, many of the lowest price diapers are also made from low-quality materials. If a diaper is too thin or is made of cheap quality it’s almost guaranteed that the diaper will leak.
On the other hand, some of the most expensive diapers are also known to leak. The trick is to find the right consistency and quality that is best for your baby. You can also read check out our post on the Best Diapers for Diarrhea.
It’s also important to take note of any skin allergies your baby might have to diaper materials. Some babies have sensitive skin that becomes highly irritated by simply having contact with low-quality materials. Finding the right diaper for your baby might take several tries of different brands to finally confirm which one is best for your baby.
If your baby seems to have allergic reactions or skin sensitivity two standard diaper brands, look into organic alternative diaper brands. Keep in mind that some babies may have an allergic reaction to the organic brands as well, so make sure you pay close attention to which diaper irritates your baby’s skin the most.
2. Choose the Right Size Diaper
Your baby grows quickly and can change diaper sizes from month to month, week to week, and sometimes even day-to-day. Your little cutie might also grow in places such as their legs and gain weight in areas such as their tummy that can cause a change in diaper size.
They can also begin to grow in length which thins out the legs and can lead to leaks, even though the diaper fits properly. The leaks happen due to a gap around the leg area.
It’s wise to use the charts provided on the diaper packaging to determine the size that is best suited to your baby. However, there are important issues to consider such as thin for chubby legs. This can work both ways because chubby legs might need larger diapers so you don’t cut the circulation off and on the other side thinner legs cause leaks if the diaper is too big.
Finding your baby’s perfect diaper size to suit their current needs is essential to preventing leaks as well as keeping your baby comfortable. If your baby is on the larger size, check out our article for the Best Baby Diapers for Toddlers over 50 lbs.
3. Figure Out Your Baby’s Potty Schedule
An overloaded diaper is not able to absorb too much liquid. It also makes your baby feel uncomfortable as well as increases the risk of a diaper rash and skin irritation.
Gradually figure out your baby’s potty schedule. An excellent way to start is to pay attention to what happens immediately after you feed your baby.
If you put your baby on a consistent daily feeding schedule their potty habits will be similar every day. This will help you determine your baby’s potty schedule quickly and easily.
It’s wise to create a habit of changing your baby immediately after their diaper is soiled. This will help prevent the risk of a leaky diaper.
4. Change Your Baby’s Diaper Often
If you are not able to determine your baby’s potty schedule, you can simply change the diaper frequently throughout the day. This will help prevent leaks and keep your baby dry and comfortable.
5. Use Overnight Diapers
Babies can become uncomfortable in the middle of the night due to a heavily soiled diaper. Luckily, the diaper industry understands this problem and has created overnight diapers to help solve the issue.
These helpful and comfortable diapers absorb more compared to daily diapers. They are specially designed to prevent diaper leaks and absorb liquid quickly. You might also be interested in finding the Best Velcro Diapers.
6. Put the Diaper on Your Baby Correctly
As a first-time parent, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out how to put the diaper on your baby. The labels on the diaper packages often give instructions. However, some parents experience more difficulty placing the diaper on their baby compared to others.
Generally, after removing a dirty diaper and cleaning your baby you want to place the diaper on carefully. Follow the standard instructions by holding your baby gently by the ankles and lifting them to slide to the open diaper under their body then gently place them on back onto the surface and let go of their ankles.
The Next Step involves placing the top of the diaper on your baby and gently holding it in place. Then remove the sticker tab on the diaper and pull it over and stick it to the top surface. Then do it again on the other side. Most diapers offer the opportunity to adhere and remove the sticker tab multiple times until you find the perfect fit for your baby.
It’s essential to your baby’s comfort level to make sure you don’t put the diaper on too tight or too loose. You want to find the perfect snug fit that prevents leaks but at the same time keeps your baby comfortable.
A helpful tip involves gently maneuvering the diaper fabric around your baby’s legs to ensure the surface is covered and your baby is comfortable. This technique also helps to prevent leaks.
7. Be Prepared for Blowouts
A diaper blowout is something that every parent is going to experience at least once. A blowout happens when there is a sudden burst of too much feces and it leaks out of the diaper in almost all areas.
This situation often causes feces to burst out of the top back of the diaper as well as the leg area. Unfortunately, this type of blowout is almost unpreventable. It is usually linked to a digestive issue your baby is having which makes it happen suddenly and out of the blue.
The best way to be prepared for blowouts, especially while on-the-go, is to have extra diapers and cleaning products available. Always stock your changing table and your diaper bag with extra supplies in case of a blowout.
Why is my diaper leaking?
Your baby’s diaper can be leaking for a variety of reasons which includes the wrong diaper size and fit. This is the most common cause of diapers leaking.
The good news is this issue is easy to fix! Make sure you are keeping up with your baby’s growth rate and you take the time to find the perfect fit for your baby.
It’s also important to properly place a diaper on your baby. Sometimes parents accidentally put the diaper on too loose which causes chronic leaks. An easy fix is to use the sticky tabs to adjust the diaper until you find the perfect fit.
How to Stop my Diaper from Leaking at Night?
A leaky diaper at night is no fun. It causes your baby to be uncomfortable and wake up frequently. It also requires frequent clothing, sheet, and blanket changes.
The following tips will help prevent a leaky diaper at night:
- If you have a toddler, limit drinks before bedtime if possible
- Change the diaper before bedtime so your baby goes to sleep fresh, clean and dry
- Use good quality overnight diapers
- Use diaper booster pads
- Consider changing the size of the diaper your baby uses at night
How to prevent blowout diapers?
Blow out diapers are difficult to prevent but there are a few things you can do to prevent diaper leaks.
- Inappropriate diaper size – One of the most common reasons for diaper blowout is the wrong diaper size. Babies grow so quickly and parents sometimes don’t realize the fit is not appropriate anymore. The best thing to do is be observant of your baby’s diaper fit and if it becomes too small, immediately move up to the next size diaper. This will help lower the risk of a blowout.
- Tight clothing – All parents enjoy dressing their babies up in cute outfits and making them look super adorable. The trick is to make sure the clothing is not too tight. Tight clothing tends to put pressure on the diaper which leaves gaps, especially at the top back of the diaper and leg area. If clothing is too tight the feces and urine can easily leak out of the diaper and stain clothing.
- Pay attention to what your baby eats – Babies usually eat a consistent diet of the same foods every day. However, toddlers might have a special treat or a different type of food introduced into their diet that can lead to a blowout. Pay attention to what your baby/toddler eats and how their body reacts to the food. Once you narrow down the foods that cause stomach upset that cause a blowout, limit or eliminate that specific food from their diet.
- Over soaked diapers – It’s difficult to keep up with diaper changes while on-the-go. A diaper can become easily over soaked with urine which leads to diaper leaks. This can also happen when you are at home and you are busy doing laundry, cooking, and handling other important tasks. This can lead to overlooking diaper change schedules. An excellent way to keep up with diaper changes is to set an alarm on your cell phone to alert you.
- Diaper brand – As a parent, you already know that all diaper brands don’t provide the same exact product. While diapers all look the same they don’t provide the same quality. Whether the cost of the diapers is expensive or not, the quality is what matters most. Find a good quality diaper brand that you can trust and depend on daily. Sometimes one diaper brand that works for a friend’s baby might not work for yours. The best way to find the option that suits your baby is to try each brand until you find one that is the perfect quality to handle your baby’s quantity of feces and urine.
Conclusion for How to Prevent Diaper Leaks
Diaper leaks can be a nightmare but if you get a handle on controlling it the best you can, it will reduce the risk of frequent leaks and help you be prepared for emergencies such as blowouts.
Following the tips mentioned above will put you on the right track to preventing diaper leaks. You can choose to use one or several of the options that you find beneficial for your situation. It’s highly recommended that you try all of the tips and put them into place immediately. It will help prevent leaks and make your life much easier.
An added benefit to preventing diaper leaks is saving money. You might wonder how you can save money by preventing diaper leaks but it’s actually quite simple. Diaper leaks often lead to soiling and permanent damage to clothing.
As you already know baby and toddler clothing is highly expensive to replace on a consistent basis as your baby grows quickly. However, it’s another situation when you are spending money to replace clothing that is damaged due to a blowout or consistently leaking diaper problem.
By changing your baby’s diaper frequently and following the tips mentioned above, you will prevent damage to clothing and ultimately save money because you won’t need to spend money on replacement clothing.
Another helpful strategy to use to prevent diaper leaks is to not only use one diaper brand. A specific diaper brand might be a great fit and good quality for your baby during their early stages of life but once they reach the toddler stage they might need a different brand to keep up with them and their movements.
Toddlers crawl, walk jump, and have a high energy level that keeps them zooming around the house and outdoors. You need a diaper that is going to keep up with your toddler’s energy level. Sometimes this means changing the brand of diaper to meet your child’s needs. The best thing to do is keep an open mind when it comes to your child’s diapers at all stages throughout their early years.