We’ve all been there. Your baby’s cloth diaper has leaked everywhere. It’s frustrating and annoying. It can even be embarrassing if you’re always raving to everyone about how amazing cloth diapers are. There are many reasons for leaks. Here are the top 5.
- Not enough absorbency– If your diapers are leaking and they are soaked when you remove them, you have an absorbency issue. You may not be changing your baby often enough. If you are going longer than 2 hours and have leaks due to a soaked diaper, you should change the diaper sooner. If you have a very heavy wetter that soaks through your diapers in less than 2 hours, try adding an extra insert or a doubler. Be sure that your diapers are properly prepped. Natural fibers become more absorbent in the first few washes. If you haven’t washed them the recommended amount they may not absorb like they are supposed to.
- Not a good fit– Be sure there are no gaps at the waist and legs. Your diapers should fit comfortably on your baby. You shouldn’t be able to see inside the diaper without pulling it away from your baby’s body. You should be able to easily slide a finger into the waist or leg openings. If your diapers are too loose or even too tight, you can experience leaks.
- Build-up– Build up is caused when your diapers are coated in residue from detergents not being properly rinsed out or diaper creams that lingered on the surface. This can cause your diapers to repel and they will not absorb wetness. When the wetness has nowhere else to go, you will have leaks! This is when you need to strip your diapers.
- Compression leaks– If you find that yourcloth diapers leak when your baby has been sitting for long periods or even sleeping in the same position for a long period of time, you may be experiencing compression leaks. The weight of your baby’s body is squeezing out the wetness from the insert. This is most common with microfiber inserts.
- Not properly covered– If you are using a fitted, prefold, or flat, you must use a diaper cover to make the diaper waterproof. Also, be sure that all inner fibers are tucked properly into the cover or shell of the diaper. Another thing to check for is delamination on the PUL of your diapers. If there seems to be a separation in the waterproof layer of your diapers, they have delaminated. This will cause your diapers to no longer be waterproof.
I hope these tips are helpful for future diapering!