There can be many causes of leaks… I get phone calls all the time from mommies who are frustrated because of this issue. It can be hard to troubleshoot a leak, especially when you are new to cloth diapering. So here are a few tips from a momma who has been there, done that and was awareded the wet t-shirt to prove it.
First of all, make sure that you washed everything before using. There can be residue left on the fabric from the production process that can cause leakage.
Then, figure out where the leak is coming from.
If the diaper is leaking out the top, make sure that the insert isn’t pushing the lining fabric up against your baby’s clothing. That will cause the diaper to wick moisture up and out of the top. The top edge of the diaper should be flat against your baby with the soft fabric against your baby’s skin.
If the diaper is leaking out the side of the legs, change the diaper and remove the insert. If it is saturated then your baby just pee’d alot and either needs something more absorbent or a more frequent diaper change. If it isn’t saturated, then you either have a fit issue or a repelling issue.
To observe fit, pick up your baby’s legs after putting the diaper on and observe how it fits around the bottom of their bottom. Is it snug? If so, good. However, if you can see “air” between the diaper and their skin, then you need to refine the fit somehow. With bG! that might mean trying a different snap setting or fastening the tabs tighter. With Wonderoos that might mean trying a different snap setting or a bulkier insert (like a prefold). With FB, you can try snapping the tabs behind each other to get a tighter fit at the waist… this also makes the inner-most thigh snap more easily usable.
If the diaper is leaking out the back, make sure that the insert is tucked in completely. If the insert is sticking out the top of the diaper, it will wick moisture onto your baby’s clothing. We also occasionally see leaks up the back with little girls who are pee’ing buckets at a time and with little boys who are aimed off to the side of the insert.
Good luck with your diapers!! If you have further questions, you can always call 888-33-BABIES and we’ll be glad to help.
Why Are My Cloth Diapers Leaking? is Copyright © 2006, Cotton Babies, Inc.
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April 21st, 2006 at 7:01 am
This happens sometimes evenw ith disposables. I used to work in a daycare and experienced this quite a few tiems. Usually it would be because the diaper had bunched too much on the leg, so always check that to make sure you can’t see into the diaper area. If there is a gap wide enough for anything to be visible, urine will most likely escape
August 11th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
I am having a problem with Happy Heinys leaking. I read somewhere to put them in the dryer on high heat to seal the PUL? I’m fairly new to cloth diapering and thought the best method for drying pocket diapers was to hang them up. Won’t drying them on high heat lessen there water proofing? And what does PUL mean? How do you seal it? I thought once I washed them they were ready to use! There’s so much info out there and I’m getting confused, please help.
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Courtney, yes, according to the manufacturer of Happy Heiny’s, you should dry your diapers to “seal” the PUL. This has helped some customers with leaking issues. Many times though, the leaking is caused by an overly-full diaper that neede changed. Keep that in mind as you troubleshoot your diapers!