Fix Your Leaks Week- Day 5, Fit & Clothes

Today we will go over the Fit with Clothes and the 5 main leak culprits and how to fix them.

 

Common fit problems: 

• onsie snaps
• shirt tucked into diaper
• wicking from too tight of clothes
• compression leaking (bumbo, carseat etc)
• not changing often enough

Problematic Wicking Pictures

Onsie too tight & snapped.



Shirt tucked into back of the diaper

Compression leaks from sitting

Now that we have seen what problems poor fitting clothes can cause, lets discuss how to fix them:

 

Onesies:

Leaking Cause: If onesie's are too small and you snap them, they can squish the diaper too close to the babies body. This squishing effect is also know as compression and if they sit down or are sitting for a long period of time can cause leaks because the urine has no where to go but out when its compressed. Another problem that onsies have is if the three snaps are snapped the hem of the onsie that goes along the legs can sneak its way into the crease of the diaper and cause wicking.

Solution:

• If your going to dress your baby in onsies, make sure the onsie is adequately sized to fit over the diaper and is not too tight.
• Try snapping only the middle snap on the onsie to reduce wicking.

Shirt tucking into the top of the diaper:

Leaking Cause: If your baby's shirt gets tucked into the top of the diaper (front or back) this will cause wicking from the pod touching the shirt.

Solution:

• After you get your baby's diaper on, be sure to check all around the seals of the diaper so that nothing is sticking out and nothing is tucked in!

Wicking from too tight of clothes:

Leaking Cause: If your baby's clothes are on the small side it is possible this will cause compression & wicking.

Solution:

• If you are noticing wet clothes in the waist or legs check to make sure the fleece is facing toward the baby's skin, and the pants or shirt isn't tucked in.
• If the legs & crotch of the pants are too tight this could be causing compression leaks. If you can't adjust the waist of the pants to make them bigger, it might be time to retire those pair.

Compression leaks from car seat's or sitting for long period of time.

Leaking Cause: If your baby is in a seated position or in a bouncy chair for a long period and the pod gets saturated with urine, the angle of the pod pushing against the baby's body will cause the pod to squish inside of the shell. The urine will be forced out of the pod and will travel to the path of least resistance, in most cases it finds its way out of the shell.

Solution:

• The best way to prevent this problem would be to change your baby as often as you can. Obviously if your taking 3 hour car ride this means taking extra stops to change them.
• Another solution to prevent this would be to add a cloth wipe or baby washcloth behind the pod along the inside of the shell approximately where the leaks happen most often. This will add another layer to soak up the compressed fluid before it has time to escape (without adding any bulk).
• Microfiber is prone to this problem because is it easily compressed. Bamboo is much better at holding onto the liquid and can absorb much more for a longer period of time. So perhaps choosing a bamboo pod for these situations would be a better choice.

Not changing often enough:

Leaking Cause: If you don't change your baby's diaper before it over-absorbs you will have leaks.

Solution:

• It is best to change your baby's diaper as often as every 2-2.5 hours during the day and if your baby is still nursing or taking a bottle at night, a mid-night changing might be required.
• You will have to play around with the amount of time it takes for your baby to absorb a pod and this will not be a constant. As babies grow their bodies are always changing. But a general rule of thumb is every 2 hours.
• If you notice the diaper is oversaturated you might need to add more absorbency. If the pod isn't wet at all then you can extend the changing time.

Testimonial:

My husband has been spoiled by me, he rarely change our son's diapers. One day, he had to stay home with him for the day as I have to work. I have already shown him countless of times how to put it on: pull the pod up first then the shell, tighter waist and loose legs... He didn't do what I said so when our son woke up from nap, he pooped and he leaked all over the bed sheets and comforter... When I got home, first thing he told me was, "wish I have paid more attention when you were showing me how to change diapers". Afterwards, he became a pro in changing him although he usually prefers it if I prestuff omnis for him so it's bullet-proof (daddy-proof).
~Ainee