Fix Your Leaks Week- Day 3, Fit of the Pod

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

 

Common fit problems: 

• Pod pulled up too high
• Pod positioned too low
• Pod position not appropriate for boy / girl
• Pod bunching
• Stuffing pods in omni pockets wrong

Problematic Pod Pictures

Pod pulled up too high:

 

Pod positioned too low:

Pod bunching:

 

Stuffing pods in omni pockets wrong:

 

So what do you do to fix these fit problems?

Pod pulled up too high:

Cause: If the end of the pod is visible (as pictured above) or touching clothing outside of the shell your going to have wicking leaks.

Solution:

• You want the pod to come up as high as 1 inch below your babies belly button, and then you want to position the aplix strip on the shell directly above the end of the pod (either the fold or end of the pod)
• Here is a fit video that may help:

Pod positioned too low: 

Cause: If the pod is too low (especially for boys), the pod will work its way down further (gravity and not being pinned in place by the wing of the shell), then when peed in, the urine hits the shell directly which isn't going to absorb and the liquid will find the path of least resistance (so maybe a different spot if sitting/standing/laying down)

Solution:

• You want the pod to come up as high as 1 inch below your babies belly button, and then you want to position the aplix strip on the shell directly above the end of the pod (either the fold or end of the pod)
• Here is a video that might help:

Pod position not appropriate for boy / girl:

Cause: If you don't have adequate layers in the appropriate areas per gender (especially for babies who pee a lot at once) if the liquid isn't absorbed it will end up pooling on the fleece of the shell and find its way out the leg areas especially if the baby is moving around a lot.  

Solution:

• When adding additional absorbing layers (such as mini pods) be sure to place them for boys in the top front, and girls middle and back (in the back especially at bedtime).

Front End

Middle Back

Pod bunching:

Cause: Pod not being high enough or smoothed out while the diaper is being put on. Pod that is saturated will bunch after a long period of time & lead to leaks.

Solution:
If your experiencing pod bunching and leaks you need to do one or all of the following:

• The pod may be too low starting out when you put the diaper on your baby. If it isn't high enough and pinned down by the front wing it will cause gaps and the urine will then hitting the shell directly.
• If it creates a pocket of air between the pod and the baby's skin, urine can just sit on the fleece and without the pressure of the baby, won't absorb and will just roll off onto the shell and then out the diaper, so be sure to have the shell snug enough so the pod is against the baby's bottom comfortably.
• If the pod is always saturated when you are experiencing leaks & pod bunching you need to increase absorbency or changing more often will help.

Stuffing pods in omni pockets wrong:

Cause: With DryTouch pods (microfleece topped/ microfiber bottom) If you stuff the pocket with the fleece side up you may get leg leaks. The reason is because there is now 2 layers of the microfleece (non-absorbing layers) for the urine to past through to reach the microfiber. 

Solution:

• Stuff the pocket so that the fleece side is down facing the back of the shell, allowing the microfiber to absorb urine faster.



Pod Adjustment Testimonial:

Right around 5 months I started noticing my daughter leaking quite frequently. I couldn't figure out why she was leaking, because the pods weren't saturated. I checked out the Softbums fit videos and realized that I had two issues, the pods were not up high enough in the front and the legs were way too tight! I quickly adjusted those and she was leak free from that point forward! I'm so thankful for those videos and resources because now we LOVE our Softbums! ~Ruby H

 

If your experiencing leg leaks and you ruled out the "fit of the pod" and your pod isn't soaked, this could be caused by repelling, refer back to our repelling post here: http://loveclothdiapers.blogspot.com/2013/07/week-of-leaks-day-1-prepping-repelling.html

 

Check back tomorrow to read about Absorbency. http://bit.ly/19sYlut

Fix Your Leaks Week- Day 2, Fit of the Shell

 

Today is Day 2 of Fix Your Leaks! Topic is: The fit of the diaper shell and how to fix your leaking problems by diaper area.

 

Common fit problems: 

• waist too loose
   
• legs too tight/loose
   
• wings not pulled up high enough to get around top of legs
   
• diaper isn't secured with legs in downward position

Problematic Fit Pictures:

Waist too loose: Here is an example of a waist that is too loose & just right.

 

 

Legs too tight/ loose: Try this formula to get the best fit custom for your baby:

Click to enlarge

Example of good fitting leg elastic on a newborn

Wings not pulled up high enough: here is an example of a wing droop where the front wing is secured by the tab but the leg elastic is too short causing the wing to droop down on the leg which can cause leaks.

 

Diaper isn't secured with legs down:

 

 

 Lets focus on what is going on and how to fix it by leak area!

Leaks out the top front:

Possible Causes: Waist is not snug enough, Legs are not down when securing the waist tabs causing a gap. Elastic is too short, Rise isn't high enough. Not enough absorbency (when sleeping on tummy) Pod too high.

Solution: 

• Let out the leg elastic or follow the slide2size formula to size the leg elastic.
• When changing the diaper make sure the baby's legs are down and not curled up in their lap. If curled up when securing the diaper, once they kick down, the shell will have a gap in the front top. Try to pull legs down when securing the waist tabs, be sure to get a snug fit (tabs crossing over for newborns & skinny belly infants, touching for infants & almost touching toddlers)
• Be sure to always start the shell in line with baby's belly button to get a high enough rise.
• Add a mini pod for naps or bed if your child is a tummy sleeper.
• If the pod is too close to the top of the shell you will get wicking onto clothes out the top of the shell. (Be sure to have the pod end 1 inch below the belly button and have the shell line up over it so that the middle of the aplix strip is in line with the end of the pod.)

Leaks out the top back:

Possible Causes:  Waist could be too loose, Rise isn't high enough in the back, Pod Repelling, Not enough absorbency (when sleeping on back)

Solution:  

• Start with the shell in line with the baby's belly button, bring the pod up and fold over, while holding the pod down with one hand pull the shell up and over the pod with the other hand. 
• Be sure to pin down the pod with the shell and that the pod is in line behind the aplix strip on the front of the shell.
• Be sure to secure the waist tabs snug across the belly.
• If the pod isn't soaked when your take off the diaper repelling could be the cause and you would need to strip your pods.
• If they are soaked then you need to add a mini pod or add absorbency somehow to the diaper for naps and bedtime when child is laying down.

Leaks out the legs:

Possible Causes: Legs too loose or too tight, if the leg elastic is too tight this can cause compression leaks (especially in seated position for long periods of time, car seats, bumbos, baby carriers, strollers) Wing drooping, Not enough absorbency, Pod too low in front, Pod not tucked into the shell causing wicking.

Solution:  

• Let out the legs to fit 2 fingers snuggly between the baby's leg and the shell or follow the slide2size formula to size the leg elastic.
• Be sure to have the pod up as high as 1 inch below belly button approximately and pinned down with the front of the shell.
• The shell shouldn't be resting on the thighs (pictured above "wing droop")
• If the shell doesn't completely cover the pod and edges are exposed this will cause wicking onto clothes, be sure to tuck in all the pod all around the legs when putting on a diaper.

Newborn Poop Leg Leaks:

Cause: Its runny, slick & shoots out fast, its basically butter (churned up breastmilk or formula) the pod in most cases already is saturated with urine or just cannot absorb the stuff in enough time before it rolls down the length of the pod and onto the shell where it quickly finds its way out. If in a seated position can be caused from compression.

Solution:

• Putting the shell in the dryer for 15min on high to seal the sewing seams.
• Changing often (especially with poops)
• Adding additional absorbency (easy way to add a bit of absorbency without bulk for a newborn, use a baby washcloth or cloth wipe behind the pod).
• Making sure fit is good -no inserts shifting or legs too tight causing compression leaking.

Even with all of these things, it can still happen but newborns do outgrow this stage (and some never have this issue to start with). When changing the diaper make sure the legs are down and not curled up in their lap. If curled up when securing the diaper, once they kick down, the pod will also go down and leaks will happen.

Testimonial:

When LO was really little, we had issues with leaking out the top back of our one Omni. The wetness was wicking to the outside of the diaper because the PUL was rolling under instead of the fleece providing the seal. I eventually figured out that the legs needed to be a little looser so I could pull the rise higher and make sure that only the fleece was against the skin, not letting the PUL roll in. 
~ Sarah D. 


Did you forget to read Day One? Click here to read about: Prepping & Repelling

Check back tomorrow to read about the 5 Culprits of Pod Leaks. http://bit.ly/17Nl4dP