How To Stop Cloth Nappies Leaking. 7 steps for troubleshooting.
When it comes to cloth nappies many will experience some wee leaks. Some will even struggle with them. However I want you to remember, before doubting your choice to use reusable diapers, that the well known event dubbed as the “Poonami”, in which poop explodes from a disposable nappy on a frequent basis, rarely, if ever happens with cloth. I want you to think which is worse and also know that any other leaks can be easily troubleshooted.
Cloth diapers may leak due to a poorly fitted nappy, lack of absorbency, a build up of product, damage to the waterproofing or compression leaks. Luckily all these problems are easily solved.
7 causes of a leaking cloth nappy.
1. Poor fit.
2. Not enough absorbency.
3. Build up of product.
4. Wrong material.
5. Damaged Nappy.
6. Clothing is too tight.
7. Child is flooding the nappy.
It can be frustrating when you feel like you’ve tried everything and yet those darn nappies still seem to leak, but I’m here to help. One or more of these 7 reasons will undoubtedly be your problem and I’ll talk you through exactly how to fix them.
How to fix your cloth nappies leaking.
First of all I want to you check if you nappy is actually leaking or it has just been left on too long. Reusable nappies don’t last as long as disposables. Expect to change them every 2-3 hours, which is the recommend time for disposables too, its just the chemicals in them leave baby feeling drier for longer and lead us to believe they don’t need changing so often.
If your babies nappy is leaking after 3 hours it is just a case of changing their nappy a little sooner. If the nappy is soaked through within 2 hours or the nappy still feels fairly dry but has still leaked then troubleshoot through the 7 points below for your solution.
Also note that new bamboo, cotton and hemp nappies take a few washes to reach their full absorbency. If their brand new and your thinking “these don’t last 5 minutes” give them 4-5 more washes or leave them in a bucket of water overnight. You don’t need to dry them in between each wash.
If you’ve now ruled out the 2 above points let’s figure out what is causing your leaks.
1. Check the fit.
If your cloth nappies isn’t fitted correctly, gaps can appear around babies legs and lead to leaks.
Getting the fit right with your cloth nappies is easy once you change your point of view. The important thing to remember is they do not fit the same way as disposables, mainly because they sit lower on babies back.
How to fit cloth nappies.
Place the nappy just at the top of babies bottom (at this point it does not matter if they have a bit of a builders bum).
Pull the front of the nappy through babies legs, pinching the nappy in to place the elastic into babies knicker line (this is the most important bit).
Lay the front panel flat on babies tummy making sure it sits nicely above babies legs. If it looks to high or low you can adjust the poppers on the front panel to suit.
Pull the sides from the back up and over babies hips and secure. This will bring the back of the nappy up a little and make sure the fit on the leg is nice and snug. Check there is no gaps between the legs and the nappy but you should be able to run a finger between the two to make sure it is not to tight.
The nappy does not need to be tight on the tummy. This won’t affect the fit but will ensure it doesn’t dig in when they sit up.
Note that sometimes babies can be between sizes which may making getting the perfect fit a little harder and be more prone to leaks. For example my son quickly out weed newborn nappies by 4 weeks old but was still a little small for birth to potty nappies. This can also be the case when going up a popper size. Rest assured this won’t last long.
2. Assess Absorbency.
If your nappy has leaked check if the insert in the nappy is fully soaked. If it is, how long has it been since you changed the nappy? For a newborn, they should be changed every 2 hours. For an older baby it’s every 2-3, max 4 hours. If it has been longer than this then you may just need to change more often. If it is less than this then you need to boost the nappy with more absorbency.
How to boost Cloth nappies.
The nappy you brought may have come with an extra booster, otherwise I like to boost with something slim like a Little Lamb Bamboo Booster, these are very thirsty considering how slim they are, not making you nappy to bulky.
3. Build up of product. Check your washing routine.
Leaks with cloth nappies can happen when you get a build up of product like washing detergent on your nappies effecting their absorbency.
Products that can build up and cause problems:
Too much powdered deteregent.
Liquid detergent or fabric softeners.
Nappy creams.
Do your nappies smell strongly of detergent? Chances are your using too much.
I use the full amount of detergent recommended on the side of the box, however that works well for us in a hard water area, this may be different for you in other areas. I recommend using the full amount to begin with, checking the amount of bubbles, if any, are still in the machine as it nears the end of its cycle. If there are still a lot of bubbles add in an extra rinse this time, next time reducing the amount of detergent you use slowly until you find the right amount for you.
Do not use any fabric softener or liquid detergent as these also tend to coat the fibers in a nappy, build up and effect absorbency. Powdered detergents are proven to rinse out easier and give a more effective clean.
Lastly it is not very common but some nappy creams especially if for whatever reason you use a lot of cream can be hard to wash out, again building up and preventing efficient absorbency.
If this is the case make sure your using a liner when using nappy cream or choose cream that are safe to use with cloth diapers. My faviorite creams to use that are safe for cloth are Weleda’s Calendula cream, Metanium cream (for bad rash’s) or simple coconut oil for a soothing barrier cream.
How to fix product build up on cloth nappies.
If you do think you’ve got some product build up its worth running a simple strip wash. Do this by putting CLEAN nappies on a long 60 degree wash with NO detergent.
Read: “How to Wash Cloth Nappies.”
4. Choose the right material. Compression leaks.
Different materials used in cloth nappy inserts have varying degrees of absorbency. Using micro-fiber on it’s own for example may leak as it does not hold as much liquid as bamboo or hemp. Boosting with thirsty materials such as bamboo will solve this problem.
Microfiber inserts can also lead to compression leaks. This is because microfiber is like a sponge, while it absorbs quickly is can also squeeze out when compressed like when for example baby is in a sling, a car seat or clothing that is too tight. Again pairing with materials like bamboo or hemp will solve this.
If boosters are confusing you read “Inserts, Boosters and Liners for Cloth Nappies,” to help you out.
5. Check for damage.
There’s a chance if your nappies are well used or second hand the PUL (the waterproof layer) could be damaged. The Nappy Lady has a good way of checking this called “the tea towel test”.
PUL can also be damaged through exposure to heat. Do not put anything with PUL in a tumble dryer, on the radiator, heated airier or in direct sunlight on a very hot day for too long.
Elastics can also give up over time or exposure to heat, which will make it hard to get a good fit and end up with leaks.
Nappies can also get damaged through prolonged washing at 60 degrees, something I do and I have lost older nappies to. However this is something I’ve chosen to except as I found washing at 40 degrees doesn’t get our nappies with our water hardness and choosing to use non-bio detergents, clean enough.
6. clothing is too tight.
Cloth nappy leaks can occur if clothes are too tight or sit right on the knicker liner causing moisture to wick through.
Because cloth nappies are bulkier than disposables some clothes may not fit over or be too tight causing compression leaks. Avoid problems by sizing up, buying vest extenders for baby grows or buying loose cut clothing.
I have found baby vest and tight leggings to be the repeat offenders when it come to this problem.
Read: “Cut for Cloth Clothes. Baby clothes that fit cloth nappies.”
7. Nappy floods.
Your child flooding a nappy is only likely to be a problem if they are close to potty training when children start to hold their wees for longer. Combat this by adding absorbency with a fast absorbing material like microfiber and/or offering your child to use the potty, especially first thing in the morning, as they often start to hold their wee through the night and flood the nappy as soon as they wake.
Pair microfiber with a thirsty material that holds liquid like bamboo. one to absorb quickly, the other to hold it.
What do I do if I’m still getting leaks?
Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees, you think your fit is right, surely your boosting enough but it’s all still going wrong. It can help to have an outside opinion. My inbox is always open, either comment on this blog or head over to Instagram for a chat and we can figure it out. Alternatively I really recommend joining Facebook group like Cloth Nappies UK, where you’ll find a really helpful brunch willing to help anyone that posts their problem.
Good luck, using cloth nappies should be something to enjoy and I hope this post gets you closer to that..
Other articles you might enjoy…
Cloth Nappies and Potty Training.
How to Survive Maternity Leave Pay while Living Sustainably.
Become a Plastic Free Parent. Your Checklist.
Join the community and follow along @hannahlgorman
