Cloth nappy soaking through!!

[freddie]

I have some tots bots easyfits which I used on my son, now 20 months. I stopped using them as they seemed to leak a lot as he got older but I thought he was just too big to fit them (he's pretty big for his age) I have now tried them out on my 10 week old but they still leak! I thought maybe he's too small... But the weird thing is they are actually wet all over the outside, not just at an opening. So it's like there's no waterproof outer?! Can this happen after being used for a while?! So frustrating!!

 

[adrie]

is it possible they are delaminating? Also, could it be a fit issue? And is the insert completely soaked or dry?

 

[minties]

Easy fits always leaked with my kids, I used the V1's though. The pee would just leak out when their legs moved. Even my chunky thighs daughter didn't seem to fill out the gaps.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Definitely sounds like they're delaminating . It can happen over time but 20 months doesn't seem like a long time! Do you have very few diapers or dry them in a hot dryer?

Flip the cover inside out and stretch it a little, if you see any breaks, splits, pinholes in the PUL, the pee will just leak right through the front. I bought a bunch of used diapers and had to throw out 3 because I didn't inspect them closely enough.

 

[Rachel_C]

Which version are you using? The V3s are probably the least absorbent of all of them - after an hour they'd be completely saturated on my LO. If I didn't notice quick enough, the wee could seep up the outside of the cover/onto clothes and then it would be difficult to see where the leak originally came from. Another option is the fit - with the V1s, I just couldn't get a good fit on my oldest at all so they leaked even though they weren't full. Some nappies just don't work for some babies.

 

[freddie]

Hmmm I am having trouble with all my cloth nappies now! They are all soaking through, I don't get it. I have been using bum genius freetime and little lamb bamboo with blueberry wrap... Pretty much every time they leak and it's not just at the edges, the whole nappy is wet on the outside. I usually dry them on the airer, they have had the odd low setting tumble... Can anyone help me?! Been using disposables for weeks now and I hate them!!

 

[Rachel_C]

When they leak, how full is the nappy itself? If the outside is wet but the inside is dry (or at least should be able to absorb more), it could be repelling or it could be poor fit. If the nappies are repelling, they won't be absorbing liquid properly which means the wee would be slooshing around in the nappy. Even the best fitting nappy can leak when that happens! To see if it is repelling, lay the clean dry nappy flat or over a bowl and let some water puddle in it. Push down gently on it to simulate LO's bum in the nappy and the liquid should pass through into the nappy and away from the surface. If that doesn't happen, I'd use a full dose of detergent and lots of rinses to make sure anything trapped in the nappy is properly washed out.

If the liquid does go through okay, it could be a fit issue - sometimes one child can be a very different shape to another - I couldn't use all the same nappies on my two even though they had a similar build. Or babies have phases where they suddenly change shape and you need to start from scratch to get the fit right. Obviously check the legs and waist - give LO a good kick while watching for gaps. Also try and fit the nappy closely to the bum - if it's a poofy bum, wee can sloosh around instead of being pushed through into the nappy.

If the nappy does seem full when it has leaked, your LO might just wee more than you expect. How often are you changing the nappies? When big leaks happen it can seem like the liquid has some straight through the PUL when in fact it's come out of the legs and wicked up the outside, either up the outside of the nappy itself or up the clothes, which wets the nappy and then you don't know if the nappy was wet first or the nappy! You could try bigger/looser clothes too - if they're squishing the nappy, it can make leaks happen.

Unless you've been doing something really harsh to your nappies, I doubt very much that you'd have all of your nappies with PUL issues so I don't think it sounds like that. Tumbling isn't really recommended but if you use low heat occasionally it's unlikely to do much.

 

[doggylover]

Tots Bots all in ones are pretty notorious for leaking, unfortunately. Only the V2 seems immune to most of the issues. v3 seems to be the leakiest.

Tots Bots won't accept responsibility for any of it, blaming most users wash routine, but sadly some of their nappies just don't cut it

 

[puppycat]

IT could really be a number of things, if the nappies are too tight/small in the rise they can leak, but if they're too loose or the rise isn't right they can leak too, you need to make sure you are doing them up tight enough to contain but not too tight to hurt obviously. Do you have a nappy library near you or a friend who uses cloth who could come and check your technique?

Failing that leave your nappies out on the washing line in the rain to really get them 'cleaned' that will remove all the nasty build up and then they should be more absorbent.

Finally a really obvious point but worth mentioning nevertheless, make sure you aren't using conditioner or a wash tablet that contains it. Bold 2 in 1 is fine but most liquid soaps are not really compatible

 

[freddie]

I do use liquid soap, is that not right?!

 

[JenX]

I use liquid soap too- many are fine. There's a good chart here but not sure if it covers UK brands: https://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/Articles.asp?ID=263

 

[Rachel_C]

I always used liquid/gel detergent when not using nappy detergents, so most of the time I was using Persil non-bio or Method and it was fine. My machine never washes powder out of the drawer properly. Generally powder is preferred but if you want to use liquid for whatever reason you just need to take the time to make sure you're getting the dose and rinsing right. If the nappies don't smell dirty when just washed and they also don't smell of detergent and they don't smell musty/dirty when warm or just peed in, chances are your detergent is fine. If there is detergent build up (or if you're not using enough detergent), you'd be able to smell it after not very long

Did you try any of the other suggestions above? Did you fix it?

 

[freddie]

Yeah I've looked at fit and I think that new baby just needs his thighs to chunk up a bit and should be ok. With my toddler, I think he must really wee a LOT! I have him in LL bamboo with a blueberry wrap and it's leaking after about 2 hours. When I change him the nappy is absolutely saturated. It's so frustrating because it really is hard to keep up with changing him quickly enough to avoid leaks at that rate, especially with DS2 to tend to... How long do you guys get out of a nappy?

 

[Rachel_C]

My youngest was an average wetter during the day... we'd probably get 2-3 hours comfortably from a LL bamboo so if your LO wees a bit more than that it could easily be the case. They're quite small nappies so although they're absorbent for the size of them, you might be better with a generally bigger nappy with more area and more space for boosting. You could try extra boosters in the LL first though. If they don't seem to fit well, try putting them between the nappy and the wrap - Coveralls are generous enough to shove a load in there!

 

[JenX]

I have gotten over 4 hours out of daytime diapers before, but generally I aim to change them between 2 and 3 hours. I use trifolded prefolds with Blueberry wraps. Agree with Rachel about adding a doubler if he's soaking it that fast.