Leaking nappies . . . .

[eeyore007]

Bad day for leaks. It's my first day of going cloth, and it's only because I have so much cloth on order I have to persevere!!

First nappy was an unknown make with an insert in the pocket. Madam went to sleep for about 1.5 hours and when I got her up the outside of the nappy was wet? It's sort of suede on the outside and inside. Had crept around from the leg holes.

Second nappy (fluffy upsy daisy) was ok and hadn't got wet (same insert as first).

Third nappy was a pocket bots - orange fluffy on inside and cotton on outside - she slept in buggy and it was on for about 2 hours. Again it was soaking out from what looked like the leg holes.

So:
Unknown suedy - leaked
Fluffy upsy daisy - no probs
Pocket bots - leaked
Itti bitti - (pending!)

I'm guessing this isn't normal and I must be doing something wrong.

The nappies are pre loved ones, as are the inserts. Could it be that they are just not up to it, or is there something more fundamental.

It's almost as though they are acting like the old terry nappies - a nice set of rubber pants are needed! Although that totally misses the point of the pretty nappies - and logic says they should be ok.

She's now in an itti bitti fluffy one (the fluffy one from this afternoon held up fine).

Is it that non fluffy ones are just rubbish??
Do I need a whole set of nice new inserts??
Am I putting them on wrongly??

Any advice greatly appreciated - OH is being very patient, but I fear that if this continues it may dent his enthusiasm!!

PS - disposables never leaked and we were using the cheapie orange pampers

 

[Lliena]

Do all the nappies fit ok round the leg? It could be that the fit of the pocket bots isnt great around the leg so it wicked and leaked. The first nappy is it an aio or a pocket? It might need a wrap over it to keep it waterproof but if it was from the legs again id say check the fit around her thighs

Im quite new to the cloth nappy lark too so other more experienced ladies might have other ideas to help

 

[Rachel_C]

There are quite a few things that could be going wrong. Firstly, not all nappies suit all babies. If you consistently found that particular brands leaked and others didn't, it might just be that the leaking ones don't suit your LO.

The second thing to check is the fit/how you're putting them on. If they're leaking round the legs, are you doing them tight enough? Cloth nappies fit quite differently to sposies and it can take a bit of getting used to. Also make sure that if they're nappies with inserts, the inserts are in the right place - you'd always want them centrally down the nappy (i.e. not off to one side). Some babies wee more to the front (often boys, but lots of girls do too) so you might want to put more boosting at the front.

Third, what inserts are you using? Some babies will be fine with one fairly thin microfibre insert and it will last 3 hours, but many babies need something more absorbant than this. You could try bamboo or hemp if that's the case, and adding a smaller booster to the normal insert will often add an extra hour or two onto the nappy.

If you've bought preloved, it might be that your inserts need stripping to improve the absorbancy, as detergent build-up can really reduce how long they'll last.

I've just seen in your ticker that your LO is 8 months old. I think at that age, babies are weeing big wees every now and then, rather than little and often. You might find that your choice of nappy is affected by this - you need something that will absorb a lot of wee very quickly and have a very waterproof and wickproof outer, as chances are the whole nappy will be filled with wee suddenly so everything really needs to work well. If the inserts you're using at the moment are a natural fibre, you might want to try adding an additional microfibre booster on top of that, as microfibre absorbs more quickly, then the natural fabric will slowly absorb the wee from that and hold it locked away. If you're just using microfibre, that would be good for the quick absorbing but maybe not able to hold the wee as well, so if your LO sits on her bum the wee might get squished out of the nappy.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[eeyore007]

Thank-you. Very very interesting!

I didn't realise that was the case with the inserts re absorbancy times. I think then I need to be trying microfibre with say a hemp or bambo, to cover both eventualities. Yes, she does big wees, as opposed to little and often.

Have just taken off the itti bitti one and that I put one flappy thing and one folded over bit. That has held wee and a poo without leaks.

Re the legs, do they have to be tight, or not tight. i.e., does them being tight assist with the wicking?

Thank you so much though for the advice - both of you - really really helpful.

Tonight I will do a hot wash followed by lots of rinsing, then order some more inserts!

 

[Lliena]

You want the legs to be comfy if theres gaps round it will leak out, if its too tight but poor insert it could also wick as the wee can seep out like rach said

 

[Rachel_C]

With the legs it's trial and error really. I do them tight enough for no gaps but not so tight that they leave marks. If you put them on snugly then check them after half an hour, if they haven't left a mark they should be right

 

[eeyore007]

Thanks again!
I'll check the legs as you suggest after half an hour.
Lovely bexley council have extended the validity of my real nappies voucher (I had mild PND in first few months, so wasn't thinking of nappies) so currently looking online and going to get a whole new stash of inserts.

INTERESTINGLY - the nappy that leaked the worst today - when I pulled out the insert to wash the nappy this evening - the insert felt really dry. Odd.

Certainly bears out what you are saying about the inserts x

 

[eeyore007]

Have actually just run an extra rinse on the nappies I've just washed and there were still loads of suds. So going to keep going until the water runs clear. This is a strip wash isn't it?

 

[Rachel_C]

Did you use a full dose of detergent rather than the 1/4 dose you'd normally use? If you did, then yes, just keep rinsing until no more suds come out.

 

[LittlePants]

If detergent build up is likely to be a problem, try using ecoballs to wash your nappies. They are brilliant, and as there is no detergent involved, you can't get a build up!
Also. if getting a good fit around the legs is a problem a wool nappy cover (longies shorties, soakers or skrties) instead or regular clothes would probably help sort out any leaks, without having to resort to overtight legs

 

[Aunty E]

Terries and wraps don't really leak and are very cheap Sorry, not helpful, but sounds like a detergent build up - my MiL washed some terries with fabric softener once and it took a boil wash with vinegar to make them absorb properly again. Have you got any boosters? We sometimes pop a hemp or terry booster in at night as practically the first thing madam does when waking up is have a huge wee. Oddly, once we got the knack of terries and the right wrap (imse vimse soft) we only ever have leaks in disposables. I got Mog back from the MiL where she'd been for a week in sposies and half her tights and trousers had wee or poop on. URGH. I don't do poop on clothes!

 

[eeyore007]

Yes - agreed with you all in that it is probably detergent build up. I washed them again last night, then did 3 extra rinse cycles and the water had no suds left (like a complete weirdo - I actually was sitting on kitchen floor watching the wash load with glass of vino in hand)!! Was almost enjoying watching the pretty nappies go round and round. OH has disowned me!!
All dried now and reasy to go tomorrow!
Am also ordering boosters / interts in both micro fibre and hemp/bamboo.

 

[eeyore007]

Forgot to mention - when I did first rinse after wash & rinse, the bubbles just came up from the supposedly bubble free load! (will use much much less in future!)