Leaking...what am I doing wrong?

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Today was my first day using cloth on my DD and it was kind of a disaster. I got my diapers used and in really good condition. I tried a couple BG OS, Steph's Diaper Factory, and SB econappies today and all but he SB leaked....a lot. They seem to fit just fine, and I don't *think* it went through the diaper but probably out the sides.

My dreams of cloth bliss are fading... how do I fix this?

[Galatea]

A common mistake with cloth newbies is not putting the diaper on tight enough. You need to do it tighter than a sposie b/c the cloth diaper has bouncy, real elastic. You should not be able to just slide your finger in the leg hole - you should have to stretch the elastic to get inside.

You may have inherited someone else's detergent problems. I would try washing them on hot with no detergent - see if any suds come out. If so, keep washing on hot with no detergent until the suds are gone.

[Altair]

obvious questions--

how tight are the leg elastics? Should be very, very tight but not tight enough to leave marks.

what were they washed in last? What did the people who used them before wash them in? Was the microfiber insert wet at all with the BG?

how long was baby wearing them, and was it really leaking (like, an entire puddle laying under baby) or was it the edges making wet spots on the clothes?

[dearmama22]

ugh, that's so annoying, I'm sorry. I hate diaper leaks.

My only suggestions, as I'm still fairly new to CDing would be to re-wash them again, maybe with less detergent or with different detergent? And like other pp said, maybe try the diapers a little tighter?

[CrunchyChristianMama]

One of them she had on for maybe 30 min. when it leaked, the BG's she had on for less than 2 hours when they leaked. And it was a lot. She was sitting in her stroller from one of the leaks and I have to wash the seat pad because it was soaked.

I thought I had them on pretty tight, but I will have to double check. I'm not sure how I would make it tighter around the leg holes though because I had it at the rise I think she needs to cover her up.

[maxwill129]

Not to be tell you any bad news, but my friend has had nothing but problems with her BG's leaking out the seams, even though she's put them them through the dryer to seal the seams. I hope you didn't inherit someone else's problem diapers!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Not to be tell you any bad news, but my friend has had nothing but problems with her BG's leaking out the seams, even though she's put them them through the dryer to seal the seams. I hope you didn't inherit someone else's problem diapers!

I'm glad you said so! Thankfully I only have 2 BG's. I'm going to try stripping them and if that doesn't work I'll just try sticking to the blueberries and swaddlebees that seem to work ok.

[Altair]

BGs have never leaked on me, the regular OS and the organic AIOs. Do you pull the velcro tabs really tight so they are almost touching or over top each other?

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Do you pull the velcro tabs really tight so they are almost touching or over top each other?

They've been converted to snaps. Would pulling it tight around the waist affect leaking out the legs though?

[Michigan Mama]

Yes - if you don't have it tight enough around the waist, the legs will be gappy just enough for leaking. Also, as you are fastening the snaps, really make sure you pull the front wing over to baby's side before you fasten. I don't know if that makes sense in writing, but I had a client with leaking and when I went to see, it was because the front wing was sort of sagging down, even though the waist was snapped properly, it still allowed the leg to gap a smidge.

Ditto the stripping, though.

Also, what type of inserts are you using? Sometimes something too thick, like a pf will be too bulky and then the legs won't fit properly.

hth

[Llyra]

Is the insert soaked, when you take the diaper off? If it is, you may just need more absorbency. 2 hours is a long time in a cloth diaper; my kids would leak after that long, too. Try adding additional inserts, or even just a folded washcloth, to boost the absorbency.

If the diaper isn't soaked, you want to check to see if the material is repelling-- take a clean, dry diaper, just like you'd put it on baby, and pour a cupful of water on the diaper, and watch what happens. If the moisture beads up and runs off, or even beads up for a few seconds before it soaks in, you may need to strip. A diaper should absorb almost instantly, with no beading up of liquid.