I sometimes hear parents new to cloth diapering complain about their cloth diaper covers leaking- even after double diapering.   It can be frustrating for even the most patient & well intended parent when their seemingly “fool proof” cloth diapering system fails.

But you have to realize that sooner or later everyone experiences some leakage. That’s why disposable diaper makers spend millions every year trying to improve leakage problems. Now they have put chemical pellets in the middle of the diaper to turn baby’s liquid waste into a solid gel to help prevent leakage. (Cut one open and you’ll see what we mean – if you are really adventurous try pouring some water on these pellets and see what happens)

Leaking seems to be more prevalent with newborn babies, everything is very runny, and you haven’t quite gotten the hang of this diapering. But rest assured it gets better and easier. Before giving up- try some of these tips (and remember disposable diapers leak too):

Make sure you are using the correct size diaper cover for the baby’s weight. You would be surprised at how many parents are unknowingly using the wrong size for the baby’s weights.  Cloth diapers are not necessarily a “one size fit all” .

The infant size  (16″ long by 12″ wide) will fit inside the newborn and small diaper covers so much easier (up to 16 lbs.). Then they make great diaper doublers for your bigger baby (a doubler gives you extra absorbency for night time and as your baby gets older and wets more).

The Regular size diaper (21″ long by 14.5″ wide) is better suited to a baby over 16 pounds.

Be sure that the diaper is covering all of the diaper cover. It works best if you spread the diaper out into an hourglass shape so that is covers the diaper cover.  If the diaper is too long, fold it back into the diaper cover.

Tuck the diaper completely inside the cover , so that a wet diaper doesn’t “hang out” and get the clothing wet. I know there are parents whose children have very thin legs and they recommend letting the diaper stick out of the legs just a little bit , to fill out any gaps. You can try this method as well.

Are your cloth diapers too thin?  Do they have enough layers? There are many different qualities of diaper on the market. If you are using a thin diaper you may need to change to a “diaper service quality” diaper.  The thicker the diaper the more absorbent it is. By thicker, I mean the “weight” of the cotton diaper. It’s important to have an absorbent diaper that is not too bulky and doesn’t take hours to dry.  The “prefold” style usually works best.  It’s thicker in the middle than on the sides.

Looks for cloth diapers with 6 layers in the middle and 4 layers on each side. (thus they are called 4-6-4) However, there are many diapers labeled as “Diaper Service Quality” that are not , so watch out !    The best quality are the super absorbent diaper which has 8 layers in the middle with 4 on each side(it is called 4-8-4). It is an absolutely thick and luscious diaper.

Photo Credit: www.focusonlinecommunities.com