Diaper Dilemna

Updated on March 02, 2008
L.A. asks from Columbus, OH
37 answers

My son is almost three months old and blows out of his diaper almost every time he goes. I am using disposable diapers and have tried almost every kind. I think it is his odd shape that causes the problem- he's got a big gut and thinner legs. Any ideas? I'm tired of changing outfits every time I change a diaper.

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the feedback. I've found that pampers baby dry work best.

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M.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

Whenever my daughter started blowing out her diaper, I would move up to the next size. That seemed to work.
M. S.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Terre Haute on

I had the same thing happen to me with my first son. My mom said his diapers weren't big enough. But I thought, he's the right size according to the package, but I went to the next size diaper and she was right. Ignore the size chart on the diaper packaging and see if going to the next size helps.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Bloomington on

I had the same problem with my son! Until we started using Seventh Generation diapers. They cost a bit more, but they're worth it. I also noticed a decrease in diaper rash!

2 moms found this helpful

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S.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

The only time we've ever had blow out problems was wearing disposable diapers--and we tried 5 different brands, different sizes everything. Cloth diapers were completely bullet-proof for us, even when my son was breastfed and had runny poos. I tried cloth for financial reasons and continued for convenience--yes, convenience! I know with 100% certainty that we could rely on them and avoid leaks. I spend about 20 minutes/week on diaper laundry (the machines do all the work!) which is less time than I had been spending cleaning up icky leaking messes.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Dayton on

I had this issue when my babies were very young and the best advice I got was to move up a diaper size. It does help because bigger diapers go further up their back. This is a very common yet annoying. :)

2 moms found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Whenever my kids started blowing out of their diaper, it was a sign for me that they were ready to go to the next size. Seriously, that's how I knew! They may seem big when you first switch up, but no more blow outs!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Columbus on

My son does the same thing. Try moving up one size in diapers. I know that the weight may not match, but try it anyway. It really does help. We have had good luck with pampers.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

What size is he in? My son wsa blowing out of his and it turned out that he was in to small of a size. If you use pampers they stretch.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Cincinnati on

you might just need to go up a size in diapers.
if they are too small there is no space for the poo to go.

mel

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T.R.

answers from Fort Wayne on

L. I had the same problem with my now 8 month old boy. Everytime he pooped he had it all over his sleeper. I finally tried a larger size diaper than what the recommended weight range on the package says. My son is now 18 pounds and in a 22-37 pound diaper weight range (size 4)and I am getting ready to move him up again (size 5!). If I bought the correct size diapers for him I am sure we would be washing sleepers 10 times a day. I don't know if you have tried this but it seems to work for us. Also, I find that if I slather on too much diaper cream it makes the diaper less absorbant inside- the cream seems to act like a barrier for the liquid in the poop to not go into the diaper gel. (Sorry that sounds gross). My son has chubby thighs and a thin little waist so I don't think the shape of the baby matters as much as the size of the diaper. We found best success with Pampers. And yes, we still have a blow out once in a while but not nearly like we were having. Hope this helps if you havent already tried it.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

I use cloth diapers and have never had this problem at all. We use bumgenuis diapers. They are great because my 3 month old and my 1 year old can wear the same diapers because they are adjustable. But I would agree that you might need to go up to the next size.

Good luck mama :)

A.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.R.

answers from Youngstown on

You might want to try the next size up- I noticed with mine that when they started to leak it was usually because they were too small. Sometimes they don't look too small or they are still in the weight range for a certain size but they aren't fitting properly. I have one with a big belly too- he's only 7 weeks old and already in size 2!! the ones were leaking like crazy though- just a thought. Good luck- no one with a 3 month old needs extra laundry!!

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T.H.

answers from Terre Haute on

If your son is a breastfed baby his stoles will be runny. With all three of my girls I used the Pampers Swaddlers and Pampers Baby Dry. The Pamper Cruisers I could not use on any of my children they would leak and go up the back and up the front.. Just a horrible mess. I have found that with my neice she has the belly and skinny legs also that the Pampers Swaddlers and the Baby Dry worked the best on her. Every time I have her I buy the name brand diapers for her. Her parents just don't seem to want to buy the type that will not be so messy.

Just make sure that your lil' guy is in the right size of diaper. If the diaper is looking a little short on him the go to the next size up. I had to do this with my girls, and it stopped the messes.

Good Luck!!

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W.H.

answers from Dayton on

i like to use Huggies Supreme. they of course are probably the most expensive but they were the only thing that my boys wouldn't blow out of. i try and fold the diaper when i first put it on the make sure it fits. it's not as much folding as it is making sure it is secure around the genitals and not just around the legs, if that makes any sense.

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C.B.

answers from Cleveland on

My son had the same problem. I always purchased the next size larger, then what he was supposed to be in. The weight guide is just that - a guide, it never seemed to work out right when he was in the size that he was supposed to be in, and he would blow out everytime! As soon as we moved up a size, he fit better, and the stuff stayed in, lol.

Also, as someone else said - make sure the ruffles are out. I made that mistake, too.

Good luck :)

2 moms found this helpful
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D.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Try going up a size in diapers.

2 moms found this helpful
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C.J.

answers from Columbus on

We had the same problem when my son was about that age. Our answer was simple, we went up to the next size, even though he was no where near the weight for that size, I think from a 2 to a 3. Some people thought that was early, but it stopped the problem. Then he stayed in size 3 forever, which was fine with me, I stopped having to do constant laundry!! Also, I find Huggies & Pampers work best, unfortunately for us the generics didn't do the trick. Good luck & I hope that helps!

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T.R.

answers from Columbus on

For us that usually meant it was time to move up to the next size of diapers. I found that Pampers Swaddlers (then Cruisers) are the best.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.W.

answers from Dayton on

My son would do that too. Like other postings, I also figured out that the weight info on the packages didn't apply. My son has always been on the thin side and I found that Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Supremes worked best. They have the most elastic waists that can be stretched together in the front when fastening the tabs. Along with dirty blowouts, he also leaked pee too. That indicated that it was time to switch to the next size diaper. Even with pull-up and swim diapers, the weight info doesn't really apply.

2 moms found this helpful
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D.G.

answers from Columbus on

They do still make rubber pants like when I was a baby and only could use cloth diapers.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.I.

answers from Cleveland on

What kind of formula is he taking? It may be the formula that is causing this problem if he is taking formula. Another thing that you could do is keep track of when he goes in his diaper.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.H.

answers from Toledo on

I feel for you. My oldest did this. I am not sure about your son, but my daughter had a lot of gas and this caused every poopy diaper to leak. I have found that Pampers Swaddlers are by far the best for my kids at this stage. A little tummy gas stuff helped also. I agree with the others who suggested a larger size diaper also. My three month old daughter is 12 lbs and in size one swaddlers with no problem.

Little about me: SAHM of 4. Ages 6, 4 1/2, 2, 3mo.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Youngstown on

I went through a period like this with my son when he was about 3 months. Eventually, the blowouts stopped, but there was about a month of several daily clothes changes... This is strange, but I started sticking panty-liners along the edges of the diapers, sticky-side up, and that did seem to help block some of the blowouts. With any luck, the blowouts will not last long. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from Columbus on

What kind of diapers are you using? I've had luck with Huggies. I find that when the kids blow out a diaper it's time to move to the next size. Also, where is he blowing out? The leg holes or up the back? Huggies stretch at the back, which can help. If it is out the legholes, you might take a look at the way the diaper is being worn. If he has skinny legs, maybe arranging the diaper so that it is more snug around them would help.

This is not to say we never have blowouts- my husband has been known to cut our children out of their clothes when the blowouts have been bad.

You might also check into cloth diapers- motherease are nice. I got my money's worth because I have 3 kids (and yes, I make my 19-month-old son wear the ones that are now pink due to that red towel incident). Even my son and his love of grapes can't blow these out. I use the one size diapers, that fit 8-35 lbs. I go back and forth- usually cloth diapers at home, disposables when going out or going to grandma's.

Hope this helps- I've been in your shoes before!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Bloomington on

cloth diapers don't explode up the back. if you're interested in trying them, you can save tons of money in the long run, save the environment, and keep your little guy's bum so much happier (no diaper rash! well, we've had it maybe 2-3 times ever) i highly recommend the proraps with DSQ prefolds. you can get a full set up for around $100-$150. they have gussets to hold in the explosions on the sides, and a great elastic across the back that keeps it all in too. but the best thing is the big strip of velcro across the front that can adjust really close in the front to fit the skinny little legs. both my babies were skinny ("frog legs" ;) and they fit really well.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.H.

answers from Cleveland on

We went through the exavt same thing with our son who is now 4.everytime he would go from day one everything (or anyone holding him) was soaked.i started bying those plastic pants people use for disposable diapers and put them on around his diaper.it helped a lot we still had accidents on occasion but defiantly not as many.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Columbus on

My first daughter, who is now 2, used to do that all the time. I invested in a lot of 'shout' and spray and wash.

It didn't seem to matter the kind of diaper we used. It happened until she started to get some baby food at 4 months.

I didn't find a way to stop it...it just stopped on it's own after she started to get food. The breastmilk poops just came out so fast and forceful, that the diapers weren't able to contain it!

It will get better!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.T.

answers from Columbus on

Although I'm sure there are people who will disagree with me, you might actually try a SMALLER size diaper. My experience is that I can't get all the gaps closed when the diaper is too big ... therefore both #1 and #2 tend to escape.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Toledo on

buy a pair of rubber pants like you would use with cloth diapers and put onover his disposable diaper that might help

1 mom found this helpful
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W.B.

answers from Cleveland on

Babies R Us sells a "diaper pad". It literally looks like a maxi pad without the adhesive. They are right in the diaper section. 30 pads for $3-4. They are designed for overnight wetness - I am sure they could help you too.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.S.

answers from Cleveland on

I had the same problem with my daughter. She had such skinny legs that everything leaked out! It may sound funny, but make sure the ruffles around the legs are fully pulled out of the diaper. A lactation specialist gave me that advice and it worked wonders. When the ruffles are out, the diapers fit better around the legs. FYI-I also kept a cloth diaber in the seat of her carseat so that I didn't have to keep washing the cover; I could just replace and wash the cloth diaper! Good Luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Cincinnati on

Both my babied did the same thing. I don't think there is much you can do. When he starts eating solids and his poop is thicker, it will get better.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Canton on

I don't have experience with cloth diapers to know if that would help. Have you asked your pediatrician?

What we did when our kids had diahrea was double-diaper. If your budget allows, that might help you save some clothing changes. If you can't work it with 2 of the same size, you might have to buy the next size up and put that on on the outside.

The brand that by far worked the best for us was Pampers Swaddlers (not the b-dry style). Or an off-brand that is one size bigger and closed really tight.

Good luck!
A.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.O.

answers from Kokomo on

Do you breastfeed? I had the same problem with my daughter because she was breastfed so her stools were very loose. I used Pamper's Swaddlers and they seemed to work great (because they have the mesh lining that helps absorb). I don't know if it'll work with you, but you can try it! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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E.B.

answers from Fort Wayne on

My son had a big belly and thin legs as well. I only used Pampers Swaddlers at this age. I loved these diapers because they have a mesh lining that catches/pulls stuff away from the skin more than any other diaper.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.K.

answers from Lafayette on

I would say "Get used to it!" LOL It's bound to happen no matter how many different brands of diapers you use. I find that LUVS are a little bigger and can therefore be snapped tighter around the waist. They're also a name brand but cheaper than Huggies or Pampers. Hopefully you have a washer and dryer!!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Indianapolis on

I went through this with my daughter also. The only ones I found that worked for her were White Cloud - only at Walmart, I'm afraid.

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