Leaky Diapers/ Overnight Diapers
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Leaky Diapers/ Overnight Diapers
Nov 2008
Our 17 m.o son wets through his diapers every night. This is
different than needing a new size. He's a big guy;34lbs and ~3
ft. He doesn't fit into Huggies Night Time - they only go up to
5. So, we have been using a Huggie Reg.Diaper Sz6 with a
nighttime Pull-Up 3T-4T over it. He still wets through them both
and every am the poor guy is drenched. I don't want to limit the
amount of water he drinks. So, anyone who had the same problem
and had a solution that worked or any ideas on what we can
do/buy/use for leaking? Thanks in advance.
ellen
We had the very same problem with my now 5 year old and my
toddler. I was baffled. There was really no other choice but
to move to a disposable diaper called ''Goodnights'' by Huggies.
He should be able to wear the S/M at 34 lbs--but I would buy a
small bag just to test it. They hold alot of pee. There is
just no training a child that age to pee at any given time. I
have no idea why my boys do this. No help from my pediatrician
who said, ''dont give them anything to drink within 3 hours of
bed'', (which was impossible--maybe 2 hours). Anyhow, it didnt
work either way. Somehow they save peeing until they are
asleep. I sometimes wonder if is the warm and comfy aspect of
being in bed that does it. They pee the most right before they
get up. My son will be fine in the diaper until 6:30 or so and
pees as he is waking, gets wet and screams. We used to change
his diaper in the middle of the night (he is a very deep
sleeper) just so that there would be capacity for the morning
deluge.
No way to sugar coat it, nighttime potty training is going to
be a huge bummer-we are still not through it, but getting
better.
I'd also like to recommend a product we use that is two layers
of flannel with a rubber layer in the middle. We put two or
three layers of this on the bed and then if he gets the bed
wet, we dont have to change the sheets, just take one layer
off. I had to buy it by the yard on the internet though.
We used something called ''the ultimate crib sheet'' until he was
in a big bed then switched to these.
Good luck.
Cate
Huggies Overnight diapers do go up to size 6 - I just bought some
for my daughter at Babies R Us in Emeryville (I thought they
stopped at size 5 too!). She's a little bigger than your son, and
they fit her just fine. They're the only diapers we've found,
including double-diapering, that keep her dry overnight about 95%
of the time. Not perfect but much better than anything else we've
found.
Good luck!
July 2008
With our 4mo son, we use pocket-type diapers for nights and naps
(bumgenuis, fuzzibunz) but I am frustrated by the way they often
channel/ leach the pee to any touching blankets or clothes (though
they do a great job of keeping the actual diaper area dry.) Otherwise,
we do 60% diaper free/ elimination communication/ IPT, uncovered cloth
for at home awake time, disposables for outings and travel. We are
not yet ready to do EC at night. My ideal solution would be fabric or
other non- disposable, keep him feeling dry, and not leak into the
surrounding wraps. Any ideas or tricks to keep our blankets out of
the daily laundry? Thank you!
LCB
Have you tried any kind of reusable diaper doubler? They are
simple rectangular lengths of cloth, often microfiber terry, that
you can lay in the diaper to soak up extra moisture. When our son
was your child's age, we used doublers with disposables at night
and the doublers seemed to do the trick. Our son is now 10 months
old and we use Fuzzibunz at night with a cloth diaper in them,
which works for us without leaks. If we did have a leaking
problem with Fuzzibunz, I think the doublers would work fine as well.
Our son began leaking almost nightly around 4m/o, so I can
empathize! My husband and I devised a solution that kept him
dry through the night (10 hours): 1. Put him in a disposable
diaper, taking care to point the penis down. 2. Put a cloth
diaper over the disposable. 3. Put a waterproof diaper wrap
(we used LiteWraps) over the cloth diaper. Yes, it's a lot of
work, you will use one disposable diaper every day, and your
son will look like he's got a giant butt. For me, it was
better than doing laundry all the time or (even worse) having
my son wake up because he's drenched in his own urine! Good
luck.
Brook
Woolens! Hard to believe, but very effective. We
bought ''Aristocrats'' Longies which are a wool cover that covers
the legs too. The we put a zippered PJ over all.
I didn't believe until we tried it. The first washing is
important to soak it with lanolin disolved in water. If it leaks
off the bat wash it again. Once it is ''seasoned'' it works
wonderfully. Before we used Bummis and got leaks every night
(but were very happy with Bummis during the day.) We got leaks
with the woolens once every 5 days or so but it was not nearly
as soaked. More like a little on the PJ and maybe a spot on the
sheet.
Oh, and I am allergic to wool, and I was worried my eczema prone
kid would be too - no problems, so very soft. They kept him
warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The original high
performance fabric!!!
Woolly Believer
you pretty much mentioned the two most absorbent cloth diapers. i
can't remember the post, but have you tried those extra inserts?
cloth just don't hold as much, so i've decided to use disposables
overnight - it didn't seem environmentally healthy to wash the
sheets and mattress pads all the time. i use tushies which still
leak some times, but i hear Long's Drugs generic diapers are
great, if you're okay with SAP (polymer salt used in almost all
disposables).
also, see if you can make your little one go pee before going to
sleep to decrease the amount overnight. and see if you can take
your baby to pee almost right after waking up - i think babies
(at least when a little older) pee when they wake up, not while
they sleep. as they get older, earlier-trained babies seem to pee
more and more each time.
mellow early trainer
Try wool soakers or wool pants - they really work! Here is one
source I like:
http://www.betterforbabies.com/organic_wool_diaper_covers.html
If you don't know about it yet, there is also a yahoo group for
East Bay EC'ers. (look for EastBayDFB) cheers!
Pamela
Oct 2007
I'm in search of an overnight diaper that actually won't leak for my 17
month old son. He wears G diapers during the day but he needs something
more absorbant at night. He occassionally poops at night too (and when he
does, boy does he!) and I'm getting really tired of having to wash sheets
and pjs every morning. My first preference was a chlorine-free diaper but
we've tried Seventh Generation & Tendercare in a size bigger, a size
smaller, his regular size, neither seems to work. So I'm realizing that ANY
diaper I can find that works, chlorine free or not, will be a God send! Any
suggestions?? Thanks all :)
Feeling like the wash lady
Huggies Overnights always worked well for our heavy-wetting
son. Sorry I don't know of any more eco-friendly options.
Tried cloth, but...
I've tried all the name brands and the only one that works for
my daughter is the costco brand.
annon
I was a cloth-diapering mom who wound up using Target's store
brand diapers at night. I had no issues with them at all. And
they were less expensive than many other brands. I got lucky
in the end...my son toilet-trained before he turned 2.
Leakless
Our 23-month old weighs 27 pounds and has been in Huggies size
5 for a few months, with no leaks! Finally! (Huggies run a
little larger than the others, I find.) Smallers sizes seem
fine, but I realize now that the bigger the diaper, the more
absorbent material (duh), and he was ready for that. Also,
I've read here on BPN about overnight inserts, and keep that in
the back of my mind for the next time he seems to need an
upgrade of sorts.
best
Babies R Us carries inserts for diapers - basically a big maxi
pad that you can put inside the diaper to increase its
absorbancy. I don't think that it's chlorine free, but it
helped stop my daughter's diaper from leaking at night.
Melissa
When my first child was around this age, we used Huggies
Overnites (or something like that) -- they were in a purple
package. They really worked. I did EC with my second child and
that got her to pee on cue before bedtime and stay dry during
naps and sometimes overnight. At some point when your son is
sleeping deeply, you can try ''lifting'' -- taking him to pee
right before your bedtime, but this might only work if he has
some familiarity with the potty. I do recall this nightime
leaking stopped when we quit the bedtime bottle/nursing action
-- think about cutting back on liquids after dinner? It's hard
if it helps them relax before bed, but they do outgrow this
stage. There are also some great washable waterproof pads that
are easy on and off for laundry.
Montclair Mommy
Feb 2007
My 17 month old sleeps well at night--about 12 hours straight
through--if he stays dry. However, we've had problems because the
diapers we use can't keep up any longer with his urination, and
when he get's wet, he wakes up and so do we. Right now we're
using huggies supremes at night and he's wearing 2 layers of warm
pajamas (we don't really have heat in our house--another story
for the House & Garden digest) but his clothes still ends up wet
by morning. He's ok right now with the mutiple layers because he
doesn't get cold but as it gets warmer, we don't know what we're
going to do. I value my own sleep and so any advice from BPN on
how to extend those diapers would be much appreciated. He does
get 4 oz of milk right before bed but usually he doesn't have
much liquid for a few hours before that. Any other diaper brands?
Double diapers? Other ideas? The diaper is so full that it weighs
a ton and practically drips by the morning because it is so full.
Thanks
hoping to protect my sleep
We had the same problem when our big guy was a baby. We put him in nighttime
diapers AND a kushies diaper liner - they are sold at Baby World (or were back then.)
This did the trick.
Good luck.
We have had good resuts with disposable ''Diaper Doublers.''
They're absorbant rectangular pads, similar to the absorbant
portion of a disposable diaper. They go inside the diaper and
add to the diaper's absorbtion capacity.
See http://www.healthpursuit.com/Luvs.html.
Jeff
We had the same problem. Huggies Supreme don't work at night, use
the Huggies Overnights. They are more expensive than the Supremes
but worth it. They still get really full but hardly leak anymore.
When i get my son ready for bed I change him into the Overnight
diaper. I keep the Supremes for daytime use.
We had the same problem w/our older son. My sister recommended
putting a maxi pad in his diaper which helped a lot. We also
put him in a larger diaper at night. He was normally in a size
3 during the day, and a 4 at night.
Been There
Huggies makes overnight diapers, and these work for us (Huggies
Supreme didn't). If that doesn't work, try the overnights in a
size larger than his usual size.
Chelsea
I had this exact issue with my now 16 month old son. We also
put him in a couple layers to keep warm, he also slept about 12
hours, and seemed to always wake up soaked! I didn't want to
change his dietary intake because he was happy and healthy, so
we bought diapers one size larger in small packs for use only
at night. Hope you find something that works for you!
Denise
We've been down this road. Here's what works for our boy: a
Pampers Cruiser with a pull-up on top--it helps hold the diaper
in place and then it's much less likely to leak.
anon
We have had a very similar issue with our now 21-month-old, and while I would not
say that we found the silver bullet, here are some of the things we've tried, usually
in combination:
-You can find ''Huggies Overnights'' (purple bag) at some places, including
Andronico's and Target. These are slightly thicker, though alone they're not enough
for us.
-We're in the habit of changing our son's diaper before we go to bed-- yes, he
sleeps right through this!-- as he goes to bed at 7 and we're up a few more hours.
-Two solutions we've used for ''diaper liners'' (a needed product if I've ever known
one): Maxi-pads: cut a slit in the back so the liquid can go through; G-diaper pads
(available at Elephant Pharmacy, online, and maybe at Whole Foods?), which work
really well.
-This isn't a diaper solution, but we've been really happy with a sleep sack as
another warm layer. And the fleece kind stays warm even when wet.
I hope some of these will help keep your son dry at night!
Another mom of a night pee-er
Try ''Huggies Overnights'' -- They are hard to find (try Target
or Wal-Mart) but we never had any leaks once our son went to
those...and he was a big night time pee-er!
tinkle free
We went through the same thing with our 15 month old. We were using Huggies
supreme and had terrible leaks during the day as well as overnight. I was so mad I
gave the entire box away. Now we are using Pampers Cruisers (size 4 which is a bit
long in the crotch area) and have not had any problems. If you haven't tried the
Cruisers already it might be worth a shot! I hope this helps! Good luck!
Nicole
We have had the same problem with our two boys and it was awful!
We had to change clothes, sheets and blankets in the middle of
the night. But things are finally getting better with our 17
month old. We use huggies overnights, and we put the front of
the diaper higher than the back so it absorbs more. We have also
weaned the amount of milk he gets at night (less than 5oz) and
that seems to help a bit. And we are planning to wean him off to
no milk at some point, but our oldest is off milk completely at
bedtime and even he had leaked in the past (but I think it's
because of the way he sleeps).Hope that helped at little, hang
in there.
My boys leaked also
We had that same problem with our 13 month old. We now double
diaper with a size 5 or 6 diaper over his regular size 4
Huggies Supreme. We haven't had a leak in the morning since
then. I can often re-use the outer diaper in the event that
he hasn't overflowed the first.
Chris
I found that when my kids leaked it was time to go up a size in
diapers, even if the diapers still fit. Larger diapers have more
absorbancy. I would also try double diapering. Good luck!
dry eye mama
We too had a similar issue with our daughter. We now use
Overnite diapers (by Huggies), which do the trick for 12-13
hours at night. They have extra padding at the front of the
diaper to keep leaks to a minimum. Hope this helps.
Shauna
Safeway sells maxi-pad type things for diapers called ''Diaper
Doubler's'' that we use with the Huggies overnights. They work
like a charm.
no longer waking up in a wet bed
We had the same problem until we switched to Huggies Overnights.
They sell them at some Safeways and Babies R Us. Some tips for
using them: try buying them one size bigger than his normal
diapers - there is more absorbent material for a bigger baby.
Make sure you put them on pretty tight and that you pull out the
extra diaper material around his legs so it is not inside the
elastic. Our son still leaks occasionally but it's usually
because he drinks a lot before bed or if I put it on too loose.
anon
We had the same problem with our son, just turned two. I think the solution is not
expensive, ''overnight'' diapers, but a larger size. We bought the next size up, Kirkland
(Costco) brand, and haven't had a leak-through since. You could even try TWO sizes
larger, just for nighttime.
heidi
You may want to consider Wool Diaper Covers. Sounds strange,
scratchy and smelly, but they are none of that. We have been
using wool diaper covers with leggings. See below website, they
are made by Aristocrats (with or without legs) and various
websites sell them. The wool is NOT scratchy and me and my baby
are very sensitive! We actually use thick Cloth diapers
underneath on our 19mo old and a fleece footed PJ over it all.
The wool has a natural oil that is water proof. It keeps him
warm in the winter and cool when it is warmer. The first time I
used it it leaked, but then I washed it with a pea sized dot of
Lanolin, and then I became a believer! It is the best. No
Leaks, his bottom has no redness, no scratchyness on the legs
and he stays warm and does not wake up in a cold puddle! During
the day we lay the cover over the side of the tub and there is
no urine smell, and it is ready the next night. Every month or
so I wash it again with the Lanolin to coat the fibers. You may
want to try this cover over disposables first and see.
http://www.tinytush.com/images/Diaper%20Covers/aristocrats_longies.gif
Or look at the Diaper Pin rating site under Aristocrats Wool
Soaker. There are other brands too!
And another tiny, silly ''Plus'' -it is fun to sing the ''Wooly
Booly'' song to distract him while changing him!
Good Luck!
Woolen Lovin Mama
We had good results with Huggies overnight diapers (you can find
them at Target and elsewhere), but our son only slept about 10
hours per night so you may need more for your son. I remember
BPN parents recommending layering a second diaper over the
first, perhaps even using a larger size for the outer diaper.
Also, make sure that if he wears two piece pajamas, that the
pants and shirt don't get tucked into the diapers (the waist of
the diaper should be higher than the pajama bottom's waist).
Cloth inside the diaper will cause the PJs to get wet very
easily.
good luck!
We had the same problem with leakage at night so we tried the
next size diaper only at night and it seemed to work. Good luck!
Katrina
I had the same problem when my daughter was about that age. I
also used Huggies and even tried different brands, but none of
them made a difference. The only thing I found that helped, were
these diaper inserts that I found at Baby World on College Ave.
I can't remember the brand name, but they look like those giant
maxi pads they give you in the hospital after giving birth. They
just go inside the diaper. They did work, although not 100% of
the time, but it was certainly worth doing. You could also try
cutting the milk down to 2 ounces before bed. I can't recall how
long we used them. Maybe until she was potty trained at about 2
1/2. Good luck!
mette
We had the same problem. We use GoodNites pull ups and haven't
had a problem. I do have to say they are a bit more expensive
than competing brands, but none of those worked.
Good Luck
Safeway sells inserts for the diapers. I think they are called
Diaper Doublers. They look like a maxi pad. They work great
for night time and avoiding leaks. The bag used to be blue and
is tucked in with the diapers. Sometimes it is hard to find.
I would be looking and looking and they were right in front of
me. The Safeway on Claremont carried them and the one on
Pleasant Valley in Oakland. Berkeley did sometimes.
a mom who had a leaky one too
I also use Huggies because they seem most comfortable. To be
honest, I have found that Luvs hold the most fluids. So, I
rotate diapers. Try Luvs at night.
anon
whenever my son starts leaking urine or feces, i know it is time
to go up in diaper size. seems silly, but as soon as i switch the
problem is usually solved. if you are already at the max, maybe
try a switch. i actually find costco diapers are a little bigger
than the huggies.
anon
Hi-We had the same problem with our daughter and still can (she
is 26 months). We were doubling her diapers, but she would often
still leak.
What we did was put an asorbent disposable diaper on along with
a pair of rubber pants. This has worked out well. She is waking
with a very full heavy diaper,but it stays contained and we
change her shortly after wake up.
Hope this helps
drier days
i definitely understand your desire to protect your sleep. 12 hours straight is a good
long stretch though, and maybe your baby NEEDS one quick diaper change. it's seems
possibly a bit extreme to expect him to go 12 hours with a diaper''so full that it weighs
a ton and practically drips by the morning because it is so full''. maybe you can come
to a compromise that benefits you both.
another mom of a 17 month old
Feb 2005
My sister's 15-month old son wakes up in the middle of every
night, soaking wet. He is wetting out the top of his diaper onto
his clothes, and soaking them (and often the sheets as well). My
sister has cut back on his fluid intake in the evening (he
drinks with dinner at 6pm, but nothing after that). She has
tried every kind of diaper, including the largest size of
Huggies Overnight diapers. She even tried putting a Pull-Up over
those, but they just don't seem to be high enough. She says it
is impossible to ''point his penis down'' since it is so small; it
just moves around. His legs are HUGE so he has to wear a big
diaper. Any advice for keeping him dry at night? My sister (and
her son) are so exhausted at this point! Many thanks.
- Stacy
I have a son too so I know what she is going through. The best
advice I can give is to wake him up & change him. Sometime in
betwwen the time he wakes up, she needs to go check his diaper &
if it seems sort of full, then she should change it, even if it
wakes him.
Shelly
I had the same problem with my daughter for months until I found
out about diaper doublers. I found them at Albertsons. I think
they are their Store brand. I think it has to do with the
kiddos being between sizes...... I always found the peeing out
of the diapers to happen when we were transitioning from one
size to the next. The diaper doublers are like a giant maxi pad
that helps to capture any extra pee-pee that might escape the
diaper on its own. Good luck to your sister!
Julie
May 2004
I am looking for a solution to a problem that I have been
having with my daughter's diapers. She is almost 5 months old
and for about the past 2 months I have found that when she has
a bowel movement of any size it tends to head straight up the
back of her diaper and leak onto her clothing. She is wearing
the correct size of diaper according to her weight and i put it
on as tight as i can but it somehow makes its way up her back
almost every time.
Any advice or recommendations?!
-constantly doing laundry
While you're trying out all the solutions mentioned in the
archives, you might want to get some lap pads. These have vinyl
on one side, flannel on the other, and are roughly 1 square-foot
or larger. Put one in the car seat where
the baby's butt & back go and if you have an eruption, at least
you won't have to wash the whole carseat cover. And use
them anywhere else it makes sense. Crib, bouncy chair...
Mary
Try using Pampers brand. They are much taller and have more
material in the back.
anon
I found that putting a diaper cover, as used for cloth diapers,
prevented a lot of leaking up the back. Good luck.
sally
We had this problem with our daughter, too. At just about 5
months, we switched from Huggies ultratrims to Pampers, which
were higher in the back. This helped a lot. Unfortunately,
with the Pampers, she tended to leak pee every single night, out
of the front! I started folding down the front (inward) at
night and that fixed the pee problem. Then, at about 10 months
we switched to Pampers Cruisers. The most expensive of all, but
now we have no poop leaks and no pee leaks! It also helps that
she's eating solids now and the poops tend to stay put a bit
better. Good luck!
leaky diaper veteran
I had the same problem with my 10 mo old daughter's diapers. I
was using Huggies diapers from Costco (my older daughter used
those exclusively with no problems). I decided to try switching
brands to Huggies Supreme - they seem to have more elastic in
the waist and legs. Although they are more expensive, I have
had no leaks with them since. Maybe another brand of diapers
will work better for you.
anon
Try changing the brand of diaper you use &/or go up a size. We
had this problem too, but when we moved from size 2-3 it got
better. We also found that Pampers worked much better than
Huggies.
Good luck!
Heather
We have found that the weight range printed on the diaper
package is totally irrelevant. When poop started going up the
back (or there were lots of leaks at night), we would switch to
the next size up; this (almost) always worked for us.
Pooped parents too
March 2004
After changing my 4 month old son's diaper, I pull him into bed
with me to breastfeed. From about 6:00 am to 7:00 am, I keep
him in the bed with me so I can hold him while we sleep. Both
of us are on our side, facing each other. Over half of the
time -- during our long cuddle only -- he wets himself, up
through the diaper, through his clothes, and onto our bed. We
use disposable diapers (Huggies), they are the correct size, and
he doesn't leak any other time. He will fall asleep on his side
and if I try to move him to his back, he wakes up and won't go
back to sleep. (He sleeps on his back the rest of the night.
It is just for the last hour in the morning that we sleep like
this.) Any ideas on what I am doing wrong or on ways to solve
this problem? I cherish our morning cuddle and don't want to
give it up -- but want to stop him from wetting himself. Thank
you for your help!
New Mom
Try tucking his penis down before closing up his diaper,
otherwise he'll squirt out the top.
EM
Are you sure the wetness is from the baby? With my first baby,
I went through a time when the bobby pillow was always wet near
the baby's diaper area. But it turned out not to be the baby
that was leaking... it was me! While nursing the baby on one
breast, the other breast would let down and milk would drip onto
the bobby pillow, right near the baby's diaper area. Once I
figured it out, nursing pads stopped the problem easily! This
may not be your issue, but you said your baby's diapers don't
leak any other time. It's just something to consider!
Happy Nursing
Huggies often leaked with my son when he was in size 3, so I
switched to Albertson's store brand, and the problem went away.
I think Huggies size 3's don't work that well for tummy or side
sleeping. ''Back to Sleep'' doesn't always work.
Good luck.
Jennifer R.
Our daughter's diapers (we used Huggies, too) leaked almost
every day during our morning cuddle/feeding session until she
was about 6 months old. We just relied on our mattress pad and
lots of sheet changing. Even though we used the right sized
Huggies, she just hadn't filled them out enough. At about 6
months, the morning leaking stopped, but we still had a fair
number of poop blow-outs in the Huggies. We switched to Pampers
(Baby-Dry?? Not the Cruisers), which seem to be higher in the
back, and we have very few leaks of any kind now. (She's 8
months.) I think your leaking will resolve when your baby gets
a bit bigger. Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) just
reviewed baby diapers, by the way, if you want to check out
their comments.
No more leaks
Hi,
I hope it's not to late to respond.
What a drag. You're in the middle of a wonderful time, nursing
and cuddling in the morning, only to have it ''interrupted'' by a
leaking diaper.
We had problems with keeping my daughter dry and found relief
by using larger than recommended weight/size Huggies Overnites.
They're so big and absorbant, they can hold alot.
I hope this helps/.
Good Luck
Oct 2003
Hi, I have an almost 3-year-old. He isn't potty trained and is
in diapers unless he's trying to use the potty when he's
either naked or wearing undies. We moved him to a twin
bed about a month ago, and the past few mornings, he's
called for me in the mornings and when I go into his room
and he announces that ''I peepeed on myself.''
He's not taking his diaper or PJs off, I'm thinking his diaper's
already full, and it just doesn't hold the morning pee? He
doesn't seem too upset, sometimes almost proud of
himself. I don't care about the wet PJs, and I'm not
concerned with his not being potty trained, but I don't want to
have to change the bed every day.
I'm wondering if he's doing it on purpose, but can't figure out
the motive, or can he just not help it? One night I tried the
size 6 Huggies, and it seemed to have helped, so I will try to
remember to put those on every night. Has anyone else
experienced this, and if so, what worked? Thanks.
Mollie
Huggies Overnites! My guess is the bladder can hold more and the
child can now hold the pee in for longer so it all comes out at
once. I use Huggies Overnites even in the day to avoid surprise
burst diapers.
dry mom
I THINK YOU ANSWERED YOUR OWN QUESTION...:-)... USE THE LARGER
SIZE DIAPERS FOR BED TIME. WHEN HE'S HORIZONTAL, ''LIQUIDS'' MAY
RUN !!! HAVING A DIAPER ON THAT GOES A LITTLE HIGHER ON HIS
WASTE WILL PROBABLY KEEP THE SHEETS DRY. OR, TRY USING THE PULL-
UPS. GOOD LUCK !!!
Been There Done That :-)
My daughter had the same problem with diapers at night once she
got to a certain size (she didn't potty train until 3.5)
Switching to the proper size Pull-Ups did the trick. We called
them her special ''night diapers'' so I could potty train her
during the day and eliminate the regular diapers without ever
using Pull-ups during the day.
Jill
Hi,
My son was wetting his pj's and the bed every single night for
almost 3 months. He had diapers on (He is 1 1/2yo), but touched
his penis for confort, left it sticking up (even out of the
diaper sometimes) and as a result the pee leaked out. Maybe this
is what is happening with your son? The solution for mine has
been to use one piece pajamas he cannot open on his own, so he
does not have access to his penis. I was afraid he would feel
repressed so I avoided this route for a long time, but I am very
happy I did it, since he sleeps now a lot better because he
doesn't get all wet in the middle of the night.
No more daily laundry
My child is out of diapers, but I remember that every time a
diaper leaked at night, it was because it was too small. You
sounded like you thought he might be doing it on purpose - if
so, you could try to make this event somewhat more boring. Don't
get excited, at all, for example. And, you might want to try
having him help you change the bed. Don't shame or be angry,
just act the same way you do when you ask him to help pick up
his toys. (He can pull out a corner of the sheet while you lift
the mattress, etc.) Or you can say something calmly and
regretfully like ''oh, darn, because we had to change the bed, I
don't have time to play with you before breakfast'' or make
pancakes, or watch a cartoon, or whatever he likes to do in the
morning. I think it might be a good idea to take a little of
the fun out of this particular trick!!
Fran
There are diaper inserts you can buy to kind of bulk up the
diaper- there are cloth ones and disposable I have seen some at
safeway- they kind of look like big pads. Also, As an adult
caregiver I have often used these plastic pads that are about
4X2 that you can use underneath your son if he still leaks. You
can find them in the area where they sell depends
Juliette
at some point our son started soaking through his night-time
diaper almost every night. a baby expert of our acquaintance
suggested double-diapering, which we did until he was done with
the whole business (its been a couple of years) ... it never
failed us. we just used 2 of his normal diapers (huggies, I'm
pretty sure) and -- this is the important part -- cut a slit
about two inches long in the back (that is, the outside) of the
one we put on first, so that it could drain the excess pee into
the outer diaper.
good luck
Hi, My son had this problem too and I kept going into the next
size diaper when it would happen. Then he got to the biggest
ones and it happened on occasion. So, I bought these great
diaper inserts made by Kushie's and it totally stopped. Now it's
not a problem because he's staying dry at night. You can get
them at Baby World OR, better yet, I have three rolls left - if
you'd like them, email me!
alison
July 2002
My two month old baby boy experiences a leaky diaper at least
three times/night. We use Huggies disposables at night, and I
make sure to point his penis downward into the diaper to no
avail. He would actually sleep longer during night feedings if
he wasn't soaking himself and his blankets. He's exhausted and
we are exhausted with the whole thrice nightly clothing changes.
He's a big baby, who nurses constantly (he sleeps right next to
me) and has HUGE pee pees.
I had this same issue with my first son, and never figured out a
solution. Does anyone have any advice/experience with this
problem? Thank you
Maya
Our little guy leaked a lot too. He grew so fast that we had to
change diaper sizes quicker than we thought; when he started
leaking several times in a row we just switched to a bigger
size. But also what works is putting the regular diaper on,
then a diaper one size larger OVER that one. All leaks should
be contained in the second diaper. Good luck!
Laura
I think it's more of a big baby problem than a boy problem - I
went through the same thing with my daughter when she was about
6 mos. old. What a pain! It was no fun changing sheets,
blanket, pj's in the middle of the night! My daughter has
always been very tall for her age, but not chubby. What worked
for me was moving up to the next size diaper. Even though I was
using the size that was supposed to be appropriate for her
weight, they were too short. The next size up was a little
baggy, but with the elastic around the legs, it was not a
problem. I never had a problem again after I made the switch.
Good luck!
Kathryn
This may sound crazy, but have you considered using cloth diapers
at night? The advantage is that you can double or I suppose even
triple them. Granted, my 10 week old doesn't nurse that much at
night, but I'm amazed at how well the double cloth diapering
works (I don't change him all night). I was using disposable
huggies in the beginning, and I had some of the leakage up the
back problem you mention. Also, I had some luck with the huggies
by pulling them all the way up so that they were higher in the back.
janet mack
We had the exact same problem with our son and I'll tell you
what worked: Huggies overnites!! They are worth the premium
price. Run don't walk, never a leak.
Alexis
Believe it or not, I found cloth diapers to be better for
nighttime. We always had leak problems at night with our
infants if we used Huggies, but no problem with cloth. I
think the small size huggies/pampers, etc. are just not
abosrbant enough for a big nighttime pee. If cloth doesn't
interest you, I would try the next size bigger disposable.
There is a lot of overlap in the size ranges and I have found
that when we start having daytime leaks with Huggies,
moving up to the next size fixes the problem. Another option
is double diapering at night (maybe put a bigger one on over
the smaller one, if the big ones seem too big for your child).
Karen Frasier-Kolligs
Have you tried Pampers? I had the same problem when my daughter
was a newborn. I used Huggies and they always leaked. We switched
to Pampers and have *never* had a leak in 2 years (though there
has been the occasional poop blow-out). My unscientific
observation is that Huggies are good for skinny butts and Pampers
for round ones!
Christine
What worked for us is putting him in the next size diaper at
bedtime even if it seemed way too big. (Could still use
normal size during the day). We also used Huggies.
kj
Our son leaks out of Huggies, too; he does much better in
Tendercare diapers (which we get from our diaper service;
I've also seen them at Andronicos). They're made with
cotton & wood pulp, instead of the gels that most
disposables use now, so they're bulkier, but they work better
for us. Tushies diapers, made by the same company, are
even thicker.
Good luck!
Caroline
Try a product called ''Diaper Doublers'' You insert them in the
diaper to add extra absorbancy. You may still have to change a
couple of times a night but they should help out. I've seen
Diaper Doublers at Safeway, Albertson's, various drug stores,
etc. for $3-$5 for a pack of 30.
Linnea
Hi. Our experience with this is based on having a girl so I
don't know if this will help, but we switched to Huggies
''Supreme'' diapers for nighttime - and at different times we'd
go one size larger than the ultratrims when she was in a
transitional size. Hope that helps.
Changed lots of sheets too
A familiar problem. We had this probelm twice, for different
reasons. When my son was first born, it took some time to
discover that you must make sure all of the white ruffle
around the legs of the Huggies is turned outward. If even a
small amount is turned in, the diaper leaks.
The second time we had the problem, it turned out to be a
result of faulty manufacturing. I had bought Huggies in bulk
at Costco, and had changed so many wet sheets and
clothes from that one bulk pack that I called the
manufacturer to complain (you can find the number on the
box). The phone rep said the if the diaper is very stiff, it has
become fused in manufacturing and will not absorb liquid. I
told her that every other diaper was stiff, and she took the
batch number and confirmed that there had been other
complaints. She then sent me some coupons for free
boxes.
If you these are not the problem with your diapers, try
another brand or the next size up. The probalme may be in
the diaper fit. You might also try Huggies Overnights that
can absorb more.
Carolyn West
My son had the same problem and for a while I bought diaper pads
from Albertsons (I think they called them ''Diaper Doublers'')for
approx $3.75 per 15. I finally realized they were basically
just maxi pads only more expensive, so instead I bought the
store brand full-size, bulky maxi pads which I put in his diaper
every night. I think Trader Joe's makes a ''natural'' kind
(without dyes and bleaches). I also used the heavier night
diapers, though I don't think they make them for kids your son's
age. I even tried double-diapering, but that did not seem to
help. If you haven't already tried this, I hope it helps!!
Signed, Waking Up In a Dry Bed
My sister-in-law used to 'double diaper' her boys. It was the
only way to get through the night she tells me. While the baby's
weight is mid-way in the diaper size range, you can use the same
size... one directly over the other. But as he grows toward the
upper weight limit, try the next size larger for the outer diaper
layer.
Also, you might experiment with other brands - that worked for
wet nights with my son. I've found some brands just fit better
than others. Here's another thought: I wounder if a swim diaper
would work. They are cumbersome when it comes time for changes,
but they are designed to keep the products locked-in. Since they
are more expensive than regular diapers, you might even try
double diapering with the swim diaper as the outer one. It might
secure the regular diaper and act as an absorbant safety layer.
good luck.
Linda
I had the same problem with my son! The best news is that they
grow out of this, so whatever solution you find will only need
to be temporary. I did find a solution that worked for me most
of the time. I put a larger size diaper on, one with lots of
elastic on the leg openings (I think maybe Huggies Supreme), and
cinched in the waist. Inside the diaper I put a diaper doubler
(looks like a maxi pad). (I also tried two diapers at once, but
that didn't seem to work.) Then I put him in both an undershirt
and a fuzzy sleeper (not cotton). The sleeper (from Lands End)
seemed to seal in any liquid that leaked out of the diaper,
which helped us because our biggest problem had been that the
liquid evaporating on his skin would make him cold and wake him
up (of course this was last winter, but it can still be pretty
cold here at night). This should also help keep you dry since
you are sleeping next to him! Good luck.
Stephanie
we had trouble with huggies, and switched to pampers.
someone told me later that huggies work well for girls
and pampers for boys, i don't know if that is true, but
once we switched we didn't have problems (and we had a
ton of problems before that!).
We have found a great solution. A butt sweater. Actually - it's
the wool Aristocrat diaper cover (can get at
www.earthbaby.com/aristocrats.html). We wear it over one cloth
diaper and our 3 month old has been dry all night for a month
(when we started using it.) Plus, it's really fun at night to
put it on and say, ''Who's wearing a butt sweater!!?!!'' :)
Ann
Nighttime disposable leaks out the sides
Dec 2000
The disposable diapers I use at nighttime always leak out the sides
because my baby rolls onto his side to sleep. Can anyone recommend a
good disposable diaper that won't leak this way? Colleen
Here's a solution to the leaky diaper dilemma:
We double-bag our son at night. First I put on an "overnight" diaper, which
is 50% more absorbent. Then I put a regular "ultratrim" diaper on OVER the
first diaper. It seems to work. I hope this helps.
-Polly
In response to your question about leaking disposable diapers - I've always used Huggies and they
seem to work really well.... What I've FINALLY discovered is that whenever my son has leaked, it
has been because he was "pointed" in the right direction inside the diaper. Now that our son is in
Pull-Ups, we've had more of the leaking problems because he is more likely to not be adjusted
properly, from pulling up the diaper...
Hope this helps!
-Heather
We had the same problem with our child. The solution was two-fold: we
tried bigger diapers and we began using diaper covers with the
disposable diapers during the night. Huggies Overnites have worked
best for us. We use cloth in the daytime but our diaper covers all
have velcro. Our favorites are Bottom Buddies...more expensive but the
velcro tabs are smaller. Perhaps the "pants" version of diaper covers
would work better (similar to the rubber pants we grew up with).
Obie
I always found that the brand names, Huggies, Pampers, didn't usually leak
like the lesser known (Kirkland etc.) brand names.(We've been out of diapers
for almost 4 years though). June
This is in response to the diaper (leaking) question. I recommend using
Huggies Overnites. We had a terrible time keeping our son dry at night
(we've always used disposable) until we tried the Overnite diapers. They
really do seem to hold more and prevent leaking. Good luck!
Katie
we've always used huggies without a problem. our baby is rather big, so maybe that helps the
diapers stay snug
amy
Our son's diapers started leaking almost nightly, until a kind friend gave
us diaper "doublers" from Albertsons. These are pads you insert in the
diaper for overnight use. Not one leak has happened since.
Inbal
August 2003
My 16 month-old son touches his penis for confort every time he
is tired or sleepy. I don't have a problem with him touching his
genitals, although when he is a bit older and can understand me
better I plan to teach him that you do it in private. But I do
have a BIG problem, with the fact that, because he pulls his
penis up while touching himself before going to sleep, he ends
up peeing all over the bed every single night. I have to wash
pajamas, sheets, and blankets daily, and sometimes I have to
change pj's and bedding in the middle of the night because he is
so wet.
I have tried a couple of things whitout much success. One is
going in after he falls asleep, reaching inside his diaper and
placing his penis facing down again. This has worked sometimes,
but often he reaches again for his penis at some point during
the night and still wakes up all wet. Other times, when I go in
(about one hour after bedtime, to make sure he is deeply asleep)
he is already wet.
I have also tried dressing him in one piece pajamas, so he
cannot touch his penis at all. Two problems have arised with
this ''solution''. The first one is that he gets very upset and
starts crying loudly, and has a very hard time going to sleep
(usually he goes to sleep on his own without problems unless he
is sick, after the usual bedtime ritual); he also tends to wake
up more at night and has a harder time going to sleep. As a
result, the sheets may be dry, but our sleep is disastrous.
The second problem is mine. I am afraid to create negative
feelings in him by ''repressing'' his self-fondling. I don't want
him to associate genitals with something bad, or forbidden. This
is important to me, because I was severely reprimanded and
scolded as a young child for touching my genitals (of course, I
was too young to know anything about sex otr to understand why
this was so wrong); I grew up with lots of repression and guilt
around sex (which later developed into self-destructive sexual
behavior, but that's another story).
I wonder if any of you has gone through a similar situation with
a son and how you solved it (I imagine, with girls would not be
problematic, since they don't have a penis that can face up and
pee outsaide the diaper). If you decided to go ahead with the
one piece pj's, did it take very long for your child to get used
to it and go to sleep without problems? (I am afraid it would
take a very long time for my son, who has very low adaptability
to changes and gets very easily frustrated). If you decided to
stick it out, was this a phase that went away after a while? (it
has lasted a couple of months already for my son). Any other
ideas or solutions? I would really appreciate them.
Laundry blues
My son went through a very similar thing. I had the same
feelings--I was not opposed to the touching, but tired of the
leaky diaper. For me the solution was one-piece jammies,
but as I recall, it was winter time and I think the added
warmth made up for the lack of access. I also used those
big disposable bed pads, like you get in the hospital, under
a sheet or blanket. It did not stop the wetting but made
changing the bed easier and less frustrating for me. Now, a
year later, he still likes to touch his penis (is there any male
anywhere who doesn't?) but we don't seem to have as
much problem with the leaks. It might be that as he has
grown older, he has more bladder control--he's not potty
trained yet, but still often wakes with a dry diaper. In other
words, I bet things will get easier for you in time.
been there
Heidi
Well, i have a girl, but a friend of mine with boys told me that
cloth diapers and covers work better at night because the cloth
is absorbant whichever way it gets hit, while the throw aways
are olny absorbant in the part where the chemicals are.
also try peeing him before bed. not like 'early forced potty
training', just hold him in a little sqatted position over the
sink or toilet or outside or something, and see if he need to
go. if it seems like he needs to go but can't, you might try to
help him relax, or distract him somehow. it works with some
kids. then the pointing him down after he goes to sleep plan
would at least work most nights.
and don't stress too much about the body shame. it sounds
like you're committed to giving your son a good healthy self
image. he'll be fine. having a tired, stressed out, overworked
mom who has to do an extra load of #@*$ laundry every morning is
probably a more imediate concern.
mexicalex
Try using a cloth diaper. The bulk will keep the pee from
leaking out the top.
Sophie
I feel for you! We went through this exact same thing (and in
fact I posted here for advice and didn't get too much). What we
did was get a big waterproof pad (about crib size) and put it in
his bed. (We were having this problem mostly when he was
already in a ''big boy bed'' at about age two. The problem with
this was that it would get all scrunched up when our son moved
around at night. Then we tried laying a sheet over the
waterproof pad, and that helped some. The waterproof pads are
warm though, so during the summer it was just too hot to use
them. We did try the one piece pajama thing, and that worked
for a while, until he figured out how to unzip them. Then we
tried a onesie underneath, and sometimes he would still manage
to get his hand into his diaper! I guess where there's a will,
there's a way! I also felt bad when we tried to deny him of his
comfort by zipping or snapping away his penis. So I guess I
can't give you a magic solution. What happened with our son, is
that eventually we could reason with him, and he would try to
keep his hand out of his pants. And also, he started peeing
less at night as he was moving toward potty training. So it
just stopped being an issue. Incidentally, now 3 and a few
months (and potty trained), he still sleeps with his hand in his
pants, and still puts his hand in there whenever he's tired or
needs comfort or has a pacifier in his mouth (which we're trying
to get rid of too!)I've done what you mentioned, and explained
that that's something he can do when he's alone. He
understands, but still needs to be reminded quite often. Good
luck. Hopefully it will phase out in a couple of months.
anon
August 2002
Our 27 month old son regularly puts his hands in his pants (and
in his diaper) for comfort. He mostly does this when he is
going to bed or for naps, sometimes when he is being read to or
watching a video. I don't mind that he does this if it comforts
him, but what drives his father and me crazy is that when he
does it, he pushes his diaper down, which then causes his pee to
leak out onto his clothes and his bed. Many mornings he wakes
up sopping wet, cold and needing his sheets changed. Is there
anyone out there who has had similar experiences with little
boys, who has suggestions for how to curb this habit or make it
easier to deal with?
Thanks!
Tammy
My son is 3 1/2 and still puts his hand down his pants. When he
was younger, I also had problems with him pushing the diaper
down, in his sleep, and wetting the bed. I started putting him
in one piece pajamas (Gap) which worked great until he learned
how to unsnap them. The zipper type worked better. We also
placed a bed cover (it was a 3x4 size pad), which was soft on
one side and plastic on the other, on top of his regular sheets.
We then placed one of his old baby blankets on top of the cover
which is what he slept on. It did not stop him from wetting the
bed, but it did make the clean up so much easier.
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