Need Solution for Nightly Leaking Diaper!

Updated on November 26, 2009
E.L. asks from Tucson, AZ
28 answers

I have a beautiful 7 month-old baby who thankfully is starting to sleep through the night 7pm-7am (knock on wood!). This means that now she is no longer getting her soggy diaper changed during her 5am feeding. The result is that EVERY morning at 7am I find her soaked through her jammies, sleep sac, sheet and mattress pad. We have been putting two diapers on in attempt to prevent this from happening, but with no luck. Not only is this a major pain to wake up to every morning, I feel so badly that she has been laying in all of this urine for who knows how long! Any ideas? We are using the correct size disposable diaper. We also check her diaper before we go to bed around 10pm and it is dry as a bone.

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So What Happened?

Thanks to everyone for their helpful ideas - we have had no more leaks!!! We went up one size in diapers and now use the nighttime Pampers and also stick a maxi pad up the back of her diaper. What a clever idea, it works like a charm!

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D.D.

answers from Phoenix on

My daughter can only use huggies snug and dry and huggies also has a night time diaper that is great also.

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K.F.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi E.,

You didn't mention if you use a regular diaper or a night-time diaper. I love the Huggies Night-time diapers. They work great for my 17month old. I've been using them for her since she was about 6 months old or so. If you are already using those, you could try using the next size up in the nighttime diaper and just fasten it on good and tight - you'll get even more absorbtion that way.

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M.F.

answers from Phoenix on

We had the same problem when my son started sleeping through the night. Try Huggies Overnights! They have worked great for us.

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S.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I totally understand your pain! We did a couple of different things that worked really well for us. First of all, we love Target's brand of diapers. They worked better for us than ALL the leading brands and then some. We also used diaper doublers which were our life saver. However they stopped making them and then the ones that Babies R Us carries now are much more expensive. So, we switched and put a sanitary pad in the diaper for extra absorbency. I would buy the thin ones that absorbed nicely but weren't too bulky (and I bought off brand to save money). After a while we switched again and started using the cloth liners that people use for cloth diapering instead of the sanitary pad so that we could fold it and double it the way we wanted. I bought them on Walmart.com They are called Kushies Washable Diaper Liners. They come 10 in a pack so I bought two so that I wasn’t constantly doing laundry. When I’d go to change her I’d just rinse them out really well with warm/hot water and let them dry in our laundry room sink until I washed them.

The other thing that we did that saved us time and time again was that we also bought the rubber pants to go over her diaper at night. This really helped to keep in any leaks. Just be cautious of which ones you buy. We used Gerber and found that depending on where they were made, the thickness and durability of the plastic varied. Some were so thin that I accidentally poked a hole through it with my fingernail.

You might also look into getting a couple of Ultimate Crib Sheets. They are by far one of the best things I’ve ever discovered and they are my standard baby shower gift to all new moms. It’s soft like a sheet but waterproof. It goes on top of your current crib sheet and attaches to the rails. If they get soiled, you just pop them off and wash it. They also sell them on Walmart.com or Babies R Us. They may seem a little pricey but trust me they are totally worth it!

I hope that all helps! Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Try changing brands, going up a size or also I used to even double up on diapers at night. I would put one right on top of the other because my son used to soak right through his diaper.

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E.W.

answers from Albuquerque on

use good diapers. i have never had that problem with Pampers! I have boys, so maybe they fit differently?

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D.W.

answers from Phoenix on

Hello!
I would also try going one size up. That always did it for us when we were in that situation.
I am not sure if someone offers a night version in size 2 or 3 that she is likely in, but it might be worth looking into that as well.

Good luck!
D.

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M.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I know you said you're in the right size diaper, but what I had to do for this is use the next size up at night time and then the right size diaper during the day. May be worth trying.

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M.S.

answers from Phoenix on

you can use an overnight diaper. Huggies makes them and I think pampers just started to make one as well. I have used the Huggies on both my daughters only at nightime and they work great.
M.

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A.I.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi E.,

I had a similar problem with my boys. I switched to Sams club diapers and had few leaks after that.

Good luck

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M.C.

answers from Albuquerque on

have you tried overnight Pampers? They come in a purple package and they are great for when your little one sleeps through the night and has leaky diapers. They work wonders for my daughter.

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C.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

I would suggest either going up a size in the diaper or changing the brand. The brand of diaper matters, and usually if the diaper is leaking it means you should go up a size. Good Luck!!

Updated

I would suggest either going up a size in the diaper or changing the brand. The brand of diaper matters, and usually if the diaper is leaking it means you should go up a size. Good Luck!!

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K.P.

answers from Phoenix on

Luvs diapers are guaranteed against leaks. They are more reasonably priced than other brands, and I swear by them. If I have to buy generics my 2 toddler girls end up with wet beds. Luvs work like a charm.

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D.S.

answers from Phoenix on

E., depending on how much it bothers you, you may want to consider waking up during the night to change her. I wake up frequently during the night and if I know my son has had a lot to drink at the end of the day, I go and change him. He does not wake up, so it is better for both of us. The other thing I do is I buy Always maxipads and put one across the top front of the diaper to help absorb the extra urine. I read it in parenting magazine a while ago and it seems to help. Good luck!

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T.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I had the same problem with my son when he was younger. We used Huggies for him because they seemed to work the best. At night time I would put his regular sized diaper on him and then the next larger size over the top. Because he wet more in the front, I would make sure the lip of the larger diaper was higher in the front.

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L.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I see you have received many responses, I don't have time to read through them. If someone has already mentioned this, I appologize. Try using diapers that are one size bigger at night. The bigger diapers hold more. It worked fur us. Good luck.

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A.O.

answers from Phoenix on

Have you tried the Huggies Night Time Diapers? My son wears those and sleeps 12 hours a night and we have no issue. They are a little more expensive but worth it to not have him sleeping in pee and me not having to wash all his bedding daily.

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K.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi, E. -
Don't have any idea what type diaper you're using, but we had this problem with every diaper except Pampers Swaddlers and Pampers cruisers. Also the diaper sizes overlap weight-wise, so you might go ahead and go up a size for nighttime.
Good luck!

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E.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

I have a 4 year old and a two year old. I remember soaked diapers as well. In fact my youngest is not yet potty trained so sometimes we still find her pretty wet. What I do if I know she will be wet is change her diaper while she is asleep. All babies go through a deeper stage of sleep. Although she is a very light sleeper overall, many times I have gone in to her room and changed her diaper in her sleep when I know she is not easily awakened. If I see her awakening in my attempt, I can go back a little later. Maybe you could go in and change her diaper before going to sleep yourself at night, if the diaper is already wet. Good luck!

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J.F.

answers from Phoenix on

I agree with the others, change brands and put on 1 size bigger at bedtime. I have 4 kids and LOVE Kirkland (costco brand) diapers. I had the same issue and when I started using 1 size bigger at night, the problem was solved.

Good Luck and Happy Sleeping!

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S.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Are you using the "Supreme" version in your brand? We use Huggies Supremes at night and have found that they hold a considerable amount of urine compared to the standard Huggies. Most diaper brands will offer a cheaper version and a more expensive one...and, in terms of pee containment, sometimes you get what you pay for. ;-)

Also, the nicer diapers will keep the moisture away from your baby's skin more effectively, which will reduce discomfort and rashes. Honestly, just give the Huggies Supremes a shot and see how you like them. We used Pampers for our first baby and they leaked like a sieve...

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E.H.

answers from Flagstaff on

My daughter kept waking up sopping wet in the morning too. We finally resorted to Huggies Overnights but then when we went for them last time they were out so we got the Pampers Extra Protection. Both are great for overnight and long road trips etc. I personally think I prefer the Huggies but they both really work just as well as the other so it's more of a brand preference I think. In time when they're diet isn't as liquid they tend not to have as much trouble with it and you won't have to buy the extra diapers. Hope this helps and wasn't too repetitive of other responses. Good luck and God bless.

P.S. A plus to them is you only use one a day... well a night, so one package can last you for quite some time.

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K.M.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hello.
You have several alternatives to try here. Hopefully one of them will work.

I also found diaper inserts at Albertsons. This is an additional piece of padding that you put inside her regular diaper to provide additional absorption. They worked well for me.

Good luck.

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L.E.

answers from Phoenix on

Huggies makes a nighttime diaper. It works great.

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K.L.

answers from Tucson on

what worked for us was...Huggies makes a night-time diaper that is much more absorbant for just this problem! it worked great for us! not sure which brand you currently use but Huggies are a bit on the expensive side although the pack does last a long time since you generally only use one a night! We also used them for long car trips! Good luck!

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A.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I have the same advice as the other ladies. I thought we were doomed when our 6 month old started sleeping that same shift and then we switched the brand....and voila! No more soggy mess! Our favorites are the Target brand (who knew right?!) and the Huggies Snug & Dry. The Huggies Snugglers leaked, no luck with Pampers/Luvs or Walmart's Parent Choice brand. Another one that we really liked but they don't seem to make anymore is White Cloud. Hopefully this helps! I know what a pain it is to wake up to that mess.

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C.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Huggies sells a night time diaper. You can also try using a Poise inside the diaper. OR you can put a pull up over the diaper. A bamboo cover is an option as well. The kind they use for cloth diapers. Good luck!!

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R.O.

answers from Tucson on

They make "nightime" disposables that are more absorbent. Huggies makes one called "GoodNites" and Fisher Price now has one on the market but its only sold at Babies R us. Works like a charm for us!

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