Diaper Blowout
A parent walks into their babies nursery to start the day and oh no! Your baby has had a diaper blowout! What do you do? The baby is covered in poop, as is the crib and blanket. The room smells and you have a major clean up to do! Diaper blow outs are common. However, the clean ups are long and we always want baby to be warm and comfortable through out the day. Let’s learn more about diaper blow outs and how to stop them.
What Is A Diaper Blowout?
A diaper blow out is when a baby poops and it has gone out of the diaper. It may be up your babies back, on their neck, in their hair/ on their head. It could have stained or ruined their clothes, the place where they were sleeping, sheets and blankets. Babies do have a lot of relief after a diaper blowout. However, they will usually not like being in mess and it will require an immediate clean up.
Diaper blowouts are not an indication that your child is sick or you or your child have done something wrong. Generally, diaper blow outs happen to infants and young babies.
Why Do Diaper Blow Outs Happen
Diaper blowouts can never happen (you may be spared the wrath of a blowout! However, baby diaper blowouts can happen as often as multiple times a day. It depends on the baby and the day!
Something may of disagreed with your babies stomach, they may have tried a new food, increased their milk supply or the body just caused a backfire. Whatever the case may be, it can be messy and stinky.
There is a co-relation between the ending of meconium and your babies blowout. When the tar like poop has stopped and your babies body starts producing regular infant poop, many blowouts can happen. The body is getting used to absorbing nutrients and getting rid of access nutrients it does not need.
Are diaper blow outs normal?
Even though they are messy, stinky and unpredictable, diaper blow outs are completely normal. Most babies have them. Whether it happens multiple times a day, once in your babies life or not at all, it is hard to predict when they are coming, but you definitely will know when a blowout arrives! However many diaper blowouts your baby has, it is normal to experience them during a babies infancy and the first few months of life.
Whether you have a cloth diaper or a plastic diaper, diaper blowouts happen!
Why Diapers Leak
Diaper leaks are the cause of blowouts. Why do they happen? Some simple tricks and tips can help you see why a diaper leaks and how to stop diaper leakage.
Your Child Is Chafing
Ouch! A chafe can hurt. The red marks can be seen between the legs, near the buttocks or along the waist of the baby. Why is this happening and what does it have to do with diaper leakage? Chafing could be a sign that the babies diaper is too small for the baby. Check the weight restrictions of the diaper and see if you can move your child up a diaper size. Smaller diapers with bigger poops can lead to a poo explosion, causing a blowout. Ensuring the diaper size is in tact and your child’s skin is healthy is important.
Low Quality Diaper
If your child is in the right diaper size but still chafes, the diaper falls off even though it is secured properly and the diaper is always heavy and wet, consider changing diaper brands. What we have learned through experience is that one diaper brand may be great for one family and be bad for another. Firstly, research other diaper brands online. What are the majority of parents saying is the best diaper for them? Secondly, is your baby wriggly and always on the move or more stationary? These tips can help you choose a more suitable diaper.
Diapers leak for many reasons. To avoid the blowouts as much as possible, we have to stop the leaks.
How Do You Prevent Diaper Blowouts
These stinky poops are unpredictable, messy and smelly but are there ways to prevent some diaper blowouts. Let’s dive in so you can avoid your poor baby being covered in poop and potentially losing outfits, crib sheets and more. This will also help for those babies who are doing constant diaper blowouts. Here is how you avoid diaper blowouts.
Choose A Well Made Diaper
Though we love a good deal, always make sure you buy a high quality diaper or cloth diaper. The extra expense will actually save in the end. Firstly, your baby will be in comfort which is priceless. Secondly, the items you will save from being pooped on ends up saving you money in the end. Lastly, high quality also allows your baby to make movements, so they are able to keep moving the way they want, without risking a spillage.
Make Sure Diaper Is Secured Properly
This simple task can save you from a diaper blowout. Make sure to read the diaper box for step by step instructions. Even the simplest adjustment can be the difference between a diaper blowout and just a regular bowel movement.
Make sure both tabs meet neatly in the middle of the diaper when securing the diaper around your babies waist. As long as it is comfortable and not too tight, a baby will be able to have a bowel movement without worrying about a frontal leakage or worse, going up the babies back.
If You Notice Poop Is Always Filling The Diaper, Consider Going Up A Size
During times that there is no blowout, do you notice that the diaper is almost completely full of poop? If this is the case, consider going up a size in diapers. With a bigger size, baby will have more space to make a bowel movement and you do not have to worry about weight or extra spillage.
Adjust Leg Ruffles Of Diapers
Sometimes the leg ruffles are not adjusted properly. This leads to poop leg leakage. This can be messy and uncomfortable for baby and also permanently stain onesies, pajamas pants and/or even socks. If you simply adjust the leg ruffles of diapers that they are not tucked into the bum of the diaper or the leg, you could save yourself one messy blowout.
Choose Nighttime Diapers
The makers of nighttime diapers have a goal, to keep your child feeling clean during the entire night. Nighttime diapers are more durable, absorbent and ready for any surprise blowouts. Investing in a strong nighttime diaper may help your baby stay more clean during a diaper blowout. The diaper may catch the poop and stop any type of blowout. This will keep your baby clean and save their clothes and crib sheets.
Be Sure to Change Diapers Regularly
Sometimes, when a diaper is too heavy with poop and pee, it leaks. We have to make sure that we are changing a diaper once the baby goes to the bathroom. It can be hard to see the signs that a baby has gone to the bathroom, but a simple check will suffice. If you are change a newborns diaper every few hours, you are less likely to get a full diaper and leakage.
These are some helpful tips that don’t take much time but can save you from a huge clean up. Most importantly, they can save your baby from a messy situation.
Diaper Blow Out Basics
Diaper blow outs can have your head spinning! You have a baby covered in poo, a crib that is a mess and clothes that are covered in waste. If you clean the baby first, you may have nowhere to put them until you clean up the rest of the mess. You can’t leave your messy child waiting while you clean up the rest of the mess. What do you do during a diaper blowout? Here are the diaper blow out basics. This is a step by step guide during those messy situations.
You discover your baby is in their crib and its the worst type of diaper blowout. The baby is covered in poo from the tip of their toes to the middle of their head. The clothes are covered, as is the crib. What can you do?
What To Do After A Diaper Blowout
A diaper blowout can have you going in so many different directions at once! It can be a chaotic situation but don’t frustrate yourself with doing everything at once. Here is a step by step Diaper Blowout Basics plan to help you stay calm and cool under pressure.
Step One- Clean Your Baby
Firstly, take the child’s clothes off and put the messy clothes in a laundry room sink. Worry about this later. Take the child and wipe them off with baby wipes and then prepare a warm bath. Focus on the child first, the mess can wait. After you have soaped and cleaned your child, put a new clean diaper on, new clothes and follow the rules to ensure the diaper is secure to avoid another blowout. Lastly, it is time to put them in a safe spot. Open the bedroom window if you can to air the smell out. Alternatively, you can turn on a fan.
Step Two- Choose A Clean and Safe Temporary Spot For Your Baby
If your baby is awake or falling asleep again, put them in a sling so you can work while your baby tries to rest. You want to make sure your baby is in a safe spot close to you so you can be there if they need you again.
Step Three-Wash Affected Clothes, Crib Sheets etc
Bring the clothes, crib sheets and anything else that was hit by the diaper blow out into the laundry room sink. Wash out any mess and clean the sink afterwards. Put in the laundry alone without any other clothes for a cleaning cycle. Once the clothes are dry, see if the stains got out. If not, assess if the clothes are still safe to wear or are they too stained.
Step Four- Put New Crib Sheets On
Lastly, putting new crib sheets on will help you finish this job. Place your baby back in the safe, clean crib. You have survived a diaper explosion! Now its time to get back to what you were doing or get back to sleep.
After A Blowout
There are some steps to do after a blowout. Your babies skin has touched poop which is smelly, gross, acidic at times and so much more. Here are some steps to take care of baby after a blowout.
MUST READ- Older Kids in Diapers
Protect Babies Skin
Remember to wash your baby immediately with wipes (to get any solids off of them) and then give them a nice bath so they feel nice and clean again. Lastly, remember to lotion your baby with safe lotions. This gives your babies skin the soft feel and extra layer of goodness.
Clean The Clothes Immediately
In order to save the babies clothes, you are going to have to clean them immediately. Poop stains can sometimes last forever,which means you may have to get rid of the outfit.
How To Save Baby Clothes From A Diaper Blow Out
Your baby is all clean but you don’t want your baby to keep losing their clothes thanks to a diaper blowout. Here are some ways to save baby clothes from a smelly, dirty diaper accident.
Firstly, gather up all of the clothes and soak them in your laundry sink for at least 20 minutes in warm water. Use some mild detergent. Scrub the stains. Has the stain lifted? If so, its time to ring out the wet and get ready to put clothes in the dryer.
If the stain remains, you cannot let the stain dry. Get some safe baby stain remover and re-wash the clothes. The stains should come out. Once the stains are out, hang dry the clothes or put them in the dryer.
Diaper Blowout
Diaper blowouts are normal with infants and babies. It could happen because a change in their diet or when the tar like poop stops and regular infant poop begins. Sometimes, its a “just because.” We have top tips that can prevent some diaper blowouts and a step by step guide on how to handle a blowout. For all parents, you can do this!
More Must Read Diaper Posts
If you learned a lot about diaper blowouts, you have to check out these other diaper posts that are so important.
If you have been curious about cloth diapers but too afraid to make the leap into cloth diapering, check out our cloth diapering made easy post.
Different Styles of Cloth Diapers
Learn more about the many different styles of cloth diapers and which ones are the best for you.
These are just a few of the many diaper posts we have. Be sure to keep checking back with us so we can continue to show you the most up to date and expert information on all things diapers!
