Most parents know that getting a baby to sleep is no easy task, so waking up to your baby crying in their crib can be quite exhausting. There are many reasons a baby could be fussy at night. A baby’s cries in the middle of the night can range from hunger, habits, want for attention or allergies and discomfort. If your newborn is experiencing diaper leaks at night, you can absolutely add it to the list of reasons why a baby could be fussy at night. And rightly so, your little one will have reason to be cranky and overtired if they wake up to wet and cold clothes or sheets.
Brand new babies have very small bladders and pee all day and all night. Newborns will pee on reflex even if there is little accumulation of urine and they will not make a distinction between day or night. Diaper leakages are common in any newborn, causing parents to take on the constant cries and fussiness of their child until they can soothe them back to sleep. As your baby grows, their bladder capacity will increase, the nervous system will become more developed, and pee volumes during sleep will start decreasing.
That’s not to say older babies and toddlers won’t experience diaper leakage at night. Until your infant has become fully continent, nighttime pees and leakage possibilities are a concern for all parents, as it disrupts everyone’s sleep patterns.
While there are many users that swear by a variety of homemade remedies, we believe in the proper use and design of diapers to withhold urine. We’ve seen parenting blogs that advocate “doubling” diapers at night. That seems too expensive! Diapers are designed with a lot of specifications and when you place a diaper above it, it does not allow the other diaper to perform as needed. That just seems like an expensive way to dubiously prevent diaper leakage.
Others advocate using menstrual products such as maxi pads and stuff that into the diaper right before their baby’s bedtime. This method will not allow the diaper core to perform its job properly as diapers are designed to wick liquid that arrives at the target location. If liquid arrives trickling in from the sides of the pad, the diaper won’t be able to perform the way it was designed to. Maxi pads are intended for menstrual fluids which have a different level of viscosity than urine and are therefore not designed to be super absorbent. That’s why menstrual products should not be used for light incontinence – but that’s a different story!
If you have a baby that keeps leaking through the diaper at night, we hope to restore your faith in diapers before you succumb to your home parenting remedies.
Diaper leaking at night prevention tips:
Size Up
If the leakage happens along the stomach area you might want to size up. When babies fall asleep on their bellies, (and especially when baby boys do), pee will run up toward their bellies. If the diaper is too small, the absorbent core won’t be long enough to stop the urine before it reaches the stomach waist area. You can try sizing up one or even two sizes, as the longer absorbent core will help contain the leak.
Diapers increase absorbent capacity as you increase diaper size. It might be best to use their correct diaper size by weight during the day when there will be more diaper changes. However, if your kiddo will pees a lot during the night it will make more sense to size up specifically for nighttime use in hopes of keeping your little one asleep.
Consider Diaper Type
The type of diaper you use will affect how much urine it can hold. Cloth diapers hold less urine so if your family uses cloth diapers it might be best for you to switch to high absorbent disposables diaper during your bedtime routine (especially if you are experiencing leaks or baby crying due to wet discomfort).
Limit Fluid intake in Toddlers
Urine output is directly dependent on liquid intake. While it is never recommended to limit feedings for newborns and young babies, some parents find that limiting toddler’s liquid intake to two or three hours before their baby’s bedtime can help reduce nighttime accidents. This will be dependent on habits – tread with caution! And never ever withhold a feeding from a young infant to prevent diaper leaks.
Try Diaper Pants
As babies and toddlers ingest or digest food their bellies will expand or shrink in waist circumference. This means that a diaper that fits just right after feeding will be a bit loose after digestion. A bad fit will always be trouble for urine containment. If you are experiencing diaper leaks due to fit, try diaper pants. The waist elastic is made to have adjusted snug fit regardless of belly expansions.
If your baby is constantly waking up to leaky diapers, try our tips to see if you can bring an end to their fussiness to keep them calm and asleep all night. If you have tried these tips and nothing is working, you might have a unique case in your hands. The good thing is that as your child grows, pee volumes will decrease with time and eventually become fully continent. In the meantime, you might want to try double layers of waterproof pads and sheets on the bed so as to remove the first layer of sheets if you run into a nighttime accident in the crib.