Nappies on boys - am I missing something?

[DitaVonCheese]

DS is 11 weeks. I am finding any nappy I put on him (disposable or cloth) is leaking within a couple of hours just because all the pee is coming from one place and the nappy can't cope. This isn't too much of a problem during the day because I just change him a lot (we are ECing anyway) but we are routinely waking up first thing in the morning with a soaking babygro/sheet (we cosleep), usually on one side where he's being lying sideways to nurse. This morning I had to change nappy + clothes at 6.30 but the back of the nappy was completely dry. So frustrating. Am I missing something? The lack of boy-specific nappies suggests that everyone else is doing this differently

Think I might try him in an old Bumble stuffed to the max at the front tonight (haven't tried cloth at night yet just because it didn't work for my daughter) but any suggestions gratefully received!

Simply go up a size at night time. Also you may find certain brands suit your baby better than others. We're a huggies family but only pampers at night.

There will be some people along in a mo regarding supermarket own brands which are fab too.

Hmm. I found that DS managed to flood every cloth nappy i put on him within an hour, no matter how much i padded it.

Sounds silly, but do you make sure his penis is pointing down when you put the nappy on? I found it helped to direct the flow! :)

If they are too big or over-stuffed then there will be gaps that allow the wee out, iyswim. The nappy should be pretty snug without actually causing red marks around the legs.

You are pointing his penis down when you put the nappy on, aren't you?

What size are you using?. Also are you doing it up tight enough at the top? Mine never leaked. I swore by Pampers.

You need something to hold the wee while it is being absorbed - a folded microfibre cloth is good as theres a lot of surface area.

What wrap are you using with cloth ? I found airflows brilliant - the bigger the better as you don't want them tight

i used cloth during the day fine on DS, and Moltex at night - v absorbent, lasted all night.

Point. Willy. Down. - that's the trick.

Oh yes, definitely make sure it is pointing in the right direction! DS1 regularly managed to wee down his leg and soak his clothes whilst leaving the nappy bone dry until we worked that one out!

I used pampers at night with DS1 and they were fine - looked like he was sitting in a bowling ball in the morning but rarely leaked.

With DS2 and now DS3 I use cloth - they have bamboo nappies at night (with a booster for DS2 as well) and then we use either a fleece wrap or wool shorties. These are much better imo as they allow the wee to evaporate through, so the nappy itself holds less liquid. I have never, ever, had a leak with wool in the 2 1/2 years we have used it, and rarely with the fleece.

I would recommend cloth for nights, with wool wraps if possible, with a booster or 2 added at the front and his willy pointed down. If you have bamboo or hemp nappies then even better as they are very absorbant.

Failing that, sleep on a towel!

Go up a size. I used to find disposables only leaked when I'd got DS in too small a nappy.

Also, what are you stuffing cloth with? With DS at night I had something that held lots of liquid but was slow to absorb (e.g. hemp) as a core and something that didn't hold as much but absorbed quickly (e.g. microfleece) as a layer around that to soak up liquid quickly -- if I just used hemp then we'd get leaks because it couldn't cope with the urine quickly enough even though it was easily absorbent enough to cope IYSWIM.

Yes! Just make sure his willy is pointing downwards.

Its just a case of finding the right one. We swapped brands all the time to get a good fit and absorbency. Another thing is to make sure that you position his willy in the middle when you do the nappy up - it probably wont stay there , but it might help!

Yes to Tonk's suggestion of making sure the willy points down.

Some children are heavy wetters, not much youcan do about it and 2 hours for a cloth nappy is fairly reasonable especially with a heavy wetter.

Make sure clothes are nice and loose, when using cloth vests can sometimes be a little tight and press on the nappy around the legs, effectively wringing the nappy out a bit so making it leak. Vests from www.welovefrugi.co.uk are a worthwhile investment.

While you don't get gender specific nappies, most cloth nappies will have different suggestions for folding the booster for boys and girls. With boys you do tend to fold the booster towards teh front. SLeeping onteh side to nurse is a pain inthe arse though . What do you use as a liner? Is the wee running off it rather than soaking through? In theory if the wee is soaking in then the nappy as a whole will absorb it, if you are getting leaks but still have dry bits then perhaps it isn't soaking in quickly enough. Don't forget though that if he is in one position for a long time then you will get the compression effect. A cloth nappy is just cloth after all, if you squeeze a wet cloth then it will come out.

Try going up a size and adding boosting and stick a wrap on top even if it is a nappy that doesn't need one. Motherease wraps are pretty much bomb proof.

Willy down and go up a size. I found the weight guides weren't reliable as DS was a very fat baby so usually go up a size more than the weight would suggest.

With disposables, are you making sure the cuff is untucked around the legs? I know if I forget to do this I'll have a damp child.

Wow, thanks for all the replies :)

We already sleep on a towel! Mainly because he pukes quite a lot too, but also helps with leaks (though this morning leaked right through it).

I do untuck the cuffs on 'sposies. I have to admit I don't specifically direct his willy as a rule: I'm not sure whether DS is particularly um petite but whenever I have done it doesn't seem very pointable iyswim. Perhaps I should start taping the damn thing down.

Clothwise we are mainly in BumGeniuses with the booster folded over and the thicker bit at the front, which works pretty well but might not do a full night. Otherwise have a handful of pretty pockets eg Issy, Neppula, Upsy Daisy, but generally there isn't room to double the booster over. With those I often use homemade bamboo/microfibre boosters.

Don't have any fleece wraps his size but could make a soaker pretty easily - had been thinking about that. Do have some ME wraps spomewhere, also a Thirsties Duo so will try that.

Size-wise, he's already in a size 4! If we go up again he can share with his 3 yo sister Maybe they are too big, but he is within the weight guidelines, just (15lbs last time he was weighed a couple of weeks ago).

Oh yes, not wearing vests atm but do have some Frugi ones that will hopefully see us through winter :)

my DS does a lot of weeing, and is now 11 months, he sleeps in the region of 12 hours a night, and we use Pampers Babydry and have never had one problem with leaking nappies. Always point the willy down, always make sure the ruffs aren't tucked in, and always make sure its a good fit. We used size 3 for months, then size 4 for 1 month, and been on size 4+ for about the last 3-4 weeks. Just because they are the right weight to move up a size doesn't mean they need to, there is a big crossover between sizes. We just make sure it is a tight fit, and as long as it is comfy and not cutting into his legs, it is fine.

You may need to do some experimenting with his willy, then. As it were...

My DS is a heavy wetter and won't tolerate a wet nappy. We are in Wonderoos, they can take two inserts and wick very effectively. Willy pointing may not work; willies can pee in any random direction. I know this because DS was mid change and needed to pee, so I pointed his willy at the still in place but unfastened nappy he was lying on. He peed at 90 degrees, a direct bed and mum hit. Told DP - he said, "That's because it's a willy you were trying to direct. They're crap."

Thanks again for all the replies.

Last night I put him in a disposable at midnight, checked willy direction and had a damp baby by 4.30 am I think it must be because he spends quite a lot of time on his side nursing so it just falls out of the leg hole rather than having a chance to soak into the nappy.

Tonight I'm trying a random wrap-less Bumgenius I picked up at a NNS a while ago and was intrigued by with a Thirsties wrap over the top, to see if using a two-parter works any better for us. Otherwise I'm thinking of trying a disposable with a booster and then wrap over the top

Yes, I'd have suggested a two-parter instead.

I have this problem with my 21 m.o. DS when I use pocket nappies - he just wees straight out of the leg hole if he happens to be in an unusual position eg lying on my lap to nurse.

With two-parters it seems to be fine. We used Motherease one-size with a motherease wrap which worked for ages till he outgrew them.

I recommend a 2 parter as well. I used Tots Bots with a nippa which allowed a good fit, and they kind of have an extra pad bit (technical) that you can fold in front for boys, and we used Motherease wraps on top. As long as there is no nappy poking from under the wrap, you'll get no leaks. I was really impressed, having been a bit intimidated by cloth befoer I tried it. Veyr simple and more effective fro us that disposables.

My DS (5mo) is exactly the same. Always wet from hip to armpit on the side he's lying on by early hours of the morning, in every disposable we tried for the last couple of months, even size 4s, and like you the back of the nappy was totally dry. And yes I do point his willy down!!!

I can really recommend a two part cloth nappy because you have absorbency at every angle IYSWIM - there's only soaking power in the midline with disposables or pocket nappies, whereas the shaped nappies soak up fluid on the sides as well. Check out the nappies thread under "products" on here for more tips.

PS I stick a polyester fleece blanket on the bed over towel/waterproof sheet so even if there are leaks I don't have to lie on any wet patches since it wicks away moisture :)

I wrote a reply earlier but not sure where it's gone

at your "extra pad bit" fuckity

He did soak through last night, but not until half seven and not enough to soak the sheets (we're staying at DMIL's and I had brought a towel to sleep on, but DD peed on it on the way down ) so I'm counting that a success. I have some Huggles at home somewhere so will dig them out and give them a go, though I think they might be huge on DS - think DD wore them (briefly) at around 18 months.

Fleece over towel in bed is a fab idea, thanks!

ds1 leaked through every bumgenius i put him in untill he was a few months old.
i've given up on cloth at night for all 3 of mine after 3yrs trial and error and use naturebabies or huggies.

am using more 2 parters now as well and much happier with them - motherease and tots bots.