How To Prevent Diaper Blowouts - 6 Simple Tips

Whether you’re using disposable diapers or cloth diapers, a blowout is bound to happen. It’s an inevitable, messy and downright disgusting part of parenthood!

So, how can you prevent diaper blowouts? Luckily, there are a few things that can help prevent these blowout diapers from happening.

As a mom to three kids, I’m no stranger to diaper blowouts. These are some helpful tips that I’ve learned along the way when dealing with messy diaper explosions.

how to prevent diaper blowouts 6 simple tips

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First, what is a diaper blowout?

We affectionately refer to these as a “poop-nado” in our house. A diaper blowout is when baby’s poop leaks through the legs of the diaper, up their back, and well, there is poop everywhere! It’s basically a poop explosion.

These poop explosions can ruin baby’s clothes, the car seat, and can end up all over everything before you know it. As a new parent, I was shocked at how often I was having diaper leaks! I learned fast and starting figuring out how I could keep baby poop inside the diaper.

However, even if you follow all of these to a T, sometimes baby’s just blowout! But these practical tips will help prevent diaper blowouts.

Common reason for diaper blowouts

It happens to every parent and child at some point. Here are some common reasons your baby may have a diaper blowout:

Your baby is not wearing the right diaper size. You want to make sure baby’s diaper fits snug against their waste and legs.
Your baby has tried new food or is starting solid food. The consistency and frequency of their stool may be different.
The diaper is not on correctly. The diaper cuffs should be pulled out on their leg, and it should be laying flat against their back.
You need a more absorbent diaper. You need to choose a diaper that has enough absorbent material or add a diaper extender pad.

How to prevent a baby diaper blowout

Make sure you are using the right size diaper

The first thing you should see is if your baby’s diaper fits properly!

Using the wrong diaper size can cause diaper blowouts. Every diaper company has a size guide based on baby’s weight. The weight range for diaper sizes is very big since it doesn’t account for baby’s height or build. Your baby likely falls between two sizes. So how do you know what the right size diaper is?

Choose the diaper size that fits snug around baby’s legs and is not loose around their waist. You should be able to fit one finger between the back of the diaper and baby’s skin.

You may have to try different sizes to find the right fit. Baby’s diaper fits properly the top of the diaper hugs their waist around their belly button, and is snug around their thighs.

A diaper that is too small won’t extend high enough up baby’s back, so you’re more likely to have a blowout up the back. A diaper that is too large will have more leg blowouts as well as blowouts up the back.

Make sure the diaper is on properly

Diapers should lay around baby’s belly button. Make sure the wings in the legs are pulled out, this keeps the diaper from giving your baby an adorable little wedgie.

Make sure the back of the diaper is not tucked under and is laying flat and a snug fit against baby’s skin. This will help prevent the blowout from going up baby’s back.

Use a quality diaper

Diapers can be very expensive and it can be tempting to cut costs by choosing a cheaper diaper. If your baby is prone to poop explosions, you may want to use diapers that are higher quality.

There are so many different diaper brands, and what works for my family may not work for yours. I have had the best luck with Huggies diapers. Their baby diapers tend to have the most absorbent core and leak less than other brands I have tried.

If you have an active baby, you are going to want to use a diaper that is meant for movement. Huggies Little Movers have different diaper leg cuffs that prevent poop from leaking down the baby’s leg – in my opinion they are the best diapers. There is also a little pocket in the back of the diaper that acts as a baby blowout blocker.

There are other good brands out there, but Huggies seem to have the best fit with my active babies. Try a few different brands to see what fits best with your baby’s body.

I also recommend using an overnight diaper at bedtime. They are more absorbent and are meant for longer times between diaper changes. Click here to read my review of overnight diapers.

Change your child’s diaper as soon as it gets dirty

This might seem like common sense, but a dirty diaper is more likely to leak. Make sure you are changing a messy diaper quickly. Not only does this prevent diaper rash, but it will also prevent diaper blowouts. Even if it’s just urine, a full diaper can’t hold much poop.

Put a cloth diaper cover over a regular diaper

You can grab some super cheap cloth diaper covers on Amazon to help prevent both urine and stool from leaking out of the diaper. This is especially helpful if baby blowouts at night are an issue.

I’ve also had friends suggest putting a diaper in the next size up over the baby’s regular diaper. It’s not something I’ve ever tried, but it seems to work for others.

put a cloth diaper over a regular diaper to help prevent diaper blowout

Try diaper booster pads

Sposie diaper booster pads are one of my favorite ways to make diapers more absorbent. These are my go-to for nighttime, along with good overnight diapers for stopping a middle of the night poop explosion.

They just stick inside of the diaper and act as an extra layer of protection. It’s a little extra cost, but it can help save your baby’s clothes. The diaper extender pad lays right in the bottom of a fresh diaper and provides extra leak protection.

Other practical tips

Keep a bin of extras in the car

This is one of my favorite mom hacks. I always keep a bin in my car of “extras” so I don’t clutter up my diaper bag.

I go into more detail here about my car bins, but if your baby is prone to frequent blowouts, keep an extra set of clothes, extra diapers and wipes in your vehicle.

car bin essential items for baby for the car — This is the bin that sits in my car – it has all the essentials and backup items I might need when out with my kids.

It’s also a good idea to keep an extra outfit in your diaper bag, but also keep backups in your car. You don’t want to run out of baby wipes, diapers, or a change of clothes in a poop emergency. I’m always tankful for the spare clothes when I’m graced with a huge diaper blowout.

Keep doggy bags on hand

I bought a large pack of doggy bags for about $4 that has carried me through all of my kids’ poop disasters. I keep a roll in my diaper bag and one in my car bin. A plastic bag also works, but the doggy bags are more compact that what you get at the grocery store.

Don’t let the stain sit

I immediately run their clothes under warm water if I’m out and hit them with stain remover as soon as I get home. Make sure you are getting them into the washing machine as soon as possible!

I think OxiClean baby stain remover works the best for diaper blowout stains. If the stain has set in, I let it sit in a bin of cold water with powder OxiClean for a few days. The stain comes right out!

If you have other helpful tips for preventing diaper blowouts, let me know in the comments below! Parent-to-parent, we should all share our secrets!