How to Deal with Leaks

 Leaking is everybody’s worst nightmare. Leaks suck and diapers can fail in a lot of different ways. I’m here to tell you what to look out for so you can recognize the signs and prevent a catastrophe from happening.

I’ve seen diapers leak from pinholes in the plastic to boosters standing too tall above leakguards. I’ve experienced leaks in all positions and in many situations. Leaks may make your bladder shut on its own and keep you from peeing which will hurt your training progress. You shouldn’t ever let your diaper get so wet and soggy that your bladder keeps you from peeing. I’ve always changed around 80% of usable capacity left so that I could always have a small emergency backup of padding just in case. This also keeps me flowing because I have peace of mind that I’m not going to leak.

I’ve always recommended that you test your diapers fully and intentionally make them leak while at home so that you can learn to recognize the signs of a potential leak in the future. This way you’ll feel exactly what it’s like when a certain diaper is on the verge of leaking and how it feels when it leaks. Some diapers are better than others when it comes to retaining urine when compressed, so please test for that when you’re putting each diaper through its paces. Once you learn what the diaper feels like when it leaks, try your best to remember the sensations and the amount of squish between your legs so that in the future when you feel yourself nearing that same level of squish, you’ll do your best to change as soon as possible.

Leaks at home are easy to handle. Just sit on an absorbent pad wherever you sit; same goes for your bed. I recommend the massive Kanech underpad from Amazon for your bed. It’s 44x52 inches and it is absolutely the best way to help keep leaks manageable. You can use washable underpads for your chairs, couches, and other seats around the house, too. You should even consider putting one in your car on the driver’s seat.

Leaks in public are the worst. They put you in a difficult situation and make you reactive instead of being proactive. You need to carry certain supplies in your diaper bag to help handle these kinds of leaks. This includes an entire change of clothes, fresh diapers, powder, scented trash bags, and baby wipes. You could also include a spare pair of plastic panties if you’d like extra protection. I recommend NorthShoreCare’s Trifecta plastic panties. Yes, they are expensive but they are so totally worth every penny. They are soft, breathable, and contain odors very well. If I had to mess in public, I wouldn’t do it without a pair of these.

If you do end up leaking in public, I recommend finding the fastest route to change your diaper. Wearing dark bottoms will help hide a leak better than light-colored clothes. If anyone asks about your wet clothes, you can easily laugh and say that you sat down on a wet chair or something similar. Remember that confidence is key. The best way to go about this is to make an excuse that will preserve your dignity. Once you’re able to find a place to change your diaper, waste no time in disposing of that diaper, changing your clothes, and getting into a better diaper. If you’re unable to find a restroom to change, try changing in your car. It can be done with a big towel to keep your privates private. Try to find a secluded part of the parking lot to change or drive home to change.

Once you get back home, I want you to think about how things went wrong and how you can avoid such situations in the future. Remember the events that led you to this point. Were there any opportunities at all that would have allowed you to change your diaper earlier? Could you have pushed something off to take a five minute break to change in the bathroom? Leaking = failure, especially if you let yourself get so wet and soggy to leak. If you leaked due to no fault of your own, that does not = failure.