Trouble Shooting Topics:

My diapers/trainers are new/almost new, but they are leaking, is this normal?:

If you are using a product that has hemp in it, or using a pocket diaper or trainer with a hemp insert, the hemp inserts will not reach their full absorbency until they have been boiled (only boil the HEMP/BKT inserts, not any AIO Diapers or any trainer) and then washed in hot and dried on high at least 5 - 8 times as this removes the natural oils in them that prevent absorption (like water off a ducks back).

You can check out my Washing Instructions Page for my Hemp Inserts. If you are using an AIO Diaper, Cotton Trainer, or AIO Trainers, it will take about 8 - 10 wash/dry cycles to reach their maximum absorption.

My diapers/trainers were working fine, but now they are leaking, what happened?:

This would also apply to products you have purchased used and are leaking.

One disclaimer - some of our pocket diapers were made with 100% cotton PUL - these do leak easily and there's nothing that can be done to prevent that.

We explained on the website that this was the case when we sold them so we can not be held liable for this problem.

If, however you have used these products for a while (or purchased them used), they are made of solid color PUL or 100% polyester PUL, and they were working great, but are now leaking, you are dealing with build up problems or insufficient absorbency issues.

The first thing to do is to test to see where the problem lies!

Using a bulb syringe or turkey baster, squirt water into the diaper or trainer to similate your child wetting the diaper/trainer (be sure to put your insert into the diaper/trainer if it is a pocket diaper/trainer).

If the water absorbs quickly through the fabric and into the insert, then you are having an .

If the water beads up on top of the inside fabric, you are dealing with a repelling issue in the diaper/trainer inner fabric.

If the water absorbs through the fabric, but also pools on the fabric (not soaking into the insert), then you are having a .

Here' are the remedies for each of those situations:

It's not a repelling issue, now what?

First of all, make sure the fit is right - an gaps at the legs/tummy/back can lead to leaks as it allows the wetness to leak out before the isert can soak it up! So move your babies legs around and see if it gaps at all, if so this might be your problem.

More likely, your insert is insufficient for the job. Babies and children grow, and so do their bladder and their ability to hold in it. This can mean that an insert that has worked great, is now not up to the job!

This is very common with microfiber towels/inserts. This can also happen with prefolds - even good ones! Heavy wetters can easily outwet these either by wetting too fast (causing liquid to run off the insert and pool at the sides of the diaper/trainer causing the wetness to seep out the seams) or by over wetting them (causing it to not be absorbed or to be initially absorbed, but then to get compressed out when the child sits down or lays in one place while sleeping.

The solution to this problem is to get some better inserts, of course! If you are using microfiber towels, then prefolds might do the job for you, but they are bulky.

If you are using microfiber towels and don't want bulky inserts, then try one of our Hemp/BKT inserts - the light inserts and contours will be more absorbent than the microfiber towels and probably trimmer!

If you are using prefolds, then I recommend you try out daytime or night time inserts as these are more absorbent and hold wetness better than prefolds.

Another possible solution is to add something to the insert you are using - our contour and light inserts are great for this! You can also use a size small for this if you are using a medium or larger diaper or a trainer - place the small insert exactly where they wet and it can really make a difference!

For Really heavy night time wetters, we have found the following combination to be foolproof:

Night Time Hemp/BKT Sherpa/Velour Cotton Pocket Diaper nylon, fleece or wool cover. The sherpa/velour cotton pockets are soo roomy, that if that combination isn't enough, you could add a contour, light, or size small insert to boost the absorbency, but I've only seen this needed for children who are on a full time feeding tube!

It's the diaper/trainer that is repelling, now what?

If you are experiencing repelling issues in the diaper/trainer, then you need to strip out the offending substance and prevent future build up by determining what is causing it.

Possible culprits are detergents (see list of common offenders on my Washing Instructions Page), diaper creams (use diaper liners and prewash them in hot separately from the diaper/trainers), hemp oils (don't wash hemp inserts with diapers until they have been boiled and washed/dried at least 10 times), and hard water (get a water softener).

To strip these out, add a large pot of boiling water to your wash cycle (be very careful not to burn yourself or your child - maybe use two smaller pots and make sure your walkway is clear). Wash once with a tsp of Dawn dishwashing detergent and the boiling water followed by an extra rinse. If you are dealing with detergent build up, start them on another wash cycle with no detergent and agitate for a few minutes, then look at the water to see if you have bubbles - if there are bubbles, repeat the boiling cycle (keep doing this until all bubbles are gone). If you are dealing with ointment, oil, or hard water build up, the bubble test won't work. If the repelling issure is not solved by doing the boiling/Dawn cycle once, try again as a second time should do the trick.

As a last ditch attempt (you have tried the boil/Dawn detergent cycle at least 3 times) you can place the diaper/trainer in water that has come to a boil, (I can only vouch for my diapers/trainers as to their durability to survive this procedure, so check with the manufacturer of any other diapers/trainers before trying this method on them)but turn off the heat once you have put the diaper/trainers in the water. Let them soak for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. Pour off the boiling water and put the diapers/trainers in the washing machine and do the boil/Dawn cycle once more. This has always done the trick, but is very hard on the diapers/trainers and should only be done as a last resort. Once in a while, this results in snaps that are not happy snaps, if this happens you can send them to us for repressing, but you must cover the return shipping. Please contact us if you need to do this and we will let you know how to proceed.

It's the insert that is repelling, now what?

For inserts that repel (I can only vouch for my inserts as to their durability to survive this procedure, so check with the manufacturer of any other insert before trying this method on them), bring a large pot of water to a boil, put your inserts in the boiling water and turn heat to low and put a lid on. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occationally. Pour off the boiling water and put inserts in the wash (do not put any diapers/trainers in with this wash) and add a different pot of boiling water to the wash cycle and wash with out any detergent. This should remove any and all build up from just about any source.

My diapers/trainers are developing an odor that remains after washing/gets really strong once my child wets- What Can I do now?:

Leaving diapers/trainers or inserts in a pail too long or improper washing methods can lead to odor issues. You need to strip the diapers/trainers/inserts by following the same instructions as list above for repelling. Boiling water has been proven to remove even the most nasty odor problems.

To prevent this from happening again, be sure you are using an approved detergent, use vinegar in the rinse OR baking soda in the wash (but DON'T use them both as that cuases odor problems due to build up)(but I recommend vinegar over baking soda), wash at least every 4 days, and/or rinse soiled diapers and trainers more thoroughly.

If need further assistance for trouble shooting, please contact Ruth at customerservice@snap-ez.com!