27 Best Diaper Blowout Hacks Every Parent Should Know!

It’s freaking tiring dealing with diaper blowout hacks at 3 am in the morning.

I should know, my kid had a couple! 

And I can’t imagine dealing with many daily blowouts. That just plain sucks.

So if you’re frustrated with diaper poonamis from your little one, then this article is for you.

I’ve listed here several ways on how to deal with it and how to prevent massive diaper blowouts.

Most of the advice here came from popular online parenting groups – people who’ve legit dealt with this issue. 

So you’ll find plenty of practical tips here that are more than the usual “Just go up a size” or “Try another diaper brand” advice.

Let’s get started first with what exactly is a diaper blowouts.

I hope you’ll love the products we recommend! Just a quick note: if you click on a product link below and decide to buy it, we may earn a small commission.

What is a Diaper Blowout?

A diaper blowout is when all your baby’s bowel movements oozes and “blowouts” out of the diaper, before it has a chance to be absorbed by said diaper.

So pee, poop and a combo of such leaks and explodes of the diaper, whic can be quite a disgusting sight. Imagine pee and poop leaking out of your baby – from their back, legs, front and they’re literally swimming and laying on it!

Worse thing about it is if happens in your car or a public place (airplane, bus, etc.) and you don’t have enough wipes to deal with it nor even a proper place to clean your baby.

Why Causes a Baby Diaper Blowout?

Here are possible causes why your baby is having massive diaper explosions:

Ill-fitting diapers 

They’re either too tight or too loose.

  • If it’s too tight, there’s no more room for the mess to go but out.
  • If it’s too loose, your baby will leak everywhere – leg holes, back, front.

If the cut of the diaper doesn’t accommodate active movements from older, mobile babies, that can also cause some diaper messes.

Putting diapers incorrectly

  • Maybe the tab or that strip is not fastened correctly. 
  • Maybe the diaper cuffs or ruffles are not turned outside.
  • Maybe the back is lower than the front. 

Those simple things can cause some serious diaper blowouts.

Not changing diapers often

Especially if it has some amount of pee in it. It might not absorb enough to last overnight.

Tight clothing

Your baby might already be exploding inside their diapers. 

And if they’re wearing tight clothes, those poonamis can be squeezed out of their diapers.

Food allergy or intolerance

Your baby might be suffering from some allergy to formula milk.

Or you’re breastfeeding and they have an intolerance for some food you’re taking.

It might be causing gut issues, causing them to have more watery stools or massive diaper poonamis.

Hyperlactation

Oversupply of breastmilk can also cause frequent diaper blowouts.

Diarrhea

Check out the symptoms of diarrhea in babies right here.

How to Prevent Diaper Explosions

Choose age and size-appropriate diaper

Mobile, older babies tend to move around so much more, which can twist and turn the diaper, leading to blowouts.

A diaper catered to older kids has features that can better hold the messes. So consider using such, if your kid is getting more active.

Some parents also advised to not follow the weight indicated on diaper packaging. As some babies can easily outgrow it so you really gotta test out diapers first.

Put on diapers properly

Check leg ruffles

Make sure that those diaper frills/cuffs/ ruffles are tucked out of the leg holes. Not tucked in.

This helps in keeping messes in the diaper.

Check tabs

The tabs or velcro strips should also be fastened properly.

It should be secured tightly and positioned symmetrically right on the colored waistband.

Check their junk

If you have a baby boy, point their penis downward when changing their diaper. Use your thumb until the diaper is fastened in place. 

This prevents pee from shooting up, causing leakages.

Change their diapers regularly

I remember patting my baby’s diaper and feeling it wasn’t full enough, so I didn’t change it.

And in the next hour or so, she had a diaper blowout.

From then on, I started changing my baby’s diaper every 2-3 hours, even if it was not full of pee or poop. 

It’s also a way to prevent diaper rashes.

Go up a size

This is the most common advice I see and hear everywhere.

And it’s true for most parents.

If you’ve done some of the diaper blowout hacks above but it doesn’t seem to work, maybe it’s time to go up one size bigger.

Make sure the diaper fits right

Check if the diaper fits just right by slipping one finger between it and your baby’s waist

If it feels too snug, then it’s too tight or too small for your baby.

You can also tell if the diaper is not a proper fit if you can see some red marks on your baby’s waist or legs. 

Or if the diaper looks higher in front than at the back.

Use overnight or nighttime diapers

Especially if blowouts happen more at night. Or you can also probably use it for daytime if it’s working for your baby.

Use 2 diapers

Some parents have tried out using the “right-size” diaper and then putting on a larger-sized diaper. And it works for them! 

It can be expensive though so if you don’t want that, try the next diaper blowout hack.

Use a diaper extender pads and/or blowout blockers

Diaper extender pads are kinda like a maxi pad that you put inside the diaper, to absorb more wetness.

Blowout blockers are attached to the diaper to prevent back blowouts.

There’s also a blowout block which you can use for front and side leakages!

You can use both the blowout blocker and a diaper extender, especially if you have a heavy wetter. 

Try out different diaper brands

If the usual diaper blowout hacks above are still not working, maybe it’s time to change diaper brands.

Some are better suited for skinny babies, others are better contoured for chunky thighs. 

Bottom line is, what works for one baby, might not work for others. So you gotta do some testing. 

Buy only a couple of pieces or if it’s not possible, buy 1 pack from 3 different brands and test them out for a couple of weeks.

Hopefully you’ll find the right diaper to stop the blowouts.

More Tips on How to Avoid Diaper Blowouts

Avoid tight clothes

It won’t work in suppressing and covering the diaper sides. 

It will only squeeze out the mess, so make sure your baby is wearing comfy, right-sized clothes.

Or bigger. Their clothing doesn’t really matter, so you can go as big as you want. 

Use a swim diaper

Some parents have also tried using reusable swim diapers. 

Which is kind of a neat idea. They literally hold poop, so they might be able to hold in your baby’s mess.

But pee can still leak out, so note that shit (no pun intended) down.

Fold the diaper

Other parents have tried this simple yet brilliant hack of folding the top of the diaper down on the inside, by an inch.

So the poop will be caught inside. It’s like doing a DIY poop catcher!

Align the front and back

One parent suggested this: instead of hiking up the back of the diaper, try to align it with the front part of the waist.

So both parts can have the same tighter protection.

Change diet/ formula

Some exclusively breastfeeding moms tried changing their diet. 

While some also did that for formula-fed babies, eliminating food that might be causing the allergy or intolerance. 

Others changed their milk formula and it worked for them! 

Do try to consult with a healthcare professional first to confirm your baby’s food intolerance or allergy.

Use infant probiotics

Consult with your doctor first but some parents have recommended this. 

It literally changed their baby’s poop from blowouts to manageable messes.

Other parents though warned that their babies pooped a lot more the first few days of using probiotics. But after that, they didn’t have any diaper explosions anymore.

Remedy oversupply

If you suspect that hyperlactation might be causing your baby’s blowouts, you might want to try to reduce your milk supply by doing these methods.

Turn to cloth diapers

Some parents have sworn to this. They’ve even said since changing to cloth diapers, they’ve never had any diaper blowouts! 

So it might be worth trying it out. Especially those cloth diapers with double gussets.

Although you need to up your laundry game for this one.

Try Elimination Communication

This is apparently a practice where you can make babies pee or poop on the toilet by giving them cues.

Might sound a little extreme but if you’ve basically tried everything and you’re desperate to stop the diaper blowouts, Elimination Communication might be worth trying.

How to Prepare for Diaper Blowouts Diarrhea

You can do everything right but diaper blowouts are inevitable. They happen to all parents everywhere! Just be prepared for it by doing the following:

Use an envelope onesie

Imagine your kid soaking in their own diaper blowouts and you gotta pull up their shirts!

That would be disgusting as hell. Hence, the popularity of envelope onesies.

It has an expandable neckline, making it easy to pull it down without any issues.

Use 2 cribs sheets

I highly recommend these to heavy wetters. Or for those who are always dealing with diaper blowouts at the wee hours of the morning.

Instead of just using one pair of crib sheets and mattress protectors, use two.

Then place a waterproof pad in between each layer.

That way, it will be easy to change the sheets when there’s a diaper explosion. 

You can just take off the 1st layer of sheets + mattress protector and use the 2nd one! Makes changing sheets easy, especially when it’s 3 o’clock in the morning.

Always put in a diaper cover outdoors

The idea is to double the protection your baby has.

So they’d be wearing their regular diaper then on top of that, they can be wearing another bigger diaper. Or a cloth diaper. Or a swim diaper.

Or a diaper extender pad. Or a blowout blocker. 

Whatever it is, always put on a cover, especially in a car seat, in a baby carrier, out on a plane, etc.

Make them wear pants

If you don’t want the idea of 2 diapers or a regular diaper plus another cover, how about making your baby wear pants?

Especially when they’re huge diaper blowout babies and they always do their thing in your car seat.

Use a huge changing pad

And I mean a big one. One that can contain your baby and that’s waterproof enough to contain messes, such as this.

Bring extra everything

Extra outfits, extra diapers, extra baby wipes, extra disposable plastic bags.

This is highly recommended for frequent heavy wetters and baby poonamis. Just be prepared all the time!

Get a diaper pail

I’ve never had one, as my baby had only a few diaper blowouts. 

But I gather having a diaper pail is useful, especially for those that have multiple poonamis. 

Get a reserve baby carrier

There are a few moms who weren’t able to save their baby carriers due to a massive diaper explosion.

The color and material were ruined so from there on, they always had a backup baby carrier. For just-in-case scenarios.

I didn’t experience this with my little one, as she’s not a heavy wetter nor did she get frequent explosions.

But I can imagine this would be a great tip for babies experiencing many, big poonamis.

Check out some of my reviews of various baby carriers here.

Best Diapers to Prevent Blowouts

Here’s a mix of affordable and premium diapers that are best for poonamis:

Pampers Swaddlers Disposable Baby Diapers (ONE MONTH SUPPLY)

Huggies Little Snugglers

The Honest Company, Club Box, Clean Conscious Diapers

Luvs Ultra Leakguards Disposable Baby Diapers, ONE MONTH SUPPLY

Huggies Overnites

Kirkland Signature Diapers

Check out more details and reviews of the best disposable diapers for blowouts here.

Quick Cleaning Tips for Diaper Blowouts

  • Always have plastic bags or Ziploc bags prepared.
  • Wash everything as soon as possible. 
  • Roll onesies inwards, to keep the poop and avoid spreading it everywhere.
  • Use stain removers. Spray or soak the poop-stained clothes for more or less 10 minutes, then wash as usual.
  • After washing, hang clothes or everything destroyed by poonamis under direct sunlight.

FAQ: Diaper Explosion Hacks

Why is my baby having so many blowouts?

There are many possible reasons why babies have diaper blowouts. 
They might have an ill-fitting diaper, diapers are not changed frequently or are put on incorrectly, food intolerance, hyperlactation, etc., are possible causes of diaper poonamis.

What diaper is best for blowouts up the back?

The best diaper that’s best for blowouts up the back has a little poop catcher that helps in catching and keeping in all the mess. 

Huggies Little Snugglers have that feature. 
But other diapers such as Pampers Swaddlers or overnight/ nighttime diapers can also offer the same absorbency, lessening diaper blowouts.

Are diaper blowouts normal?

Yes, diaper blowouts are perfectly normal. Every parent has experienced it and it’s very common, especially for breastfed babies or those that have a food intolerance or allergy.
It can also happen if your baby is in between sizes and you’re not sure which diaper fits them best.

Diaper Blowout Hacks: Final Thoughts

One way to handle all that stress in dealing with your baby’s frequent diaper blowout is by managing your expectations.

Diaper explosions are normal. And not finding a solid solution to diaper poonamis for a long time is also normal.

So don’t feel so bad if you’ve already tried every little diaper blowout hacks and advice out there and your baby is still having multiple explosions.

If everything is normal and they’re growing well, they will start eating solids soon. Which means their poos will get more solid. Which would mean fewer to no more diaper blowouts.

So hang in there! This won’t last forever!

If you love this checklist, check out my other guides:

Julie