You can tell if your baby’s diaper is too small for his size by checking the positions of closures or fastening tapes, leg cuffs and waistband of the diaper. Look for any redness or red marks around baby's waist or thighs, and sign of discomfort into your baby. Insufficient bottom coverage, continuous outflows or extremely wet nappy and blowouts are also the signs of too small diaper.
In this write-up, I’ll explain all these signs that show it’s time to size up the diaper for your baby.
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8 Signs for How to Tell If Diaper Is Too Small
There are certain indications that suggest baby diapers may not be fit for the child in question.
Read on to find out how you can tell if your baby’s diaper is too small for his size.
1. Cannot Connect the fastening tapes or closure Tabs
If you cannot connect the diaper side tabs or if you find the fastening tapes are overly stretched, it’s time to size up the diaper.
The tabs or closure tapes of a good fit diaper stay close on the front of the baby’s tummy. If you notice the tabs are sitting quite far apart on your baby’s stomach or they are closer to the hips than the belly when fastened, the nappy is small for your little ones. Exposed elastic of the tabs when fastened is another sign of too small nappy.
2. Too tight waistband and leg cuffs
The waistband and leg cuffs of a good fitting diaper should be snug but not too tight. One way to know if your baby’s diaper is too small for his size is to check the waistband and leg cuffs areas.
When fastened, you should be able to run one finger under the band and cuffs. If the diaper is too tight, it won’t have the room to comfortably accommodate your finger. As a result, you’ll feel tight constriction on the finger. If so, it’s time for a bigger size nappy.
3. Redness or red marks
If the diaper is too small for his size, you’ll see red marks on your baby’s skin especially at the groin, waistband and leg cuffs area when you take the nappy off.
4. Suddenly experience outflows or extremely wet nappy
If the nappy is too small to your baby, it’ll reach to its maximum absorbency level quickly. As a result, it won’t be able to hold the amount of liquid necessary, causing leak and wet your baby’s clothes and bed linen.
5. Blowout
Blowouts can happen for a few different reasons. Poop explosion is also a common sign of too small diaper. If the nappy is tightly fit to your little one, it may cause the messes to push out at the back up and leg openings.
6. The bottom is not covered fully
Another way to know if your baby’s diaper is too small for his size is to check if it is too short for his body. The right amount of buttock coverage is essential for a diaper to function effectively and prevent leakage.
Diaper should be better fit for your baby’s weight and height. Ideally, the waistband of diaper should sit slightly below your baby’s belly button- not too low in back or too high in front or vice versa.
If the waistband sits on too low to your baby’s waistline, or leaves part of his buttocks uncovered, it means that the diaper is too short. And, it will not provide adequate protection from pee and poo leakage.
7. Baby shows discomfort
It is common for babies to experience some form of discomfort if his/her nappy is very tight-fit. A too-tight nappy will make your baby feel uncomfortable and cry a lot as well. Sometimes, a little older babies (around 2 years old) may try to take the diaper off, which is a sign of discomfort.
8. Diaper rash
If your baby is wearing a diaper that is too small for his size, he will have rashes, or irritation on his skin.
Diaper rash is a common problem for babies. This can be due to several reasons. Due to over-tight diaper, your little one may develops a rash.
A small diaper won’t be able to hold the right amount of pee. That means, it’ll create excess moisture inside the nappy. The saturated diaper and the wetness will be in very close contact with your baby’s skin that can cause irritation, inflammation and rash.
Again, a very tight-fit nappy block the sufficient airflow inside the diaper which cause a damp environment inside the diaper
Sometimes it is misinterpreted that blowouts mean the diaper is too small. While it is true that over-tight diaper is one of the causes of skin irritation and nappy rash, a large diaper can be responsible to do the same thing.
Conclusion
Avoid using too-small diapers to prevent these issues.
The size of a baby’s diaper has an impact on his/ her overall health. An ill-fitting or over-tight diaper will lead to chafing, irritation, rashes, itchiness and several other issues.
If you notice any of these signs, size up the diaper as soon as possible!