The worst place to be when a diaper blowout occurs is in the car. Whether it’s a long trip or just to the local supermarket, a blowout will really mess up your day, pun intended.
While you can’t control everything, you can take steps to prevent a diaper blowout from happening while in the car. These tips will help you have peace of mind when you’re in the car for any duration.
- Change it often
Got a road trip ahead? Or simply driving all over town? Change that diaper often. Even the best diapers will leak when left too long. You should always prepare for this, even if you only run errands. This way, you’ll be prepared should a blowout occur.
- Change it fast
You may want to wait to make sure your baby is done pooping before switching diapers at home. That’s why my eldest pooped all over my husband. But in the backseat, that’s another story. That extra, coupled with their positioning, could shoot right out the back and stall your trip. As soon as you hear that poop, pull over and find a clean place to clean up your baby.
- Pay attention to the signs
Many babies will have telltale signs you’ll start to notice before they poop. Some get restless, some turn red, and some cry. It may be subtle, but you’ll put those pieces together and hopefully catch on before it’s too late.
- Check those cuffs
It’s a new mama mistake, one I made myself. Those cuffs around the leg need to go outward, not inward. Outward puts a greater grip so that poop stays put and buys you time to take care of the mess. For the waist, the diaper should cover the belly button.
- Blowout extenders
Yup, I’m mentioning them again. I wish I had these when my girls were little. But now that you know, you can get them and put your kids in them when you have to drive to Grandma’s.
- Always be ready
Hey, look, I get it. I’m a mama, and I have done some great planning at times, and others, I have no idea how I got there or what’s going on due to lack of sleep. So if you do rush out of the house and change the baby and realize you forgot to refill your wipes or diapers (or both, as has happened to me), don’t be hard on yourself. It happens to all of us.
When it comes to those moments, you just have to laugh. Seriously! You’ll feel better, and there’s nothing you can do to fix this error except roll with it. I started putting notes up by the door so that I’d see them and do a quick check of the diaper bag before leaving.
Once we were in America and had a car, I would stick diapers and wipes there. This way, I always had them even if I didn’t refill my diaper bag.
Hopefully, this has answered all your questions about diaper blowouts and how to handle them. And when they do happen, just try to find the humor in the situation. You can always trot out these stories when your child becomes a tween or teen or dating so you can embarrass them accordingly!
Leslie Berry lives with her husband and two young daughters in Los Altos, California, where she loves helping other moms get comfortable with motherhood and embracing the insanity with facts peppered with laughs.
She loves eating too much sushi, exercising, and jamming out on her Fender. Read more about Leslie here.
