Tips for stopping AIO cloth diaper leakage?

So I've had a couple AIO cloth diapers from angelsbest223 on eBay for a couple years now and I really love wearing them. They're soft and comfy and never irritate my hips like disposables do, but there's one rather major problem with them. After even one slow gradual wetting I've got about 3 minutes before the outside of the diaper starts leaking through and getting my pants, bedsheets, or whatever they happen to be touching all wet.

With that in mind I've pretty much just been wearing them for the cozy padded feeling and only wetting when I'm wearing disposables (of which ABU's LittlePawz are my current favorite). I guess when I bought them I was under the impression that AIO cloth diapers didn't require plastic pants or any other extras to stop leaks since they have a PUL layer built in, but even after following the care instructions to the letter my AIOs only last a few minutes before leakage sets in so it seems that may have been a false impression on my part.

So, what I'm wondering is do AIOs still require plastic pants to keep dry on the outside or is there something else I should be doing to prevent leaks if I want to wet my AIOs? And if plastic pants are needed, what brand of plastic pants would you folks recommend?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

All in ones are supposed to be able to work on their own, without needing an additional diaper cover. The pul or plastic layer is supposed to go on the outside as well. And it should not be leaking like that as long as you don't ever leave them wet for days on end or otherwise ever put them in a dryer.

Have they been that leaky since you got them, or is it a more recent develpment? Two years would be more than enough time for a plastic layer to break down and leak, but pul should still be pretty good even after that much time and use. It's possible you might not have gotten a true all in one too. Also possible is who made it had stitched right through the pul/plastic membrane, which would create a bunch of tiny leak holes.

Either way it sounds like you do need to add a diaper cover. I highly recommend the Gary activewear pul pants. Mine have lasted me for 5+ years and still work great.

Thanks for the reply Slomo! To clarify, my AIOs have been leaky since the day I got them. I was careful to follow the care instructions and wash them in a washing machine on cold with a free and clear detergent with no enzyme cleaners twice before use and I've always hang dried them after washing so they've never taken a trip through the dryer. Nevertheless they still leak through the butt area a few minutes after sitting down once they've been wetted, and liquid seems to wick it's way up to the elastic around the thighs and leak from there shortly after use as well.

I do love the way they feel against my skin and the cute print designs on them, I've just ended up basically wearing them like heavy underwear rather than using them for their intended purpose since they always start leaking so quickly if I do.

Jin15 said:

Thanks for the reply Slomo! To clarify, my AIOs have been leaky since the day I got them. I was careful to follow the care instructions and wash them in a washing machine on cold with a free and clear detergent with no enzyme cleaners twice before use and I've always hang dried them after washing so they've never taken a trip through the washer. Nevertheless they still leak through the butt area a few minutes after sitting down once they've been wetted, and liquid seems to wick it's way up to the elastic around the thighs and leak from there shortly after use as well.

Click to expand...

Ah, that exactly the problem then. While the plastic/pul layer IS waterproof, the material used to wrap around the elastic actually encourages wicking. That creates a sort of high speed bypass right around the waterproof layer.

I had the same exact problem with a number of plastic pants, back when I still used them. The cloth over the elastic wasn't leaking per say, but was able to wick so well that it allowed my pants/chair/whatever to absorb the pee. It seems a lot of manufacturers of plastic pants still haven't figured out that design flaw either. So, when buying any AIO or diaper cover, make sure the elastics are wrapped in the same waterproffing material.

That makes perfect sense! I suppose my next question then is what companies offer AIO cloth diapers with waterproofing material all the way around the elastics to avoid wicking induced leakage? I really love the comfort of wearing a cloth AIO diaper, but not being able to wet it without leakage kinda kills the point of wearing a diaper to begin with. For now though I'll definitely pick up Gary Active Wear PUL pants to try wearing over my current AIOs after the holidays when finances allow.

Sorry, I don't use AIO diapers so I'm not sure. Maybe someone else can chime in for that?

can you go to super undies site they are very good at helping with leaks both the aio diapers and pull ups being double incon is the only reason i have not went cloth

Jin15 said:

That makes perfect sense! I suppose my next question then is what companies offer AIO cloth diapers with waterproofing material all the way around the elastics to avoid wicking induced leakage? I really love the comfort of wearing a cloth AIO diaper, but not being able to wet it without leakage kinda kills the point of wearing a diaper to begin with. For now though I'll definitely pick up Gary Active Wear PUL pants to try wearing over my current AIOs after the holidays when finances allow.

Click to expand...

Ecoables are an excellent AI2 diaper that I've been able to wear for about 6-8 hours. The pad that it comes with provides coverage just like a disposable diaper from the very front to the very back, with wings, and keeps you feeling deceivingly dry (a little hard to tell just how wet it is). The star of it is their thin but very absorbent prefold insert. It's really surprising how much it could hold. Their shell is great, they look quite nice, they have leg gussets, and they haven't leaked on me yet. This is probably the only modern cloth diaper that I've tried that actually work and support an adult bladder, not necessarily flooding, but it absorbs quite quickly. You can search for my review on them and it has more information on them.

Just to add, AIO diapers aren't a great idea for a few reasons. They're going to have a hard time getting actually clean and will be tough to remove odors over time. Having a separate pad and cover it's much better for that reason and the pads can get a thorough cleaning.

The absorbent fabric will most likely outlast the waterproof covering.

AIOs usually share the common problem that you're having now. The absorbent padding and waterproof covering are usually cut together resulting in poor containment. Also liquid will find a place to escape if allowed, it's just bad physics when you have to sew through the waterproof material to keep things together.

https://ecoable.net/cloth-diaper-co...bamboo-inserts-for-big-kids-teens-and-adults/