Imagine this scenario: You’re feeding your new baby. She’s calm. Everything around you is silent. Your husband and son are playing quietly together in a room down the hall. It’s just you and your little girl, snuggled together on a chair watching each other as she eats.
And then it happens.
Sometimes the sound is soft, like turning the faucet on slightly. Other times the sound shocks you, and you don’t know how it could escape out of such a tiny little human who can’t even hold her own head up yet.
This, my friends, is my life. My tiny little human loves to poop, and many times when she does, it turns into the case of a diaper explosion.
What is a diaper explosion?
Well, it’s simple. Diapers are meant to keep baby poop and pee contained. A diaper explosion is what happens when the poop can’t be contained!
Identify the type of diaper explosion you’re dealing with
There’s the wet stuff. It’s practically water, except that it’s the color of poop, and it usually comes along with some of the thicker stuff. I call this garbage truck juice, because it seems to just leak out of the diaper, through clothing, and onto whatever the baby is against.
Oh, and there’s the poop that you think is over, when in fact it really isn’t. You’ve already wiped your baby and just placed a brand new, fresh diaper underneath her bum. What happens next? Before you can secure the straps, round #2 happens, and it’s all over your changing table. Time to change the baby once more!
Or, there’s a different type of poop: the semi-silent, slightly odorous, surprise-you-as-it-sneaks-out-of-the-diaper-and-all-the-way-up-your-child’s-back type of poop.
What to do if your baby has a diaper explosion
Easy – call your local HazMat team.
Okay, I was just joking about that, but you have some options. If you’ve identified that your baby had a diaper explosion, you have some options on how to proceed.
- Strip the clothing and diapers off of your baby and just throw it all out. Have you ever tried washing baby poop out of clothing? It isn’t easy. There isn’t much about parenting that’s simple. Take the easy route with this one and just toss everything the poop has come in contact with.
- Call in backup. Have a husband or wife or child or parent or friend who lives with you? Don’t hesitate to tag them in for diaper duty. Live alone? Make friends with some neighbors and bribe them to handle the diaper explosion for you.
- Buckle down and deal with the diaper explosion on your own. You may need a gas mask or industrial gloves before you’re willing to actually touch your little human, but it’s your responsibility to take care of. Block your nose and get to work!
If there’s anything I’ve learned when dealing with a diaper explosion it’s to keep your baby’s feet out of the way while cleaning and wash the clothing immediately. How about you? Have you ever experienced a diaper explosion? Were you able to handle it on your own or did you need to call in backups? Let me know in the comments!
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