I figured out for my girls first cycles to use the padded training pants so they don't leak through. Like you, I'm careful to give them lots of "airing out" time outside to avoid infection, but this sure keeps the spots off the carpet. I went with the boy ones first but it seemed uncomfortable on their tails (because the undies are thicker). I have a mini F1 GD and mini F1 LD so I used size 3T-- a bit difficult to find but WalMart came through for me
