How To Tell When Its Time To Change A Diaper
This may go without saying, but as soon as your baby has a wet or soiled diaper, it needs to be changed. Your baby could get rashes and infections from bacteria on a dirty diaper.
You should check your babys diaper periodically while they are awake to check if it needs changing.
A general tip to follow is to change a diaper both before and after they eat, as well as before and after they sleep. Babies will often pee or poop after they eat and sleep.
On average, a newborn baby soils their diaper every one to three hours, as well as each time they are fed. A cloth diaper should always be changed immediately, but a disposable diaper does not necessarily need to be changed until it is heavy.
Additionally, there are some signs to look for where you will know your baby needs a diaper change:
- Smell your babys bottom Is there an odor?
- Are they crying?
First, decide whether or not cloth diapers are worth it for you. Most parents who use cloth diapers still keep newborn diapers on hand for the first few months, only because newborn babies go through so many diapers per day.
Even if you plan on putting your cloth diapers in the laundry every day, you will need to purchase a lot for a newborn baby at least 20! Your baby wont fit into the newborn sizes for very long. So, it may be worth it to use disposable diapers until they move up in size.
So How Can I Put This Knowledge To Use
Well, most resources agree that babies use an average of 2500 diapers in their first year of life. And if you look at the median age to weight ranges listed above, we can kind of start to figure out how long babies are typically in each size.
- Babies are in Size 1 diapers for 2-3 months
- Babies are in Size 2 diapers for 3 months
- Babies are in Size 3 diapers for 6+ months
Keeping that info in mind, they recommend registering for
- 4 boxes of Size 1 diapers
- 5 boxes of Size 2 diapers
- 8 boxes of Size 3 diapers
Note: This goes against my earlier recommendation of just registering for 2 boxes in each size. My personal opinion is to err on the side of caution and estimate lower to reduce waste, and also just in case you wind up disliking the brand you chose!
How Long Does A Box Of Diapers Last
If you are wanting to stockpile, it helps to know how long a box of diapers lasts, so that you can plan for your baby to have enough of the right size diapers.
A box usually contains around 120-150 diapers. This means that you should get around 3-4 weeks of use out of one box of diapers, but this will depend on the age and size of your baby.
If you are worried about having to constantly buy diapers, you may want to consider switching to cloth diapers.
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How Many Diapers For The First Year
Before you welcome your little one to his/her new home, you should already have a fair share of diapers on-the-go. Let us take you through how this will work out in your babys first few years.
- Infants: Newborns typically need six to nine diaper changes a day. Hopefully, youll get to start stockpiling newborn diapers as gifts from your baby shower. Which means that in just their first week, youll be needing roughly 70 to 100 pieces of diapers for you baby.
- One-year-old: You also have to prepare for around 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of diapers for your babys first year.
- One year and above: But as your baby grows older, youll be happy to know that this number will decrease in time and you wont have to deal with these many wet and messy nappies in the years to come.
At this point, you should have also already decided whether youll be using disposable or cloth diapers as this will also depend on how many youll be stocking up with.
For cloth diapers, you get to at least purchase fewer pieces but the safest number would be around 20 newborn cloth diapers. Although even with a tonne stored up at home, expect to do a lot of constant laundering within a week.
As for disposable diapers, if youre still trying out new diaper brands for your baby, you dont necessarily have to bulk buy the first diaper brand you choose.
Which brings us to the inevitable question of: whether to buy disposable or cloth diapers. Let us show you how you can make that choice for your little one.
How Many Newborn Diapers Do I Needdisposable Diapers
When buying diapers you have to remember that disposable diapers come in different sizes and each brand may have some variation in sizes.
So when you are trying to decide on the size, type, and brand, one great idea is to order samples from a few brands. This way you can try them on your baby and see what best suits them.
Remember that diaper sizes are not based on age of the baby but the weight. So we have elaborated how many newborn diapers you may need based on the size to make your job easier.
*Remember the size and corresponding weights mentioned here are common standards in diaper sizes. But always check each brand sizes and corresponding weights to know which size will fit your little ones tush comfortably.
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Extra Tip Use Cloth Diapers
To save money and protect the environment, you can also think about using cloth diapers. They are washable. You will need at least twenty of these in different sizes. This can sometimes be a large sum for the initial purchase. However, that becomes relative over time. Many parents also use disposable diapers and cloth diapers in combination. So you can throw away the diapers on the go or skip the diaper sizes of the cloth diapers, from which the baby quickly grows out. Which variant you prefer for your child and ultimately for you is your choice. Give it a try and find the most comfortable routine for you and your child.
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How To Choose Diapers
Another important question is which type of diaper to choose for the baby. Both cloth and disposable diapers are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. The choice may be confusing initially however, with continuous use, it may become clearer which diapers suit the baby best.
Cloth and disposable diapers have advantages and disadvantages regarding convenience, cost, and their effects on the environment.
For instance, disposable diapers are convenient, but cloth diapers are cheaper over the long term. Moreover, both disposable and cloth diapers have effects on the environment including energy and raw material usage, water and air pollution, and disposal of waste. Disposable diapers make up about 1 to 2 percent of solid waste, whereas cloth diapers utilize more water and energy in washing and add to water and air pollution.
While making the choice, there are also certain health aspects to consider. Diaper rash can result from contact with stool and urine for excessive amounts of time. Since cloth diapers arent able to keep the babys skin dry, its imperative to change them quickly once they become soiled or wet. Ultimately, its the parents own decision about which diaper to choose based on their own needs and concerns.
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How Many Newborn Diapers Do I Neednewborn Size
Newborn size is for babies who weigh 10 pounds or less. Remember your child will be given a stack of newborn diapers from the hospital and also as presents from the baby shower. As babies gain about 3 pounds in the very first month, babies will grow out of these diapers very quickly.
Some babies may be smaller even for the newborn size diapers. You can try the preemie size diapers for your baby till they grow into the other standard sizes.
Some other babies are chubbier than the average and may skip the newborn size diapers and move directly to size 1 diapers.
So remember that babies come in all shapes and sizes, and there are diapers available that can fit their little bums perfectly, you just need to find them.
When a baby is born, they tend to poop and pee a lot and you might go through about 812 diapers a day. So you will need anywhere between 200300 newborn size diapers before they grow out of it.
So if you are planning on stockpiling, see what your babys weight was at birth and plan sizes accordingly.
Flats Prefolds And All
If youre using flats, prefolds, or all-in-twos diaper, youll change the absorbent part but wont need a new cover or diaper fastener for every change. For flats and prefolds youll need 2-3 diaper fasteners and about 4 diapers covers per day for a newborn.
This is because covers and diaper fasteners only need to be changed out if the babys mess gets on them or urine soaks through them. For All-in-twos, this is similar because the absorbent insert snaps into the cover, but theres no layer between the insert and the babys bottom.
If your baby only urinates, and the diaper doesnt leak, you dont need a new cover at every diaper change rather you only need to swap out the insert!
Note:
Prefolds, flats, and all-in-two diapers seem to be the most inexpensive options when it comes to cloth diapers.
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What About Newborn Diapers
Newborn diapers are special for three reasons:
These competing facts make many new parents debate whether or not newborn cloth diapers are worth it. Some choose to use disposables for this stage of their cloth diapering journey because of the cost, while others choose to use newborn diapers right out of the gate.
Its a tough choice, but knowing exactly how long they will last can help you make that decision.
Note: Some parents choose to use disposables for the first few days because they think that the meconium will be difficult to wash out of cloth diapers. As Ive written about before here, meconium actually washes out just like EBF.
What Size Diaper Will My Baby Wear
Did you see the size overlap between the newborn and size 1 diapers? If newborn diapers are designed for babies under 10 pounds, and size 1 diapers are designed for babies 8-14 pounds, then what size diaper does an 8 or 9 pound baby wear? The answer is, maybe both.
Many experienced Moms will recommend only buying a few newborn diapers , but more size 1 diapers. Because you just dont know how big your baby will be at birth, or how fast they will grow.
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Does My Baby Have Sensitive Skin
Before registering or buying wipes in bulk, you should check how the wipes react with your babys skin.
Not all babies are the same, so your babys skin might react poorly to some wipes even though its supposed to be gentle and safe for sensitive skin.
We dont recommend registering for baby wipes right from the start. It would be best to buy 1 pack first and see if they would work well for your little one!
Once youre done with your trial-and-error and found the right brand, only then should you consider registering for them.
How Many Newborn Diapers Do I Needsizing Up
Newborn diapers only fit babies who weigh 10 pounds or less. Most babies still wear newborn diapers during the first month and shift to size 1 in the second month, as babies tend to gain 3 pounds during the first month.
But this depends on the weight of your baby when they are born. If the baby weighed significantly lesser at birth, they may need preemie diapers or may need to wear the newborn diapers a little longer than the average.
On the other hand, if the baby weighed significantly more at birth, they may skip the newborn diapers entirely and directly shift to size 1 diapers.
The birth weight of your child and their subsequent growth will determine when they need to size up.
All diaper sizes have overlapping weight range, for e.g. size one fits babies weighing 814 pounds and size 2 fits babies weighing 1218 pounds. So if your baby is 12 or 13 pounds it is easier to just size up.
If your babys skin appears red, irritated or with markings from the elastic bands of the diapers, it may to time to size up.
You should be able to fit 2 fingers in between the babys stomach and the diaper waistband and one finger in between the babys leg and the elastic of the diapers securing the legs. If you are unable to fit the fingers, then it means it is time to size up.
Too big diapers will result in leakage and too small diapers will make the baby uncomfortable and restrict their movement.
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Determining How Many Diapers To Get For Your Newborn
Because there are so many unexpected things that come up in a newborns first few months of life, many soon-to-be parents prepare for their babys arrival in advance. This means making a registry or stocking up on what the baby might need, such as a bassinet, baby wipes or onesies.
But while many of these newborn essentials are easy to pick out, there is some confusion when it comes to diapers. In fact, one of the most common questions many expecting parents ask is: how many newborn diapers do I need?
The short answer? Many. The long answer? It varies based on the babys starting weight and size. Fortunately, heres a handy guide to figuring out how many diapers your newborn will need.
Extra: Cloth Diapers An Alternative Solution To The Stockpile
If you arent inclined to deal with all of this stockpiling business but do have a lot of free time on your hands, you might want to look into cloth diapering as an alternative.
Youll only really need about half a dozen to a dozen cloth diapers to last you throughout your childs entire developmental period as they can be freely sized up and down based on your needs.
And, because theyre re-usable after a good wash you wont make nearly as much garbage as the regular diapers do and youll save a ton of money!
That said. This too comes with its own pitfalls. As great as saving money is, kids wearing cloth diapers are more likely to suffer from diaper rash due to the cloth variant lacking the protective comfort of a disposable diaper meaning that their load is likely to irritate their skin.
The other downside is that youre going to be spending a lot of time washing diapers to have a steady supply ready for your little one.
Apart from the extra time consumption, there is also the hidden cost of a higher water bill with the increased number of average washes, though the price increase is negligible compared to the amount of money that you save on not purchasing disposable ones.
Youre also more likely to have your kids suffering from blowouts, which, in turn, will also cause your average use of baby wipes to go up so you may need an extra pack or two here and there as well.
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