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How To Diaper A Newborn

by Melissa P

Remove Your Baby Boys Clothes

How to Change a Baby’s Diaper – Newborn Care Tips

If your baby had a blowout, youll want to remove their top layer from the top down. This helps to ensure you dont get poop on your babys head.

If the baby is in a onesie and didnt ruin their clothes, simply unsnap the onesie and pull the tabs back, leaving the entire diaper area free of clothing.

Same applies for sleepers.

Instructions For Changing A Baby Diaper

Theres nothing worse than running out of diapers and having to drive to the store in the middle of the night, so be sure to stock up. Regardless of whether you choose to use cloth or disposal diapers, you can never have too many.

You will also need a stash of baby wipes, powder, rash cream, and a pail to hold soiled diapers. A light blanket will help to keep the top part of your baby warm during cold weather.

A baby change pad or a soft towel to place on the changing surface is a must. It will help to help to protect the changing table so you will have less to clean. If your baby is a boy, a washer will also be required. This is because when a male baby urinates while lying on his back, the urine will spray up into the air. If you dont have a cloth handy, the spray could hit you in the face or land on your hair.

Before you start, wash your hands in warm soapy water, then dry them. If you dont have access to a faucet, use hand sanitizer.

With everything in reach, place your baby on a sturdy surface. You could use a bed or even the floor, but you will have to bend to do this. This will quickly become tiring, and it can lead to an aching neck, shoulders, and back.

NB: If you are using a diaper that needs pins, be sure to place your fingers underneath the diaper to cover your babys skin to prevent accidentally pricking them.

How Do You Know Its Time For A Diaper Change

Some diapers have a wetness indicator so that you can see at a glance if your baby needs a diaper change.

Other signs your baby may need a diaper change include:

  • You reach into the diaper with a finger and itâs damp

  • You can smell or see pee or poop

  • The diaper is sagging, or the underside of the diaper feels bulky.

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Best Overnight Underwear: Goodnites Nighttime Bedwetting Underwear

  • Easy to pull off and on

  • Thin under clothes

  • Not as absorbent as a diaper

If youre dealing with a kid who struggles with staying dry at night, GoodNites can offer extra protection. Five absorbent layers and extra thick leg barriers keep everything locked in and absorb all unpleasant odors. The product fits like a pair of underwear and comes in a variety of cute designs like princesses and superheroes.

Goodnites underwear reviewers call the product a lifesaver, saying its easy to slip on and absorbs better than any other overnight diaper. The smooth material easily fits under clothing and wont cause scratching or itching. Potty training? These can also be worn during the day as your child adjusts.

Size Range: XS-XL | Wetness Indicator: No

  • Sides tear easily for changes

  • Soft like cotton underwear

  • Ideal for toddlers only

Potty training is always a challengebut Pampers Easy Ups make the job slightly easier. Theyre soft and designed to fit like underwear, so your little one can get used to feeling like a big kid. The stretchy waistband moves up and down smoothly, while the sides are easily torn off when it comes time for removal. And, most importantly, the extra-absorbent material and leak guards are there in case of an accident.

Reviewers say these pull-ups are more secure than other brands, so kids arent able to rip them off. Theyre also comfortable and durable enough to last when the family is traveling or on the go.

Size Range: 2T-4T | Wetness Indicator: No

Diapering Essentials To Have On Hand

How to Diaper Your Baby

Before you get started, be sure you have the following diapering essentials nearby:

  • Clean diapers. It’s always good to have a couple of spares handy when you’re changing diapers.
  • Clean cotton balls, washcloths or wipes. For newborns under 1 month old and those with diaper rash, use warm water and a cotton ball to clean baby off and a washcloth for drying . For older infants, use pre-moistened wipes look for those that are hypoallergenic and free of fragrance and alcohol.
  • A change of clothes for baby. You might need one if the diaper has leaked .
  • Clean diaper wraps or waterproof pants. If you’re using cloth diapers, you’ll want these on hand.
  • Ointment to prevent and/or soothe diaper rash. If baby has diaper rash, it creates a barrier between that tender bottom and skin-irritating poop and pee. No need for lotions, baby oil or powder. Remember, though, that you can’t use many diaper rash creams and ointments with cloth diapers.
  • A loving touch. Your gentle voice and touch can make diaper changes easier on your baby and easier on you, too.
  • A distraction. Keep a favorite toy visible and even a music box or mechanical toy for distraction, especially if you’ve got a squirmy baby.

Once you’ve got everything you need ready to go, wash and dry your hands. If that’s not possible, give them a good swipe with a diaper wipe.

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Tips For Baby Boy Diaper Changes

If baby has a penis, they have what Goldstein calls a tiny firehose. And when its exposed to air as you open the diaper, be prepared . They tend to pee far and wide, says Shapiro. Getting sprayed is practically a rite of passage for new parents, but you can take steps to prevent this from happening. First, immediately cover the penis with a soft cloth during baby boy diaper changes. When you do this, also make sure the penis is pointing down, since the pee absolutely can come through the cloth and hit you, says Goldstein. Youll also want to return it to this position when you put on the clean diaper. Point the penis down towards the feet before you close the diaper so they dont pee on themselves, because thats when they tend to leak the most, says Goldstein.

Close Up The Diaper And Dress

Place your opened, clean diaper underneath the baby, getting the back of the diaper usually about ¼ up his back. This helps to catch and prevent a diaper explosion. Point babys penis down before closing up the diaper. This helps ensure pee doesnt come up out of the diaper!

Close the tabs, attaching them about 1-2 inches from one another, depending on the babys size. Finally, run a finger down the edge of the leg holes to make sure the ruffled edge is out.

This helps catch and avoid leaks. Continue dressing your baby.

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G Fold The New Diaper And Close It

Pull the front side of the clean diaper up to the babys belly button, and close it.

As you can see, its not that difficult, and after a few times you will become an expert. Practice will make your diaper changing technique perfect.

Children are most likely to say that they want to just lounge around or rest for a while after spending hours listening to lecture after lecture from their teachers. There is nothing wrong with this if they had a rough day.

Whats disturbing, is if they deliberately stay away from schoolwork or procrastinate when it comes to reviewing for their tests or completing an important science project.

When it seems that it is becoming a habit for your child to put off school work, its time for you to step in and help your child develop good study habits to get better grades. It is important for you to emphasize to your child the importance of setting priorities early in life. Dont wait for them to flunk their tests, or worse, fail in their subjects before you talk to them about it.

You can help your children hurdle their tests with these 7 tips:

Develop A Diaper Change Routine

How to Diaper a Baby – Babylist

Its also important to remember the unfortunate fact that poop can get everywhere, not just the diaper. But having a solid routine or at least a mental checklist can help with the cleanup.

First, always wipe front to back, taking extra care with baby girls to avoid wiping in the wrong direction. If the baby has skin folds, make sure no waste has gotten in there. With boys, clean under the scrotum and penis.

Wipe once to ensure that each area is clean, and repeat as necessary. Start with the side and outside of the area, and If theres poop in the inner labia, you want to do that last. And in order to keep from pushing waste into skin folds, wipe gently to avoid pushing waste into hard-to-clean areas due to excess pressure.

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Environmental Impact Of Cloth Versus Disposable Diapers

An average child will go through several thousand diapers in their life. Since disposable diapers are discarded after a single use, usage of disposable diapers increases the burden on landfill sites, and increased environmental awareness has led to a growth in campaigns for parents to use reusable alternatives such as cloth or hybrid diapers. An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the US, resulting in a possible 3.4 million tons of used diapers adding to landfills each year. A discarded disposable diaper takes approximately 450 years to decompose.

In October 2008, “An updated lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies” by the UK Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stated that reusable diapers can cause significantly less or significantly more damage to the environment than disposable ones, depending mostly on how parents wash and dry them. The “baseline scenario” showed that the difference in green-house emissions was insignificant . However, much better results could be achieved by using reusable diapers more rationally. “The report shows that, in contrast to the use of disposable nappies, it is consumers’ behaviour after purchase that determines most of the impacts from reusable nappies. Cloth nappy users can reduce their environmental impacts by:

How To Change A Nappy

It’s just as important to clean your baby fully whether they have wet themselves or done a poo.

If your baby’s nappy is dirty, use the nappy to clean off most of the poo from their bottom.

Then use the cotton wool and plain warm water to remove the rest and get your baby really clean.

Clean the whole nappy area gently but thoroughly and make sure you clean inside the folds of skin.

Girls should be cleaned from front to back to avoid getting germs into their vagina.

Boys should be cleaned around the testicles and penis, but there’s no need to pull back their foreskin.

If it’s warm enough, let your baby lie on the changing mat without a nappy on for a while. Wearing a nappy all the time makes nappy rash more likely.

If you’re using disposable nappies, take care not to get water or cream on the sticky tabs as they won’t stick if you do.

If you’re using cloth nappies, put in a nappy liner and then fasten the nappy. Adjust it to fit snugly round the waist and legs.

Chat to your baby while you’re changing them. Pulling faces, smiling and laughing with your baby will help you bond and help their development.

Try not to show any disgust at what’s in their nappy. You don’t want your baby to learn that doing a poo is something unpleasant or negative.

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How Often To Change A Newborns Diaper

When your newborn finally arrives, itâs all about the cuddles and the love you feel for her. Along with these joyful parenting moments come less glamorous chores, of course, such as changing wet and poopy diapers.

Experts recommend that you change your newbornâs diaper every two to three hours, or as often as needed. Why? Your little one may urinate as often as every one to three hours, and have between two and five bowel movements a day. And there are a few health reasons to consider as well:

  • Overly wet diapers left on too long can contribute to the risk of diaper rash

  • Poop can irritate your babyâs skin

  • Leftover bacteria may lead to a bladder infection .

Plus, a soiled diaper can cause leaks, and the mess can spread to your babyâs clothes, crib, car seatâyou name it! The simplest way to avoid the mess is with frequent diaper changes.

How To Diaper Baby

Get Rid of Diaper Smells Naturally

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Earn Free Diapers With Rewards

Another way to get free diapers is to earn them with popular rewards, survey sites and cash back reward programs. Survey companies such asSurvey Junkie, Swagbucks, InboxDollarsand more offer the opportunity to earn cash and free gift cards to shopping sites such as Amazon to help purchase diapers and other things your family needs.

Be sure to check out our article on Survey Apps that Pay for more information on how you can earn money from home to pay for diapers, formula and other necessities. While doing surveys online may not be enough income to replace a full-time job, it can be a financially savvy way to earn additional income for your family online from home.

Taking surveys can be done while your baby naps, while you are waiting in the school pick up line for your older kids or at night after your children have gone to bed. My husband and I have done this for years in the evenings when we watch television and the earnings can really add up!

Dont Totally Block Out The Smell

Diaper changes are a good opportunity to make sure your baby is sufficiently hydrated, though as diaper science continues to improve you may need to get clues from multiple senses to pick up whether or not your baby is staying hydrated. There can be urine in the diaper and you just dont know it, because the diaper is really absorbent and doing its job, says Dr. Jana. But the thing that people dont often think about is that really concentrated urine starts to smell stronger, which could be a sign of some dehydration.

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