Infant Diapering 101 from BestBabyDiapers.com

New parents are often left ill prepared for the challenges diapering a child. Most children will wear disposable diapers for the first 2 years or more of their life and throughout those 6000 plus diaper changes, parents will encounter a number of crazy diapering situations. Additionally, today’s families are seeing more two career parents and the time to go to parenting classes where proper diapering is taught is just not available. It is for the parents who may feel lost and unprepared that we are including this simple blog post on how to change a disposable diaper.
It is really important to your child’s health and hygiene that their diaper be changed regularly. Diaper rash and infections can make life miserable for your child and sore bottoms have created many distressed parents as well. An uncomfortable baby usually creates an unnerved parent. It is best to change your newborns disposable diaper between 7 and 8 times per day. As a child ages, diaper changes become less frequent, but should still continue to be at least 5 times per day. Not changing diapers regularly can result in not only diaper rashes, but urinary tract infections (UTI) as well.
Regardless of the amount of money you have spent on your disposable diapers, if your child develops a rash that does not improve with proper cleaning and ointment then you need to change your brand of diapers immediately. Infant skin is very sensitive and every child reacts differently to materials. More than one parent has discovered that the fit and materials of the name brand high dollar diapers doesn’t work as well for them as a generic or wholesale diaper. You don’t have to spend top dollar on diapers, many wholesale diapers do the job as good if not better than the top shelf brands.
Now that we have covered some diapering basics, let’s move into how to change a diaper. The process is simple and a little preparedness goes a long way. To start, you want to set up your changing area. Select a sturdy area that the child fits on well. Make sure you have a towel or some kind of cover under the child and have your wipes (pull a couple out before you take off the diaper), new diaper and a small towel or wipe available for quick wipe-ups. More importantly you want all of these items close by so that you are not leaving your child unattended during the diapering process.
Lay your child on your changing surface and keep one hand resting gently on your child. This helps the baby to feel secure and can help parents feel more secure as well. Begin by undoing the tabs of the used diaper and allowing it to fall open as you hold the child’s feet/ankles up and away from the changing area. This position will allow you to remove the soiled diaper easily. Take your wipes and clean the child’s bottom and then slide the new diaper under the child with the side of the diaper with the tabs under the child. Half of your diaper should be under your child’s back while the remaining diaper falls under and between their legs.
Feel free to allow your child’s bottom to breathe without a diaper for a few moments. This allows their bottom to dry completely before putting on another diaper. If you have a boy, you will want to keep a cloth over the penis to avoid the inevitable spray that will get all over baby and possibly you. After the skin is dry, feel free to use your preferred cream or powder. These items are not necessary unless there is an existing rash or infection or if prescribed by a doctor. When ready, pull the portion of the diaper not under the child’s back up between their legs and fasten with the tabs found on the portion of diaper under the child’s back.
When it comes to disposing of used disposable diapers, it is good practice to shake solid stools into your toilet and then discard the diaper into your trash. Most landfills are not designed to handle human waste, but your septic or sewer system are.
Diapering can be a great experience for you and your child if you go into each diaper changed relaxed and ready to make the most of this one on one contact with your baby. Remember that diapering doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, you can buy wholesale diapers and save on those over 6000 diaper changes you’ll have to complete in the next 3 years.