Step-By-Step Guide to Changing a Baby’s Diaper

Last Updated on November 22, 2024 by Joshua Isibor

With bathing and feeding your newborn, changing their diapers is a task you will face, especially as a new parent. Being nervous is normal, but you do not need to worry as you will get used to it soon enough.

To change your baby’s diaper, don’t focus on smell alone; he/she can soil up to 8 diapers a day, adding up to more than 3,500 diaper changes until they are toilet trained. Make your baby stay warm and free of rashes by changing the diaper immediately after it is soiled.

Here are some useful tips to make the process easier;

What You Need

Make sure everything you need is close by before you start

-Changing table

-Diapers

-Ointment

-Disposable bag

-Charge of Clothes

-Wipes

As a newborn’s skin is quite sensitive, using warm water and a cloth is advisable to prevent skin irritation during the first weeks of life.

You can use a clean floor or changing pad as a safe changing area to avoid your baby falling or rolling off. Never leave your baby alone, for the slightest movement could lead to her falling.

How To Change Your Baby’s Diaper

These instructions are mainly for changing disposable diapers:

1. Get ready by washing your hands and bringing the necessary supplies closer:

Make sure everything is out of the baby’s grasp but at yours so you won’t need to turn your back while your baby is on the changing table.

2. Lay your baby on her back and gently remove any clothing that restrains access to the diaper

Unfasten the diaper tabs on each side and gently raise your child’s bottom of the diaper by grasping their ankles and lifting simultaneously. Remove the diaper cover and snap or Velcro from your baby’s waist for reusable cloth diapers.

3. Use wipes to clean up your baby

Always wipe from front to back to avoid infection, especially a vulva. Clean it thoroughly and set the trash aside, far from the baby’s reach.

4. Soothe the area with diaper ointment, and before you put on a fresh diaper, wait for the baby’s skin to dry

Ensure the tabs are on the side located under your child’s bottom, then fasten the tabs to secure the diaper on his waist after you have brought the front part up on your baby’s stomach. Finally, replace any clothing over the new diaper.

ALSO, READ The perfect way to Soothe a Crying Baby

How To Prevent Diaper Rash

To avoid diaper rash, heed these precautions;

-During changes, clean your baby’s diaper region completely. Never use scented wipes or soaps on the area.

– Check your baby’s diaper often and change it on time. You can check the diaper by pulling the waistband out to see if it is wet or dirty.

– When drying your baby after a bath do not scrub a baby’s bottom but pay.

-Look out for skin marks indicating the diaper is too tight. A diaper that is too tight can cause pressure on your baby’s stomach, which will likely make them throw up.

Conclusion

Be careful, for experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) don’t recommend using baby powder due to the health risks associated with breathing in airborne particles.

Call your pediatrician if questions arise or you feel unsure of anything. Rest assured that you will become a master at this parenting task sooner than you envisioned with the help of a nurse or other experienced persons.

ALSO, READ THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT NEWBORNS

Originally posted 2022-04-25 07:44:03.