How to change baby's diaper?
Your little wonder has just joined your family. Your family is growing and new emotions and tasks are being added to your already busy daily routine. Among your new mission as parents, the essential step that you will accomplish at least 10 times a day is changing your baby's diaper! We tell you everything!
- Changing a baby's diaper: the step-by-step guide!
- Mistakes to avoid when changing baby's diaper
- What are the useful accessories to change baby's diaper?
- Changing a baby girl's diaper or a baby boy's diaper: what are the differences?
- How to change the diaper according to the age of the child?
- When should I change my baby's diaper?
- How to choose the right size diaper to change baby ?
- Diaper leakage : how to avoid it during the change ?
Changing a baby's diaper : the step by step guide !
Changing a baby's diaper is an essential step in your new life as a young mom and dad. Changing your child will be for you a moment of apprehension, joy, laughter, tears and worries. What will you find in the diaper of your little one? How to put the diaper of baby as well as a professional of the early childhood in full safety?
- Wash your hands before changing your baby's diaper!
- Make sure you have all the products you need on hand: wipes, cotton pads, diapers, liniment oléo-calcaireMake sure you have all the products you need at hand: wipes, cotton pads, diapers, liniment, change of clothes, washcloths, diapers.
- Place baby on the changing table or on the changing table. Make sure he or she is lying on a clean towel or sheet.
- Once your child is settled, keep your eyes on him or her and always have a hand on him or her to avoid an accident. Your little one could fall off the changing table and get hurt badly.
- Unbutton the bottom of your baby's bodysuit, and pull the fabric up to just above the navel or up to the chest if the diaper is already full. This way, you'll avoid having to change all of his clothes.
- Open the diaper with the side ties.
- Roll the diaper up or fold it over , using the clean part of the front of the diaper to remove and clean as much stool as possible from your baby's bottom.
- Wash baby thoroughly with a wet cotton ball soaked in liniment, diaper cream or a washcloth. Don't forget to clean every little fold of your child. You will avoid many irritations. Never get pee or poo on your baby's genitals.
- Dry your baby'sbottom and reproductive systemthoroughly. Your baby's skin should be dry after each diaper change. Gently pat baby's skin without rubbing to remove any moisture and risk of redness and diaper rash.
- Immediatelyplace a clean diaper under your baby's bottom to avoid pee leaks on your diaper cushion. The diaper's scratches should be at the back and folded over the front of the diaper.
- Apply diaper cream if needed to relieve your baby's redness and irritation. Use a suitable moisturizer.
- Close the scratches of the new diaper by adjusting the closure to the size of your child. Let two fingers pass at the level of the navel. Clear the small wings around the thighs which will retain the fluids and avoid nice leaks!
- Put your baby's clothes on and take him off the changing table. Place him safely on his floor mat, his bed or if he walks on the floor!
- Close the diaper room with the scratches and dispose of it in an appropriate trash can.
Mistakes to avoid when changing baby's diaper
When you change your baby's diaper, there are a few mistakes to avoid to ensure the safety and good hygiene of your child. Here is the bible of what not to do:
- Move away from your child to prevent any risk of falling. Always stay close to your child during the entire bathing process;
- Clean your child in any way you can. Never change a child from the bottom up, always from the anus to the sex;
- Keep your baby's bottom moist. Moisture will cause irritation, diaper rash and potentially fungus on a newborn's fragile skin;
- Undressing your baby completely is unnecessary. Your child may catch a cold, fall off the changing table and may also get upset and make the moment uncomfortable;
- If your child suffers from reflux, do not change him right after eating, he could regurgitate;
- Use a diaper that is too big or too small for your baby. Use a diaper that is too big or too small for your baby. A diaper that doesn't fit properly can be uncomfortable or cause leaks;
- Use wipes for each diaper change: wipes are very irritating to baby's skin and should be used sparingly;
- Position your baby's diaper incorrectly: the upper part of the diaper should be pulled up to the navel, the diaper should lie flat and come up to the lumbar region in the back. Be careful to make the tabs on each side of the thighs stand out.
What are the useful accessories to change the baby's diaper?
When you change your child's diaper, you need a minimum of equipment to install, clean and dress your baby.
Essential equipment
You will be changing many, many, many diapers during the first three years of your little one's life. Get equipped! Our essentials:
- A heavy-duty changing table or changing pad - one that can support the weight of a baby weighing more than 11 kilos;
- A flat or sloping changing mat for babies with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease);
- A changing mat cover;
- Diapers or old towels to put directly in the changing table;
- A diaper garbage can to avoid throwing them in an ordinary trash can and suffering from a strong unpleasant odor;
- Also think about putting spare cloth s in the changing table! You never know if your child will stain when changing;
Diapers and hygiene products
Prepare your changing table with products adapted to the change of your child:
- Cotton pads, maxi pads: Prefer organic, hypoallergenic cotton pads. Ideally, they should be GOTS or Ecocert certified;
- Natural, organic liniment or diaper milk;
- A moisturizing cream to take advantage of the diaper change to moisturize baby's skin;
- A diaper cream to treat redness and diaper rash;
- Physiological serum.
Changing a baby girl's or boy's diaper: what are the differences?
Always remember to clean your baby from the front to the back, without going back and forth with the wipe. Always go from clean to dirty and not the other way around. You don't want feces, urine or dirt to go from your baby's bottom to his sex.
Don't forget to clean all the little folds of the skin, especially those in the groin. Sometimes you'll need to clean your baby's back, especially when he or she has had an overflowing bowel movement. You'll also need to change his clothes.
To change a baby girl's diaper properly, clean the labia minora and majora, and the vulva with great care. Always go from the pubic area to the rectum. Poor hygiene can lead to fungus and irritation. Avoid cleaning the inside of the vulva because you may irritate it or remove vaginal secretions that protect the vagina from bacteria.
For a little boy, be careful not to get a stream of pee when changing. Hold the diaper tightly when you untie it. Wipe the cotton pad over the penis and especially around the testicles/bursal area. Do not unzip your child. The foreskin can stick to the glans (phimosis) and you could hurt him. Talk to your doctor or pediatrician.
How to change the diaper depending on the age of the child?
Depending on the age of the child, you will change him more or less regularly. You will do it on a changing table, a mattress, a bed and the more he grows, the more mobile he will be and therefore, you can end up changing him standing up.
Infant and newborn
A newborn needs to be gentle and you will see that it will surely be difficult at the beginning to change your child's diaper:
- Open the clean diaper and place it under baby.
- Do not lift your child by the feet, but gently turn him to the side. Fold the front of the diaper over your child's belly.
- Fold the edge of the diaper under the navel so that it does not rub the umbilical cord.
- Make sure that the elasticated folds of the diaper are positioned towards the outside (thighs and elders) to avoid leaks and make sure that the width of the diaper is well centered on the front and back.
Infant
As your baby grows and his or her diaper is full, you'll notice that your child has other things to do than lie down and wait for you to finish cleaning and changing.
To make the moment easier, you can change his diaper standing up and use pull-on diapers or training pants if you want to help him learn to potty train. Don't hesitate to involve him in the changing process. Tell him the steps and what you are doing. You can even flush your child's stool down the toilet to explain that that's where it belongs.
When should I change my baby's diaper?
It's important to change your baby's diaper your baby's diaper regularly. It should be done at every feeding and every time your baby has a bowel movement. Some people prefer to change their baby's diaper before feeding, others after, it's up to you!
It's up to you, but in any case, you should never leave him with a dirty bottom. You must change him at each feeding. Prolonged skin contact with a dirty diaper can lead to irritation, redness diaper rash and other inconveniences that we want to avoid.
It is also important to wash your baby's genitals and buttocks when you change his diaper.
To avoid running out of diapers, we recommend that you estimate how many diapers are needed per day and per month.
How to choose the right size diaper for changing baby?
In order for your child to be comfortable in his diapers, neither too tight nor not tight enough, you must make sure that the diapers you use are the right size. For choose the right size diapersYou can refer to the size guide chart. Here are also some signs that it's time to change diaper sizes:
- If the diaper no longer covers the bottom well;
- If you notice red marks on your baby's tummy or thighs;
- If you can no longer slip two fingers under the diaper's waistband;
- If you have difficulty closing the diaper's adhesives or if they no longer reach the center of the diaper;
- If you see that your baby tends to pull on the diaper, it indicates that he is not comfortable.
Diaper leaks: how to avoid them during diaper changes?
If your child's diapers are overflowingIf your child's diapers are overflowing, first check to see if you are using the right size diapers. Sometimes a diaper leaks when it is the right size. This is the case if the diaper is put on the wrong way, either too tight or not tight enough. Also check that the adhesives on the sides are positioned symmetrically and that the cuffs are facing out.
A good size will allow the pee to stay in the diaper and protect your baby from touching other areas of the body. As soon as the diaper is full, it's time to change it!
Diaper Changing FAQs
Why put the baby on his side when changing?
The best way to change your baby is to rotate his pelvis to the side while holding his thigh.
Why does baby cry when being changed?
Your baby can cry when he is changed for several reasons: if he is cold, if the diaper is not the right size, if the moment chosen to change him is not the right one, if the clothes you put on him are too tight.
How to change baby without waking him up?
It is preferable to change your baby before feeding to avoid waking him by changing him after feeding. Indeed, it is often during the feeding or just after that your child falls asleep.