Diaper size 0: until when for premature babies?

Your baby was born prematurely? He will need a special size diaper, adapted to his morphology of premature baby. Indeed, the standard sizes for newborns correspond to a weight of 3kg and a height of about 50 cm. Still too big for your little one. Fortunately, there are other diaper choices for premature babies.

All about the characteristics of size 0 diapers

Size 0 diapers are made for newborns who weigh between 1 and 2.5 kg. This diaper size is suitable for several weeks in the case of medium prematurity, and for several months in the case of high prematurity.

We speak of medium prematurity for a birth taking place between the 33rd and 36th week of amenorrhea (which corresponds to 7-8 months of pregnancy) and of great prematurity if the birth takes place before the 28th week of pregnancy, i.e. before 6 months.

The vast majority of babies who are born prematurely wear size 0 diapers for about a month.

When is it necessary to buy size 0 diapers?

Babies born prematurely are often placed in neonatal intensive care, under incubator depending on the degree of prematurity of each baby. During his stay in the hospital, the nursing staff is there to help you and provide you with size 0 diapers specially designed for premature babies. You will need to buy size 0 diapers only for when you go home.

Then, he can be discharged from the hospital as soon as he becomes autonomous at the digestive and respiratory level. You need to buy diapers for when your child comes back home.

You should know that few brands offer size 0 diapers. The skin of babies born prematurely is much more fragile than that of other babies.

Therefore, it is even more important to make sure that the diapers do not contain harmful substances, endocrine disruptors that could cause irritations and allergies. We advise you to turn to disposable, ecological or organic diapers.

How many size 0 diapers should I buy for my baby?

The number of size 0 diapers you will need depends on your baby, his level of prematurity and thenumber of months/weeks he will spend in the hospital before coming home.

In general, it is estimated that you will need 2 or 3 size 0 packs by the time your baby reaches a weight of 2.5 kg. Don't forget that it is essential to change your baby's diapers regularly: to avoid redness, irritation and diaper rash which develop during prolonged contact between the skin and urine/faeces. You should change your baby's diaper after every feeding or bottle feeding, and as soon as he has a bowel movement.

When to change baby's diaper for size 1?

There are several signs that may tell you it's time to move up to the next size:

• If you have regular leaks
• If youcan no longer close the diaper properly because the fasteners have become too small
• If your baby's skin gets red marks when you change him

All these signs should indicate that you need to switch to a size 1 diaper.