Size 0 diapers: how long for premature babies?

In collaboration with Rokiyah Hosen

Is your baby born prematurely? He'll need a special diaper size, adapted to his premature baby morphology. In fact, standard sizes for newborns correspond to a weight of 3kg and a height of around 50 cm. Still too big for your little one. Fortunately, there are other diaper choices for premature babies.

Everything you need to know about size 0 diapers

Size 0 diapers are designed for newborns weighing between 1 and 2.5 kg. This diaper size is suitable for several weeks in the case of medium prematurity, and s s for several months in the case of extreme prematurity.

A birth taking place between the 33rd and 36th week of amenorrhea (corresponding to 7-8 months of pregnancy) is considered moderately premature, while la birth taking place before the 28th week of pregnancy, i.e. before 6 months, is considered extremely premature.

The vast majority of babies born prematurely therefore wear size 0 diapers for around a month.

When is it necessary to buy size 0 diapers?

Babies born prematurely are often placed in neonatal intensive care or incubators, depending on the degree of prematurity. During your baby's stay in hospital, the nursing staff will be on hand to provide you with size 0 diapers specially designed for premature babies. You will then need to buy size 0 diapers only when you return home. 

They can then be discharged from hospital as soon as they are able to breathe and digest independently. You'll need to buy diapers for when your child returns home.

Few brands offer size 0 diapers. The skin of premature babies is much more fragile than that of other babies.

So it's even more important to make sure that diapers don't contain any harmful substances or endocrine disruptors that could cause irritation or allergies. We advise you to choose disposable, ecological or organic diapers.

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

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

In general, we estimate that you'll need 2 or 3 size 0 packs by the time your baby reaches a weight of 2.5 kg. Don't forget that it's essential to change your baby's diapers regularly: to avoid redness, irritation and diaper rash which develop when skin comes into prolonged contact with urine/faeces. You should change your baby's diaper after every feed or bottle, and as soon as he or she has had a bowel movement.

When to change baby's diaper for size 1?

There are several signs that indicate it's time to go up a size: 

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

All these signs should indicate that you need to move on to the layer size 1.