When to change baby's diaper: tips and frequency
Your little wonder has just been born and you are totally lost with your baby's diapers! Between the speeches of the pediatrician, the midwives, the nurses and the nursery nurses at the maternity hospital, it is panic. Here is a very simple article to help you with a return home as serene as possible without the presence of the nursing staff or beautiful mom!
Why change baby's diaper regularly?
From the moment of birth, you will feel that you are spending a lot of time changing your newborn's diaper. Your little baby is going to ask you to change his diaper at his own pace with his bottles, his feedings, his naps, his restless sleep and his multiple diaper changes. It is very important to change your child's soiled diaper for several reasons:
- To ensure your baby's good hygiene. Stool and urine are full of bacteria;
- To ensure his comfort during his resting time;
- To avoid the overflowing diaper Avoid overflowing diapers and leaking pee if they are too full;
- Avoid your baby having a diaper rash (uncomfortable red patches) or irritation;
- Encourage your child to sleep;
- For little girls, this will prevent fungus.
How long can a baby keep his diaper?
Pediatricians recommend changing an infant's diaper every 3 hours during the first moments of the child's life.
Depending on the child's weight, size and the volume of his stools and urine, a child will not be able to keep his diaper for very long. Often, it is written on the packets of diapers that they can be kept up to 12 hours, which corresponds to the duration of a night , but it all depends on the brand you use, the absorbency of the diaper and the rhythm of your child! So there are not really precise rules:
- A newborn will not be able to keep his diaper more than 3 or 4 hours, because he will pee in the diaper and poop in an anarchic way;
- A small child who sleeps through the night will keep his diaper all night long!
How often should I change my baby's diaper?
Your baby's diaper will usually fill during or after each feeding and sometimes even a little more frequently. You should therefore change your baby's diaper every 2 to 4 hours, or even more often depending on the milk he consumes and his health:
- Breastfed babies have much more explosive and liquid stools than bottle-fed babies + ;
- The composition of the artificial milk given in the bottle will potentially increase explosive yellow poop or small ball stools which are a sign of constipation.
Again, there are no hard and fast rules. It will depend on your child's sleep pattern, whether he or she is comfortable wearing a soiled diaper, whether you use disposable diapers, cloth diapers or training pants. It's up to you to adapt to avoid red bottoms or extra laundry!
Feeding time : should I change the diaper before or after ?
This is THE most difficult question to answer for a young parent! Should you change your baby's diaper before or after a bottle, before or after a feeding?
A newborn will wet or soak his diaper after or during each feeding, and for breastfeeding moms this is a good indicator that the baby has eaten well:
- Change your baby before the meal to avoid regurgitation, vomiting happens when handling the child. You also expose yourself to more screaming and crying during the change if he is hungry. Without disturbing him, your baby will fall asleep more easily;
- Change your baby after feeding to satisfy his hunger more quickly by feeding him. It is also smart to wait until your baby has finished eating to change him, unless his diaper was already full and was on the verge of leaking. *
Is it recommended to change baby's diaper at night?
After eating, your little one will probably fall into the arms of Morpheus... Or so you hope! When your little wonder is an infant, you'll need to keep a diaper changing rhythm linked to feedings. Every time you wake up, don't hesitate to change your child's diaper. After 6 weeks of life, your baby will be able to sleep through the night and will not necessarily need to be swaddled at night.
Pooping and peeing will no longer be systematic at night. No reason to wake him up to change his diaper. If he wakes up during the night because he has had a nightmare or is suffering from teething problems, don't hesitate to make sure he is dry!
Evolution of the changing rhythm with baby's age
Your baby's diapering rhythm is closely linked to his meals and his maturity. The older he grows, the more he will create habits and routines or be able to control his perineum and sphincter.
- During the first week of life, a baby urinates at least 6 times in 24 hours. Each pee will contain between 30 and 45 ml of clear, odorless urine. The frequency of his stools will be from 3 to 6 per day depending on his milk intake;
From the 6th week of life, the volumes will stabilize. Between 2 and 5 poops per day, one poop per week, one poop every 2 or 3 days.
FAQ on when to change your baby's diaper
How do you know if your baby is cold at night?
To know if you should change your baby's diaper before or after a bottle, don't hesitate to observe his condition: If he is hungry, you should change him after the bottle. If he is spitting up, change him before taking the milk. An infant will tend to relieve himself during or after feeding. So change him after each meal.
Should I change the diaper when I wake up in the morning?
Changing the diaper when your child wakes up is important to avoid your child wetting his pajamas, or soaking in a wet or soiled diaper. His skin is very fragile and it is possible that diaper rashes, irritations or mycosis develop in a few hours.
When is the best time to change a baby's diaper?
The best time to change your baby's diaper is after every wake-up call, after every meal, before and after every outing (park, shopping, restaurant, leaving for daycare,...) and before sleeping at night or for a nap.