Diapering baby

Diapering Baby

New parent? Are you wondering about diapering baby? and not sure how to go about it.
Looking for information on newborn care and which newborn diapers to use?

You’ve come to the right place! I can help … with about 20 years experience with nursing babies - diapering baby is as easy as pie - and I’ll even show you how with a video clip of diaper changing from my fun educational dvd for first time parents - endorsed by Australian College of Midwives Inc and Parenting author Steve Biddulph.

Being a first time Parent is such a huge life changing event- emotions can range from fear to great excitement … there is so much to learn … and it can be fun and easy with lots of time for loving and cuddles!

So let’s start with diapering baby:
When to diaper baby - usually this is done about 6 to 8 times over the period of a day (24 hours) best just before you feed your baby - no strict rule though except don’t do a lot of bouncing baby about after a feed as your baby may throw-up (possit is the medical word we use - and they tend to do this because the muscle at the top of the stomach is a little weak when they are born).

When your baby does a poop - don’t freak out at the thick sticky green stuff - that is called meconium and it was inside your baby’s intestines while inside mom - and it has to come out! It is best to diaper baby as soon as you know they have done a poop as it can cause a diaper rash if left in contact with baby’s sensitive skin - the smell may alert you that diapering baby is needed - or maybe you’ll just get a little surprise when you take off the diaper!

Ok - so be prepared - what do you need for diapering baby?
Most important - you need a safe place for diapering baby - this is a place that is clean, and where the baby cannot come to harm (from perhaps other little children - or from rolling off the diaper table. It is a good idea when at home to have an area set up where you can safely do this - with all you might need - within easy reach.

You need:
” Clean newborn diapers eg Huggies diapers or cloth diapers if that is your choice
” Something to clean your baby’s buttocks eg baby wipes or cotton wool balls with some warm water.
” Somewhere to put the dirty newborn diapers (eg. in a bucket or disposable bag)

How to go about it:
” Best to work at a height that won’t hurt your back (you’ll be doing lots of this over the next two years!!)
” Wash your hands before starting.
” Press your own body against the end of the diapering table - so that your baby can’t roll off - you never know how soon they are going to start rolling around - so get into the habit right from the start.
” With baby lying on his/her back - Undo the tabs on the newborn diapers
” Lift your baby’s bottom by holding the legs, and try to wipe off as much of the poop (if there is any) as you fold the diaper in on itself and remove it.
” Using a clean wipe or wet cotton ball - wipe from front to back (particularly with girl babies) and then dispose of the dirty wipe. It is important that you don’t leave poop or urine in the creases, and with boy babies - you don’t want to leave poop under the foreskin (but don’t pull back the foreskin)
” Use as many wipes as you feel you need until you are happy that there is no residue of faeces(poop) or urine (wee) on your baby’s skin.
” It is not necessary to routinely apply a cream to prevent diaper rash. If your baby’s bottom starts to look a little pink - then use an ointment/cream that will repel the moisture. Some people use vaseline (petroleum jelly) - but I prefer not to use this regularly - as your baby can absorb the minerals from the Vaseline and it can disturb the natural mineral balance in their body). A natural vegetable based cream is better - ask at your drug store or Health Professional.
” It is also better not to apply a beautiful smelling baby powder to their buttock/genital area - as this can dry the skin and increase the risk of diaper rash. If you like the smell of the powder - just sprinkle a little on the inside of the baby clothes.
” Place the clean newborn diaper under your baby, about halfway up - sort of in line with the belly button (umbilicus) and remove the piece of paper that is over the tab. With newborn diapers - place your baby evenly in the middle of the newborn diaper, and when you do up the tabs - make sure that the diaper is not too tight across the baby’s tummy - and not too loose - so that when you lift your baby - the newborn diaper falls down!
” There … just as I said .. diapering baby is as easy as pie - I forget to mention that your baby will most probably also want to throw in a good cry - so don’t be afraid - that is pretty much normal behaviour for a newborn!

When choosing newborn diapers, I personally chose the Huggies diapers as I found they lasted well and kept the moisture away from my baby’s skin, and I had no problems with diaper rash.

See - newborn care is easy - when you know how.
For more help - why not purchase my fun educational dvd “Seven Steps to Baby Bliss”? It shows you all you need to know when you first come home with your baby.
It covers all aspects of newborn care - from how to bath your baby, dress, and massage your baby - which I highly recommend because of all the benefits to your baby and it is so easy to do; feeding your newborn baby and how to work out if your baby is getting enough milk and SIDS prevention. The one chapter you will really want to watch is the one on how to “settle” a crying baby - i.e to work out why your baby is crying and what you can do to help.

So from diapering baby, to massaging baby - soon you will learn to understand your baby’s cues and become a confident New Parent!
Enjoy this special time of your lives!