How change a diaper

This article is also available in Italian.

Are you just become a parents for the first time? In this article you will find useful information and answers to your questions:

• Which diaper choice for your child

• Where you can change the child if you don’t have a changing table
• How wash the lower back of the newborn
• How change the diaper

Which diaper choice for your child

In recent years, there seems to be a return of cotton diapers, but even so most parents still prefer the disposable, perhaps for convenience.

Of course, this is a personal choice, but do not hide my preference for cotton, first of all because they are cheaper, then the child has soft cotton in contact with the skin, not paper. Surely with the cotton diaper, the child should be changed more often. With disposable diapers, there is a greater risk of allergies, recognizable because the hives covers the entire area of the diaper and not only the area near the anus (which in this case are called rashes).

No final point in favor of washable, is to safeguard the environment, see more details here: Pannolini di cotone lavabili.

Where you can change the child if you don’t have a changing table

When the child is wet and you have to change him, it is important to have everything at hand: clothes, towels, soap, wipes. Never leave your baby on the changing table, may fall to the ground.

The diaper change can be done anywhere, either in a mat, a towel on the floor or on a changing table.
You have no changing table? You can create your changing mat on a dresser, it works just as well.

Nor is it necessary that the child care takes place in the bathroom, can easily be changed into a laundry room or a bedroom, it is important that the place is warm.

How wash the lower back of the newborn

When the child is dirty and needs to be changed, it is important, when you remove the diaper, to eliminate as much as possible, the poop with the diaper and then close in on itself (see photo). Now you can use the wipes are marketed.

The child’s genitals should be cleaned always from top to bottom.

Remember that the child’s skin does not need scented soaps and lotions, because they can damage the skin.

It is preferable to use a cloth (like a soft gauze) moistened with water and a little oil, or wash the baby’s bottom with running water directly.

If you use soap without perfume, it is recommended that you rinse well the baby’s skin. No need to wash the baby at every diaper change, twice a day is enough.

If your child has skin wounds (classic is the diaper rash), use the zinc oxide paste (preferably with a high percentage of zinc oxide) and no oil. Covering the areas to be protected, the cream creates a protective layer to the pee.

How change the diaper

A baby, the first week of life, does poop every time he eats so he needs a new diaper at every meal, even at night.

When the stomach of the child is calm, there is no need to change a diaper at night.

How many times have to be changed diapers varies and depends partly on how much the baby eats. More he eats and more he does poop.

Of course, there are babies that do poop at each meal and babies that do it only once a week.

Then we say that, after washing the child, we have near us a clean diaper, open it with laces for close on the back and put it under the baby’s bottom, high enough on him back. Before closing the diaper, we make sure that we have opened all the good curling around the leg, thus preventing any leakage. When finally we close in front, we will close but not too tight, ideal is that we pass a finger between the diaper and tummy.

The whole operation should not last longer than 5 minutes. At first it will be difficult, but you make this your goal.For the first week you can try to speed up, putting the clean diaper open under the baby before removing the dirty diaper.

Often children do not like being changed, you can reassure the child, talking to him, saying what you are doing step by step: “now I raise my legs,” “I wash you,” etc.. ..

The wet wipes, being cold, could be annoying, in winter, try to keep a moment on a radiator.

The video below is detailed, there are instructions on how to wash and change the baby, but not only, it also explains how to treat the umbilical cord.