How To Diaper A Baby
Changing your baby’s diaper is one of those tasks where the success is contingent upon how you approach it. A positive outlook and sense of humor will go a long way in making the experience less of a chore and more of fun bonding time with your newborn baby boy or baby girl.
To make life easier have a specific area set aside for changing diapers. If you’re scrambling to clear counter space while baby cries you’ll only add to the stress and make a soggy situation worse. If you have a predetermined space that includes fresh diapers, baby wipes, cotton balls, access to warm water, ointments and disposal basket you’ll be well prepared for the diaper changing task.
When babies are wet or soiled they don’t feel too good. A great tip for easing the discomfort is to soothe a baby while changing his diaper. Singing to your baby, talking to him or playing soft music can be great ways to distract him from the mess you’re cleaning up. Another idea is to provide your baby with a toy.
Be sure to wash your hands prior to changing your baby’s diaper. When the emergency time comes parents often forget what they were doing before and can easily spread germs and bacteria to a baby’s body if they haven’t thoroughly washed their hands. Lay your baby down on a comfortable, dry changing pad and remove the dirty diaper and quickly dispose of it in a diaper bin that has a secure lid. You can use the diaper to remove most of the bowel movement and to soak up excess urine.
Clean the remaining urine and feces with a wet cotton ball or diaper wipe. Be gentle with your wiping motions and check to see if there are any skin irritations or rashes being caused. Diaper rash is common among infants as most have up to five spool discharges a day. Pat your baby dry with a towel if you’ve been using a cotton ball or gently pat him down with the baby wipe.
Put on a fresh diaper. Cloth diapers are usually pre-folded but you have to fold some more until your baby gets bigger. For baby boys the extra fabric goes in the front and for baby girls make sure the extra fabric goes in the back. Slide the diaper under the baby so his waist aligns with the top edge, bring the front up between his legs and hold it in place while folding the sides to the center and fastening with a Velcro diaper cover or diaper pin. The cover with waterproof baby pants.