Welcome to parenthood! Changing a
diaper is definitely not the most exciting thing about being a new parent, but
for the first few years of your child's life you will be doing it a lot. Here
are some guidelines for parents who haven't changed a diaper for a long time,
or maybe ever!
Most importantly, safety is your number one
priority. If you are changing your baby on an elevated surface, such as a
changing table or bed, make sure to keep a hand on the baby at all times. Even
if the changing table has a safety strap, always stay within arms reach. Even
the youngest infants can wriggle themselves off an elevated surface extremely
quickly. If baby does fall, make sure to call your doctor immediately.
Some babies are very active during diaper change
time. Some do not like the experience, especially as newborns. You may want to
have another person there to distract them, or have a mobile or something for
them to focus on during this time. You can also distract the baby by talking or
singing to him or her. This can make the experience go much more smoothly for
everyone involved.
Step 1 :
The first step is to gather all the necessary
supplies. If you will be using a changing table, hopefully it is well stocked
with everything you need. You will need within arms reach: a clean diaper
opened up and ready to put on, wipes or a wash cloth, diaper rash cream, and a
cloth or something to clean up with in case of an accident during changing
time.A cloth diaper works great for this. It is helpful to have nearby a change
of clothes in case the diaper leaked or an accident during changing time and a
trash to dispose of the dirty diaper
Step
2 :
Second,
make sure the diaper area is clean and that you have clean hands. Germs and
infections are easily spread through diaper changes. If you can't wash your
hands with soap and water, clean them off with a diaper wipe. If changing
surface is dirty, use a clean changing pad or
wipe it down with a wipe first.
Now comes the fun part! Place
the baby on the clean changing surface. Remove baby's clothes so you have easy
access to the diaper area. You don't need to completely remove all clothes,
just make sure they are out of the way. At the very least have from the rib
cage down exposed. If baby is wearing socks, you may want to remove them.
Babies often kick during diaper changes and those socks can get dirty pretty
easily! Open up the diaper the baby has on and survey the damage before
removing it.
If
the diaper is just wet, you have a pretty easy task ahead of you. If the diaper
is dirty as well as wet, clean- up will be a little more difficult. Remove old
diaper and place to the side out of reach of baby's kicking legs and moving
arms. Gently lift up baby's bottom by
the feet and place clean diaper underneath. Make sure the sticky tabs that
close the diaper are in the back. Without allowing baby's bottom to touch new
diaper, wipe the diaper area with the wipes or washcloths. Make sure to wipe
from front to back. You may need more than one wipe if baby is really dirty. If
using disposable wipes, put them with the dirty diaper. If you are using
reusable wash cloths, put the used ones to the side. Once baby is cleaned off, place baby down on clean diaper.
If you think it is necessary,
use diaper rash cream. Some people use it for every diaper change to prevent
diaper rash, some use it when needed to clear up diaper rash. Once the cream is
applied, you can close up the diaper. Make sure diaper is snug around the
stomach and the legs, but not uncomfortable for baby. To check, diaper should
be snug, but you should be able to fit a finger between diaper and baby. If the
baby still has the umbilical stump, fold diaper under so it does not touch the
stump. Finally, get baby dressed again! Now you have a baby with a clean and
dry diaper.
Step 3 :
The final step is clean up. Be
sure to place baby in safe place during clean up. If someone is available, give
baby to them. If not, place baby in crib or other safe place so you can clean
up. First, throw away the dirty diaper and disposable wipes. If needed, clean
off changing surface or dispose of changing pad. Finally, wash your hands
thoroughly.
As a new parent, you will be
changing a lot of diapers over the next few years! If you follow these steps,
the first few diaper changes should go smoothly. And before you know it,
changing a diaper will be like second nature!
Tags
Parenting