Diapers: – How to change your newborn’s diaper
Introduction:
This is not a pleasant task, but it’s not really that bad or difficult. The key to it all is being prepared, with all the things you need close at hand. After only a few days you will have the hand movements down to a science and the whole procedure done within minutes.
Key things to have within close reach:
- Diapers – have more than one nearby just in case an adhesive strap breaks, another mess occurs or if it is a boy, he decides to play a wet practical joke on you. Have the diaper opened and ready-to-go before commencing.
- Baby wipes – these things are the best and you should never leave home without them. If you are cleaning up a poop, then have a few already pulled out of the box/packet so that you are not struggling to get hold of one.
- Diaper rash cream/lotion – apply only after it is all totally cleaned, including your own hands.
- Fold up protective changing mat – keep one to put under the baby if you are not at home or not near your regular changing table. It’s pretty easy
Other key things you will want to have:
- Diaper bag – have a dedicated diaper bag that can hold 6+ diapers (enough for at least 1 diaper for every hour you are away from home), baby wipes, spare clothing for the baby, baby food and a whole heap of other stuff that you will soon realize you will need when not at home.
- Disposable paper towels.
- Soft thin cotton cloth/towels to wipe baby’s face
- Spare baby bibs
- Pacifiers – depending on you and your baby
- Complete spare change of clothing for the baby
- Spare Tee-shirt/shirt for you – in case the baby does a serious vomit/burp over you.
- Spare clean baby bottles – for juice, formula, water
- Food supplies for the baby – depends on age of baby, but this may include formula and water to add into the baby bottle, small snacks such as baby crackers,
- Sunscreen for baby’s – depending on season and geographical location.
- Plastic bags – for disposing of used diapers or isolating dirty clothing for washing later
How it’s done:
- Lay out all needed items for easy grasp. You may need to do this with one hand if you are holding the baby with the other.
- Lay baby onto the protective mat, changing table or bed.
- Talk to your baby as you are changing the diaper. It will help soothe the baby and helps establish the bond between the two of you.
- Wipe your own hand first with the baby wipes to ensure you are handling your baby with clean hands. (Important for when you apply baby rash cream).
- Always keep a hand holding the baby secure so that it is safe and doesn’t role off and hurt itself, or away and create further mess.
- Release the adhesive tabs to the baby’s wet/soiled diaper and then gently grasp the baby’s ankles and lifting them up so that you have good access to the soiled area.
- Remember, for boys try to keep his pee-pee covered with a clean diaper or cloth whenever he’s undressed. Probably one of a boy’s first ‘jokes’ is to try a give their parents a surprise shower. Also, point his pee-pee down when putting on his clean diaper to reduce the chance of leaks or other discomfort.
- If the baby has pooped, fold the front of the diaper over the soiled part and leave the baby’s bottom resting on the clean area of the diaper. Proceed to clean the baby with the baby wipes, wiping away all poop. Note, when cleaning the diaper area of a baby girl, start the wipe from front to back to help prevent infection. Once clean, lift the baby’s bottom by gently holding both ankles with one hand, pull out the used diaper and slide underneath the open clean diaper.
- If the baby has only wet the diaper, lift the baby’s bottom by gently holding both ankles with one hand. Pull out the wet diaper and slide underneath the open clean diaper.
- Remember, the tabs to fasten the diaper are always at the back of the baby. (We all get this mixed up at times, so don’t stress if it happens to you). Make sure the diaper is sufficiently placed up the back, covering the baby’s bottom so that it will stay on once fastened.
- Apply diaper rash cream if required to the bottom area of the baby.
- Gently pull to the stomach of the baby the front of the new diaper. Attach the adhesive strips found on the back of each side of the diaper, to the front stomach area of the diaper.
- Place the soiled diaper in a disposable plastic bag for garbage. (Although not very environmentally correct, supermarket bags are a useful source of handy sized bags).
- Wipe your own hands again with baby wipes and the surface you were using.
Burping Your Baby:
We all know how uncomfortable it feels like when we have gas or air in our stomach. Baby’s are no different but they do need a helping hand to get the gas out of their bellies so that they can get back to eating, sleeping and the other things they do.
Babies almost always as they drink breast or bottled formula milk, swallow some air along with it. This can cause them discomfort and also stop them from eating all that they should as the gas fills up their tummy, making them feel full before they have consumed their proper dosage.
So, to help babies out a little, an important skill to learn is burping your baby. This can be done mid way through the meal or at the end, to ensure that the baby will finish up feeling happy after the meal, sleeping contently or resting happily and comfortably.
Don’t forget that this can get a little messy so be careful of your clothing. We recommend that you have a burp cloth between your baby’s head/face and yourself. Many a dad has had to change fresh clean clothing after a little unexpected spew has come about from making his baby feel better.
Burping Your Baby – How it’s done
Standard burping technique
Hold your baby upright with the head resting on your shoulder and body close to your upper chest. Support the baby’s bottom with one hand and gently pat, tap or rub the baby’s back with the other. Obviously don’t pat too hard, but it does sometimes require a firm hand on the baby’s back to eventually get the air out from the stomach. You may have to do this for some time to persuade the gas out. Once the baby has burped one or two times, job accomplished.
Knee-to-lap technique
Gently place the baby face down across your lap, with the baby’s stomach lying on top of one of your knees/lower thigh and the head resting to the side on your other leg. With one hand, gently massage or tap the back of the baby whilst the other hand is holding the baby steady between your knees. The natural pressure of the baby’s body on its stomach will often force the gas out of the belly. Again, it is advised to place the burp cloth underneath the baby’s face before you commence the burping session.
Seated technique
Hold your baby in a seated position on your lap, supporting/holding up the baby’s neck and chest with one hand. The baby should be leaning forward with your assistance. Gently pat the baby’s back until the gas releases. Have a burp cloth handy.
Baby care basics
Don’t stress:
Almost all new Dads are nervous and unsure when taking care of their child for the first time. It is generally a new experience and to be expected that mistakes and mishaps will occur. But really, if you act with gentle care and don’t rush things, little real harm can be done.
Typical mishaps that many Dads experience have included:
- forgetting the burp cloth and receiving a shirt full of regurgitated milk
- forgetting the diaper bag on a trip out in the car
- putting diapers on backwards
- putting too much nappy rash cream on the baby’s bottom
- knocking over the milk bottle before placing the lid on tightly
- dropping a used diaper on the floor causing the mess to go everywhere
- forgetting to wash the bottle before using it again
- babies and children vomiting in the car, on their Dad in airplanes, at restaurants, pretty much almost anywhere
- totally missing the baby’s mouth when feeding it, thereby pasting baby food all over the baby’s face, throat and chest
- putting the baby’s shoes on the wrong feet
A key thing to remember is to relax. A baby can pick up on a parent’s feelings and so you stressing out can influence the baby and just make things harder for you. Remember also, it’s not as if the baby can complain that you dropped the dirty diaper on the floor nor will it remember any of these things.
Just holding the baby and gently rocking it from side to side will often have a calming effect over the baby. Don’t be afraid of your own voice. Talk, sing and joke with your baby. The child will learn to recognize your voice and your smell. By behaving in this calming way, the baby should respond similarly.
Tiredness:
You are also going to get very tired at times. Young baby’s need almost constant attention and care. They are new to this world and regular feeding every few hours is critical to their development and building their immune system. The milk/food also has to go somewhere, so being organized with diapers and baby wipes close at hand is essential.
Sleep deprivation affects everyone differently. Some people can cope without any problems with only a few hours sleep night after night. Others feel this is almost torture. It can affect people physically, emotionally and behaviorally so be prepared for potentially some trying times and be understanding if you also have a partner who is waking up every two hours during the night for feeding. BUT IT WILL END.
To help things for you and your partner, try to be as organized and prepared as possible. Take every opportunity to catch a siesta when it offers. If you have close family members living nearby, don’t be afraid to ask for their assistance occasionally.
Remember to also give your partner regular positive and loving attention. Be vocally and actively supportive. We all need and appreciate encouragement and praise and it all helps.
Swaddling:
This is an age-old practice of wrapping infants snugly in swaddling cloths, blankets or similar cloth so that movement of the limbs of the baby is tightly restricted. It is highly likley that the nurses at the hospital where your baby was born wrapped up your little one like this before the child was handed to you. Swaddling brings the baby back into a comfort zone where there is the feeling of warmth and restrivieness is a welcomed familiarity.
It is understandable when thinking about it why swaddling would relax a newborn. For nine months the baby has lived in a warm, comfortable but cramped place, and become very used to these conditions. The outside world is a cold harsh reality that the baby is unaccustomed to and will take time adjusting, to feel safe and relaxed.
How to swaddle
- Lay the blanket on a flat surface (bed, table, changing table) in front of you in a diamond position.
- Fold down the top corner of the diamond approx 4-6 inches (pulling the top towards you).
- Lay the baby in the middle of the blanket with the baby’s neck at the fold you have just made.
- Bring the left had corner of the blanket underneath the baby, wrap it over the baby’s right arm and chest, and tuck gently but tightly under the baby’s left arm, and behind the baby. The baby’s right arm and body should be snugly restricted.
- Fold the bottom corner of the blanket up over the baby’s body and tuck under the baby’s chin into the first fold you did.
- Now pull now the final corner of the diamond (remaining right hand side) across the baby’s body, tucking snugly in it the baby’s left arm. Pull the cloth under the baby’s back, wrapping around the baby and ultimately tucking back into the top of the cloth.
Adjustments to the swaddle:
As you become more practiced with swaddling, you will likely have your own technique that works best for you and your baby. As the baby grows, it may prefer to have its arms free rather than enclosed. Swaddling is only done in the early stages of a newborn’s life. After a few weeks or months, the baby will outgrow this need, becoming bigger and stronger and requiring a different set of skills from you again.
Getting your baby dressed
Believe it or not, this can sometimes be a far more difficult exercise than you would ever have anticipated before having a child. Although small, babies can raise a hell of a racket and be in their own unique way quite obstructionist when trying to change their clothes or take off dirty clothes so that they take a bath.
The trick to making it more agreeable for you and your baby when completing the task is the following:
1. Easy dressing clothes.
You may think this suggestion is superfluous but practicality can sometimes get forgotten when dressing your child for a day out. Think for starters about frequency of diaper changes and the ease or difficulty that your baby’s particular clothes allow for multiple quick diaper changes. If the clothes require almost complete removal then you may perhaps be setting yourself up for a tiring day of dressing and undressing. Your occasion (and/or partner) may demand something more formal, elaborate and difficult but do not underestimate this factor when dressing your child.
Look for fabrics that give and stretch, particularly around the neck and when getting those rubbery hands into sleeves. Look for buttons, snaps, or zippers on the front of the piece of clothing instead of the back. For nighttime diaper changes, sleeping outfits with stretchy hems at the bottom can be lifesavers.
Preparing bottles for babies – powdered milk
Many parents will attempt to feed their infants under one year of age powdered milk. On some occasions the child just may not like the taste and reject no matter how many times you attempt to feed it. It is suggested that you consult your doctor for advice in this situation.
However, when undertaking the task of preparing the baby formula it is important that this is done properly and in a hygienic way.
Here are some simple things to note for this task:
1. Wash your hands before handling the baby bottle and preparing the baby formula.
2. Ensure the baby bottle is ready, cleaned and the nipple is working properly (not blocked).
3. Ensure you have read and understood the directions for preparing the baby formula. Sometimes the formulas (spoonfuls of formula to water ratio) can differ depending on the brands available.
4. Something to remember for any can you open for yourself or your child (not just baby formula), ensure the lid or top of the can is cleaned. Many germs and dust (and who knows what else) can attach itself to the can and become dangerous if consumed.
5. Run the water out of the tap for up to one minute to ensure that any contaminants that may have collected in the local pipes have been washed away.
6. Where the formula instructions require the water to be boiled prior to mixing, make sure that the water has boiled for at least 5 minutes. Never boil water more than once. Mineral concentrations can change during the boiling process. Allow for the boiled water to cool down before mixing with the formula.
7. First fill the baby bottle with cold water to the required water amount of your formula. Do not add formula powder first. The powder in the bottom of the bottle will skew the measurement of the water if you put the powder in first.
8. Add the correct amount of powdered formula into the baby bottle.
9. Put the lid back on the baby bottle. Shake sufficiently until the powder formula is mixed entirely into the water.
10. If your baby prefers warm formula from the bottle, heat the bottle by placing it in a pan of hot, but not boiling, water for a few minutes, or hold the bottle under the hot water tap for a few minutes. Never heat baby formula in the microwave. Microwaving can result in hot spots that can severely burn a baby’s mouth.
11.Shake the bottle after heating it, then turn the bottle upside down and let a few drops fall out on your forearm. The baby formula should feel warm on your arm, but not hot.
12. Never re-use left over formula from the baby bottle. It can gather all sorts of bacteria from the baby’s mouth which could become harmful if consumed later.