Baby Nappy Changing Essentials
A new mother soon realizes that feeding the baby and putting him or her to sleep, are not her only everyday duties. Taking care of everything related to your newborn automatically becomes part of the new mother’s everyday job. Changing nappies of the newborn is one of those everyday duties of the new mother.
A healthy baby passes urine and faeces frequently. Until your baby becomes 5 months old, you would only be able to feed milk to your baby. During this time period your baby would not be passing faeces as frequently due to the lack of solid food in your baby’s diet.
The new mother needs to be very careful and alert during baby’s nappy change time. It is recommended that you watch and observe how often your baby passes urine and faeces in order to make a proper schedule of changing the nappy of the baby. Everyone has their own way of managing things but it’s good to follow some basic rules to make it easy for you to perform different tasks.
Baby Cleaning Station Checklist
Set up and place tables with fitted drawers, where you can stock all the required baby changing and cleaning stuff. Adjust the height of the table according to your comfort level. Keep the table close to your bed so that you get easy access to everything you need.
Always keep the cleaning station clean and stocked with all the essentials. A nappy trash bin is very important so that you can dispose off the used nappy instantly without creating a mess.
Below are some essentials for the baby cleaning station:
1. Changing Mat
You must have at least 3-5 clean waterproof changing mats available for use, as mat might or most probably would get dirty every time and you won’t like to use the same mat again till it gets washed. Leave the dirty mat in a basket to clean it later. Immediately place the clean mat after finishing your nappy changing task.
2. Disposable Nappies
Of course you need to have large amounts of nappies, as you would need to change the baby very often for his/her good health. Babies have very sensitive skin which is prone to rashes very easily and quickly. Most often this occurs due to not changing the nappies frequently.
Are cloth nappies a better choice?
3. Washable Diapers
Some people prefer washable nappies over disposable nappies. It is very essential to keep an absorbent mat under baby while using such type of diapers. Keep a basket in which you can leave the diaper to be washed after cleaning the baby.
4. Baby Wipes
You would definitely need lots of wipes, so buy them in bulks to save some pennies. Make sure you buy the right ones, as you are going to clean the baby’s skin with the wipes. They must be easy to handle and very soft and properly wet either with fragrance or fragrance free.
5. Ointment or Nappy Rash Creams
Even when you clean very often but still sometimes babies do get nappy rashes as they have very sensitive skin. You can choose a normal rash cream but it is important to choose one which suits best with your baby’s skin.
A large variety of ointments must be available at your local chemist. However, you may also get the help of a pharmacist to find one that is most suitable for your baby. Along with that using a baby moisturizer daily for your baby’s body would be good.
How to deal with baby nappy rashes?
6. Toys For Distraction
Your baby would also need some entertainment while lying down on the changing mat. So you should have a few toys or rattles to divert the baby’s attention while changing nappies. It makes your job much easier, comparatively. Keep the toys within your reach so that you do not need to leave your baby alone to fetch one.
7. Easy to wear clothes
Your child can get his or her clothes dirty. You would also need to stack up a few easy to put on trousers/pajamas and Ts or body suits, which can be worn by the baby after you have cleaned the baby up.
8. Baby powder or baby fragrance
After you have cleaned up your baby, it is good to sprinkle a bit of baby powder or baby friendly fragrances, just to give a good feel.
9. Containers to dispose off or collect
You must keep the following type of containers near you at all times:
· A large bin to dispose off disposable nappies/diapers and dirty wipes,
· A medium basket to collect dirty clothes of baby,
· A medium basket to collect dirty washable diapers and changing mats of the baby,
· A trash bin to collect general trash in it such as tissues and ear buds etc.
10. Sanitizer and Room fragrance
One must wash hands right after cleaning up the baby. However, make sure you first leave the baby in his/her cot and not leave the baby at the risk of falling on the cleaning station. Therefore using hand sanitizers would be considered the best and quick solution. Just try to use the one which best suits both your and the baby’s skin. Do keep in mind that some of these products might also contain alcohol or strong chemicals, so just be careful about it.
More Baby Hygiene Articles
How to Clean a Baby’s Belly Button?
Keep It Clean: Baby Hygiene
How to Clean your Baby Properly?
Baby’s First Bath
Caring For Babies With Sensitive Skin
Cloth Nappies: Benefits, Types, and Care
How to deal with nappy rashes?
The wonderful world of baby poo
How to massage your baby?
Baby Nappy Changing Essentials
