When a small child comes home, diaper change it becomes - apart from feeding - the most common activity performed with it. For new parents, changing a toddler can be quite stressful at first. It is then important not only to choose the right diapers, but also how to use them, especially the frequency of changing them. From this how often we change diapers, because not only the comfort but also the health of the baby depends.
A lot of questions from parents are about changing a newborn's diaper - how often should it be done in the first weeks and when to change an older baby? Want to know if it's better to change your diaper before or after feeding? Or maybe you are wondering how to wash reusable diapers? Thanks to many years of experience in giving opinions on diapers and other hygiene products for children, we suggest how to use them in order to properly care for the health and comfort of the baby.
Learn the basic rules:
- Choose the size of the diaper according to the weight (or actually weight) of the child,
- Change the diaper no more than every 3 hours,
- Protect the skin against irritation,
- If the diapers cause an allergic reaction in the baby - try different ones.
Why is frequent scrolling important?
The younger the child is, the more sensitive and delicate his skin is, which makes it prone to irritation. This is especially true of infants in the early stages of development. Irritating to their skin can even be ammonia contained in urine, especially if the contact with the wet contents of the diaper, in conditions of limited air access, will last longer.
Regardless of whether we use diapers disposable or reusable, the frequency of changing depends primarily on the toddler's age, although it is also influenced by the type of food and the feeding mode.
Changing a newborn's diaper - how often?
The youngest children take care of themselves very often. Newborns need to change their nappies at least every hour, and babies weighing up to 6 kg, Coming in newborn and mini sizes - at least every 3 hours. If your baby wakes up frequently to feed, let's check if he does not need to be changed - every time he finishes eating. During the period when the baby is fed only with milk, it may pee even every several minutes, because the liquid food causes the urine to be very diluted.
When breastfeeding, especially in the beginning, skin irritation can also be caused by the baby's stool. On the other hand, a baby fed at night will defecate its physiological needs more often, which also requires more frequent changing.
Changing your baby frequently will help prevent skin irritation, nappy rash, allergic reactions or cystitis.
Changing the diaper: before or after feeding?
Babies usually do not settle down by sleep, but as soon as they wake up, but the youngest babies who are breastfed may have a bowel movement even after each feed. Therefore, if a newborn or younger infant wakes up frequently to breastfeed, It's best to change the nappy soon after eating, but not immediately after a meal. It is worth waiting some time after the end of feeding and changing your baby very carefully, without putting pressure on the tummy, so as not to risk returning the food. Regardless of the fixed changing times, a newborn's and infant's diaper change is necessary whenever we notice that the nappy is already full. The shortest answer to the question of how often to change diapers might actually be: immediately after each pile, and as soon as possible after getting wet.
Diaper change day and night
The frequency of daytime and nighttime baby diaper changes vary for several reasons. The first one is night feeding of infants, which causes them to meet their physiological needs more often, and thus - to change them more often. In the case of breastfeeding, it is very important to regularly check the cleanliness of the diaper, as it may contain stools that irritate the baby's skin, even in each diaper at first.
When a child grows up and does not need to change as often as at the beginning, we often face a dilemma: whether to change his nappy at night to wake him up, or to let him sleep. It is worth observing the habits of the toddler and reacting on a regular basis. If a dirty diaper in the morning is the rule, don't let your baby sleep all night in it - it is unsanitary and can cause skin burns, often leading to various types of fungal and bacterial infections. It is worth remembering that moisture and high temperature are ideal conditions for the development of microorganisms that cause them.