How to change a nappy: Essential hints and tips!

The disposable nappy edit!

As a first time parent of a premature newborn baby girl I had never changed a nappy… EVER!
I had hoped to find out in my NHS antenatal classes but unfortunately when you give birth at 34 weeks and your prenatal classes are booked at 37 weeks then you have to learn on the job. The midwives at Wishaw general were amazing teaching us all the things we needed to know as new parents.

Here are some essential tips and hints to help you navigate the world of baby poop. I will break is down to girls and boys as there are a few differences to be considered with each genitalia.

Whilst all disposable nappies are designed to keep the pee and the poo in different brands have their own unique benefits. Sainsburys nappies have a discreet elasticated back waistband that has a panel to prevent the poo from coming up the back in the event of a poonami (explosion of poo travelling up the back, front and out the sides of the nappy). Lidl nappies size one have a wee indent in the front and the back to accommodate for Baby’s cord which can take between 5-15 days to fall off. It’s a personal choice which nappies you choose, whether Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Pampers, Sainsburys. Many stores will hold baby events and have deals to help make it cheaper and Amazon do a subscription also.

The hospital will provide warm water and cotton wool balls for nappy changes but most parents attending my Antenatal classes tend to buy reusable wipes like cheeky wipes or water wipes as they are very gentle on baby’s delicate skin.

Disposable nappies are attached and detached at the side with velcro, which allows you roll the used nappy up and stick it together to avoid it unrolling and the contents falling out.

Before you remove your nappy take a cold water wipe or cotton ball soaked in water and run it on the underside of the belly button or cord. this encourages baby to pee before your remove the nappy. It is very common for boys to pee the instant a nappy is removed as cool air hits their private parts so always try and wipe under the belly button to avoid this fun!

BOYS

With boys - before we remove the nappy your wee one should be on a changing mat, on a safe flat surface with everything you need beside you. In the early days I would have a new clean nappy or two, water wipes, a nappy sack, a change of vest and sleep suit just in case and also wipes, a face cloth or something to pop on baby’s penis if it starts to rise as it’s a good sign your baby boy is ready to pee on you.
At the newborn stage you should not need a barrier cream such as Sudocrem, Metanium or Bepanthen as baby’s skin should not be broken. Barrier cream should not be applied with every nappy as it creates a barrier against the nappy, only when baby’s skin is irritated with nappy rash. When you undo the velcro straps, do not roll the nappy up and remove at this stage fold the nappy under your wee one and open out a clean nappy and pop it under the used nappy. clean baby’s bottom using the wipes and gently lift baby’s legs to wipe round the bottom, pat the bottom, penis and leg creases dry with a clean cotton wool pad or facecloth, remove the used nappy and fasten the new clean nappy. As you fold the nappy up to fasten it always check that Baby’s penis is pointing down the way otherwise when baby pees it will go upwards and soak their vest and their umbilical cord. We need the cord to dry out and fall off and it can’t do that if baby keeps peeing on it. It can also lead to infection if not kept dry and clean.

GIRLS

With girls we follow the same principles for set up, clean flat surface with everything you need around you, as above. Used nappy folded under baby’s bottom and clean one. With girls this is even more necessary than boys as it is quite obvious when a boy is going to pee as the hose rises up before it starts to fire. With a girl they are like stealth ninja’s! They pee without us even noticing!!!! then when we go to fasten them back up the back of their clothes and hair is soaking and we have to start again!!
With cleaning a girls bottom it is extremely important that we wipe front to back. Most mums are aware of this but daddies sometimes are not so it is always useful to keep each other right. The reason for this is that it increases the risk of urine infection in babies if we are wiping faeces towards the urethra, therefore ALWAYS WIPE FRONT TO BACK!
It is really important that girls vulva are cleaned very thoroughly because if any poo is left in the creases and cracks it can cause the skin to become irritated and broken and make baby upset. Once clean remove the used nappy and dry as mentioned above then fasten the clean dry nappy.

Some nappies we may need to fold the nappy down at the front to go around the umbilical cord and once all clan and dry we check the leg cuffs. The frills on the exterior should always be kicked out and the inside elastic should always be inside the nappy.

If your baby suffers from reflux it can be beneficial to have a wee muslin to roll up for under baby’s head for nappy changes to make them feel more comfortable as refluxy babies find it uncomfortable to lie completely flat.