Babies’ skin is only half the thickness of an adult’s. It is not good for sensitive skin to leave a diaper on for too long, allowing pee and poo to stew in the diaper. Luckily, changing diapers around a dozen times a day means that new parents quickly learn the secrets of diaper changing. Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you to change diapers.
How to change a diaper
Place the baby on the changing mat for changing. Open the tape fastenings on the old diaper and stick them to the diaper so that they don’t stick to the baby’s skin.
- Firmly grasp the baby’s legs with your other hand. Lift the baby’s bottom and remove the dirty diaper.
- Wipe the baby’s bottom clean either using lukewarm water or skin-friendly Helmi
Baby cleansing wipes. Always wipe baby girls’ bottoms clean from front to back. - It is good to let the diaper area get some air, so allow the baby to go without a diaper for a little while. Play with the baby and make diaper changing a fun time together.
- Place the clean diaper underneath the baby’s bottom so that the tape fastenings extend to the front from the back.
There is a fun Moomin character on the front of the diaper so that you can tell the front from the back. Make sure the
baby boy’s willy points downwards so that pee stays in the diaper. - Unstick the tapes and stick them to the front of the diaper. The diaper should fit snugly, but not too
tightly. You can test the fit as follows: If you can put two fingers between the diaper and your baby’s tummy, the diaper fits well. - Pant diapers can be used when the baby grows and begins to move around. When the baby is no longer happy on their back, it’s often easier to use Muumi Baby Walkers pant diapers, which are pulled on like trousers.
Tips for efficient diaper changing
- Keep everything you need within arm’s reach of the changing mat; clean diapers, a sink or
Helmi Baby cleansing wipes for cleaning the baby’s bottom, and a rubbish bin or bag for used
diapers. - Never leave your baby unsupervised on the changing mat, even for a moment. If you need to look elsewhere, keep at least one hand on your baby at all times.
- Your baby may relax while lying comfortable on their back, and baby boys especially may
pee when their diaper is removed. In order to avoid being peed on, you can cover the baby’s
willy with a small towel. - Avoid turning on the lights while changing diapers at night, and use dim lights. This communicates to the baby that it is night time, and it will be easier for the baby to fall
back to sleep.
You can prevent diaper rash, irritated bottoms and discomfort by changing diapers often. Diapers should be changed as soon as you notice that your baby has done a poo. At night time, diapers should be changed if your baby poos or if pee leaks out. If diaper leaks occur repeatedly,
try moving to a larger or more absorbent size.
Check the following to ensure a good diaper fit
- The diaper should be straight and even on the baby.
- The diaper waist should fit snugly. Check that you can fit two fingers between the diaper and the baby’s tummy.
- The leak guards inside the diaper should be cleanly around the baby’s thighs and bottom. If the
diaper’s leak guards remain inside the diaper, the diaper will leak easily. Check that there are no gaps by running your fingers underneath the waist and leg openings. - If you are using an open diaper, check that the tape fastenings are symmetrically fastened to the waist. The most common reason for recurring leaks is that the diaper is the wrong size. If there are leaks, try out a larger size to see if the diaper’s absorption capacity is better. If the accidents occur less frequently, your baby is probably ready to move to a larger diaper size. Diapers can also leak if they are too big.
Photo: sanna.emelie
