How to Change a Diaper

One of my least favorite parts of mothering is changing diapers.  I have dealt with changing both boys and girls, and there are different things to remember when changing each.  If you are new to diapering, I can walk you through what to do to change diapers like a pro.

First, gather your supplies.

• A good comprehensive list can be downloaded on Parents.com.
• Although many use a diaper changing table, I had one for my first and rarely used it.  I never bothered getting one for the subsequent children.
• If you don’t have any baby powder available, corn starch works wonderful, if not better.
• When my children were sick and got rashes, I learned that the best diaper cream was actually shortening.  That is right, shortening right out of the kitchen.  My kids would get rashes when they had their ear infections and no rash cream would work, so my mom told me to try Crisco and it worked wonderful.

Next, get your baby.

• You will lay your baby on their back on a flat surface.
• If you don’t have a changing table or surface that can be wiped, be sure to lay down a receiving blanket.  You never know what can come out of diaper when you are changing a baby.  I would much rather throw a blanket in the wash than have to clean the carpet, bed or whatever else.
• Depending on the age of your baby, you may want to hand them a toy or something to keep their hands busy.  Nothing is worse than your little one grabbing a handful of whatever is in their diaper.
• Remove any clothing that will be in the way of getting to their diaper.  Many baby pants have snaps, although I never liked them because it was faster for me to just pull the pants down than to deal with all those annoying little snaps…I always miss one!

Time to Change the diaper.

• Unfasten the tabs of the dirty diaper.
• Holding each of the baby’s legs, left her gently up to remove the dirty diaper from below her.  You can use any clean portion of the diaper to remove excess soil from her bottom.
• Wipe her clean using baby wipes.
• **IMPORTANT** If you are changing a girl, always wipe from front to back.  This will ensure she does not get bacteria which can cause an infection.  When changing a boy, it helps to cover him with a small towel or wipe to ensure you do not get accidentally sprayed.  This is common with younger babies, as the cold air hits them, they will begin to urinate.
• Take the dirty diaper and fold the mess inside, including the dirty wipes.  Warning** be sure to put the dirty diaper out of the babies way.  On more than on occasion I have a little one grab a dirty diaper and fling poop all over the floor or kick their feet and get a heel full of it.  Very disgusting…it is much easier to make it a habit of removing the dirty diaper and putting it far from the baby.
• Place the clean diaper under the babies bottom, tabs in the back.
• At this point you can apply baby powder or diaper rash cream as needed.
• Fold the clean diaper up to cover the baby and fasten tabs to hold securely in place.

Time for clean up!

• Take your dirty diaper and place it in a diaper disposal system.  This is something much like a trash can, but it contains smells.
• If you do not have a diaper pail available, be sure to wrap the dirty diaper in a bag before placing in a trash can.
• Wipe the diapering area with a disinfectant if using a wipe-able surface.  If you used a blanket, place in the laundry.

It really isn’t all that difficult, now is it?  Changing a diaper gets easier and easier as you gain experience.  Don’t be scared to jump in there, you will get your own style and way of keeping that little one occupied while you get them nice and clean.