Newborns and nappies

Changing nappies isn't easy at first and takes some time to learn with practice. Depending on the type of nappy you choose to use, your developing technique for nappy wrapping, and whether you have a newborn girl or boy, you may experience a sudden wet spray while changing, skew nappies, and leaking nappies. Nappy changing is here to stay for a while and you will soon get used to it.

Types of nappies

Depending on the country you are in, there are different makes of nappies, but basically they come in two forms: fitted cloth nappies (reusable) and disposable nappies (different makes with manufacturer's instructions).

Preparing for nappy change

There are two aspects to preparation – hygiene, changing environment and the supplies you need. Making sure that you have washed and dried your hands so that you handle the supplies in a sterile manner is important, as is choosing a warm and clean environment to do the nappy change.

Next, make sure that you have your changing mat, towel, clean cloth and/or wipes, and nappies at hand. If using baby lotion, Vaseline or if you are treating the umbilical base with prescribed ointment, keep these within reach too.

How to change disposable nappies

All nappies fold in a similar way. Here are some basic steps on the “how to do's” of unfastening, cleaning and changing, and re-fastening a nappy:

Unfastening the nappy – Open the existing nappy's tabs by lifting and attaching them back on themselves. If you have a boy, first cover the penis with a cloth so that you don't accidentally get pee'd on and to keep the penis clean.

Cleaning - Then wipe off the surrounding poo with the existing nappy. Hold the baby by the ankles and lift up the bottom. While lifted, bend the dirty nappy over so that the poo is covered in the inside of the nappy and the cleaner side is facing upwards. You should have the nappy folded in half like an omelette with the contents inside.

Now clean the baby with wipes or moist cotton wool by wiping the front. If you have a girl, make sure that you wipe from the vagina back to the anus and not the other way round, to avoid spread of bacteria and vaginal infection. Lift up the baby's legs and wipe the bottom clean.

Changing – Still with the baby's legs up and the bottom lifted, remove the dirty nappy from under the baby and place a clean one with tabs facing upwards underneath. Spread the bottom part of the nappy out before bring it up between the legs to cover the front. Be careful not to squash the nappy together in a way that can cause chaffing between the legs. This will otherwise be uncomfortable for the newborn. If you have a boy, tuck the penis down when covering with the nappy front.

Some nappies have little gaps for the umbilical stump, otherwise make sure that the nappy does not cover the stump in a way that can cause the stump to prematurely break off and bleed.

Fastening the nappy – Use the tapes on either side to fasten the nappy so that they seal to the front inside. Each nappy should come with instructions from the manufacturer, so follow these carefully to do it right. Do not fasten the nappy too tight either.

Once the baby's fresh nappy is on, tape up the dirty nappy and place it in a plastic bag for throwing out. Your baby is now ready to be dressed. Before doing so, wash and dry your hands again.

How to change cloth nappies (reusable)

First follow the same process of preparation as you would for disposable nappies. The difference is that you do not have a nappy with tags, instead you have a dirty nappy that needs to be unpinned and placed in a nappy bucket for washing and sterilisation. You also then need clean square-type cloth that needs to be folded into a nappy for the change.

Folding the nappy cloth – Place the nappy on a firm clean surface. Then take about one third in width of the cloth nappy and fold it from the left side or edge to the middle. Do the same for the right side so that there are three layers to the nappy.

Cleaning and Changing the nappy cloth – Unpin and remove the dirty nappy as you would for disposables and clean the baby particular to if the newborn is a boy or girl. Then lift up the baby's legs and bottom, fold up one third of the nappy cloth from the bottom, and place the cleanly folded nappy cloth (now six ply) underneath the baby's bottom for a girl or in front for a boy.

Pinning the clean nappy - Let the flaps of the nappy cloth spread out to the side, then pull these flaps towards the back of the nappy cloth. First put your fingers underneath the cloth near the navel area where you intend to insert the pin. Be careful not to do this quickly and prick your baby or damage the umbilical stump. Take your time and put the pin through all the folded layers of cloth before closing the pin. Using Vaseline on the pin may help.

Washing the dirty nappy cloth - Place as much of the poo from the dirty nappy into the loo and then put the dirty nappy cloth into the nappy bucket sealed with the lid. Nappies should be washed separately if done at home using hotter water and additional rinse. Do not use fabric softeners, etc, because the chemicals can aggravate the newborn's skin that is still thin and sensitive from birth. Your baby is then ready to be dressed.

Choosing reusable or disposable nappies

The choice of using reusable (cloth) or disposable nappies can take two forms. The first based on your personal budget and the second on how your baby also responds to the nappy being worn. Sometimes the sensitivity of the skin can dictate the nappy type preference.

Doing a trial of cloth and disposable nappy with your baby can help you see if there is quite a difference in your newborn's response to the fabric, and what may be the most affordable option too. Disposable nappies can be bought in bulk according to your baby's size that can reduce the cost and their level of absorption also means that they can be used a little longer than cloth reusable nappies. Depending on costs for washing (whether using own or external laundry) and your environmental-consciousness, disposable nappies can also be bought in biodegradable form.

Caring for your newborn:

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• Caring for your newborn
• What are dummies?
• Newborns and movement
• Burping your baby
• Playing with your newborn
• Caring for newborns with and without circumcision
• Baby hair loss
• Baby Massage
• Newborn Clothing: Dressing and body temperature
• Newborn and home safety
• Newborn: When others want to hold or touch
• Babies and pets
• Baby constipation
• Baby clothes
• What should my first aid kit contain?
• Taking a baby’s temperature
• Baby medicine

• Coping with your newborn
• Newborn: When to call a doctor?
• Baby hygiene
• Trimming baby nails
• Caring for babies’ bottoms
• Baby poo
• How to care for your newborn’s body
• Newborns and nappies
• Caring for your Baby’s Clothes
• Baby Milestones
• Baby first aid
• Common baby emergencies
• How to help a choking baby
• Baby vomiting
• Keeping your baby safe
• Baby Monitors
• Baby swimming

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