How To Efficiently Change Diapers [A Guide For New Dads]
It can be quite challenging for new dads (and even experienced dads) to change diapers, especially in newborns. It’s not because the process of doing so is hard or complicated but the fear of unintentionally hurting a newborn baby exists in all of us.
How To Efficiently Change Diapers [A Guide For New Dads]
Of course, it becomes a different story when our babies have grown into toddlers. Changing the diaper of bigger children becomes a challenge (more of a battle) because they are so active that sitting still is an entirely alien concept for them.
For this, you need a different strategy altogether. In the end, changing your baby’s diaper is essentially a simple and easy task although you need to keep several things in mind.
My experience in changing diapers
I have only experienced changing diapers when I became a dad. Prior to that, I was so nervous because I have never even attempted to put on a diaper on a baby.
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels
I’m an only child so I have little experience in handling infants so the first thing that I did when Miguel (my eldest child) was born was to ask the nurse in St. Luke’s BGC to teach me how to change a newborn diaper.
It was a good thing that the nurse was so patient in explaining to me the process that I learned fast how to do it. Well, either that or because I felt the pressure and urgency to learn it fast. Nonetheless, I was changing diapers like a pro in no time.
How to change a newborn diaper
I guess the most important thing for new dads to remember when changing a newborn diaper is to be gentle in doing it. You don’t need to rush the process because newborns are just lying still anyway.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Here are some important things that I learned in changing newborn diapers though:
Keep an eye on wetness indicators to know whether they need fresh diapers. These are the cute animal patterns in front of the diaper that changes colors when it’s already soaked.
Use a changing pad to avoid soiling or getting their bedsheet wet.
I know this is culturally-dictated but I like to use lukewarm water and a piece of gauze or cotton balls when cleaning baby poop. I just feel that it’s more hygienic that way. If you prefer to use baby wipes, then that’s perfectly fine.
Don’t forget the diaper cream. Newborn babies have sensitive skin so they are susceptible to getting a diaper rash.
Now, open the diaper and put it under their buttocks. The front side is usually labeled (“front”) to serve as a guide to the one changing the diaper.
Align the magic tapes and secure them into place. Make sure that the diaper is snug but not too tight.
To dispose of the used diaper, fold or roll it into a spool and use the magic tapes to secure it into place.
How to put on a diaper correctly on toddlers
This guide is for toddlers who are not yet potty trained. I understand that not all toddlers are easy to potty train.
Image by Mahesh Patel from Pixabay
My kids, for example, are not yet ready although we’ve tried getting them to pee and poop into the toilet bowl. Don’t force them to do the things that they are not yet ready to do although it also works well to introduce the concept to them.
When changing the diapers of toddlers, expect a struggle like it’s World War 3. They will refuse to cooperate, they will refuse to listen, they will get distracted with a toy, they will try to reach out for something, and many other things that they randomly decide to do when all you ask of them is to sit still so that you could get them into a new diaper.
The first thing that you should remember when changing the diaper of a toddler? Get them preoccupied or interested in something. I try to get my toddlers to find a lizard on the wall or bribe them with the promise of an iPad use if they would only sit still. Sometimes it works, oftentimes, I have to find more creative ways to do it.
Other than that, here are some other basic things to keep in mind when changing the diapers of toddlers:
Bigger diapers don’t come with wetness indicators. After all, you will see if your kid needs to be changed because their diaper would look like a bloated bag. If they poop, you’d smell it. If they are feeling generous, they would also tell you that they need to be changed.
My eldest son has GDD and is not yet potty trained. He has speech delay so we rely on our senses to tell us whether he has diaper change – sense of sight and touch to judge if it’s full and sense of smell to find out is he needs to be washed.
Again, if our babies have soiled their diapers, we prefer to wash them with soap and water. After which, we dry them using a towel and then get them to wear their diaper pants. For bigger kids (or more than a year old), we prefer to use diaper pants as they stay in place even if our children run nonstop.
We only use diaper cream on a per-need basis. If there is redness or some rashes, that’s the time we apply diaper cream before putting on the diaper.
Our favorite diaper brands
Our favorite diaper brands are Pampers and EQ Diapers. We find that these two diapers are the most efficient in terms of keeping our babies dry and rash-free.
Here are more detailed reviews of each brand:
Pampers Diapers
We are long-time users of Pampers Diapers. When our kids were tiny newborns, they were already using Pampers diapers. Yes, we did try other diaper brands but we’d always go back to Pampers because it works really well in keeping our babies dry especially throughout the night.
What’s even better is that our babies rarely develop diaper rash with Pampers, which of course is great news for any parent. I think that’s because of the hypoallergenic and soft material that Pampers is made of.
Another quality that we love in Pampers is that it works great in neutralizing urine scent. This was even pointed to us by our pediatrician that there are other diaper brands that smell of pee when you open it.
We are currently using Pampers Overnight Diapers for our eldest son and we are just amazed at how efficient it is in keeping him dry throughout the night.
There have been episodes of leakage but it was very rare unlike with other brands that need to be changed right after midnight. With Pampers Overnight, we’re confident that we only need one piece of a diaper throughout the night. The next diaper change would be in the morning.
Pampers Diapers are priced a little higher than other brands but I think it’s worth it because you wouldn’t have to change them often.
Available Pampers Diapers sizes:
Newborn (0 to 3 months): Pampers Premium Care, Pampers Baby-Dry For Newborns, Pampers Premium Care Pants
Baby (3-12 months): Pampers Premium Care, Pampers Baby-Dry, Pampers Baby-Dry Pants
Toddlers (12 months and older): Pampers Premium Care, Pampers Baby-Dry, Pampers Baby-Dry Pants
Buy Pampers Diapers in Amazon (US) or via Lazada and Shopee (Philippines).
EQ Diapers
EQ Diapers is another brand that we like because of its pocket-friendly price. Nonetheless, it’s also very effective in keeping our kids dry. We call EQ the everyday diaper for our kids because it’s what they use throughout the day.
Aside from the price, we like EQ Diapers because our kids our comfortable when using it and it stays in place even when our kids are busy running. Although EQ has a hard time in keeping our eldest boy dry throughout the night, we like that it works well for our younger son.
The EQ diaper variants are the following:
EQ Dry: sizes available are newborn, small, medium, large, extra-large, and double extra-large
EQ Plus: sizes available are small, medium, large, extra-large, and double extra-large
EQ Pants: sizes available are medium, large, extra-large, double extra-large, and triple extra-large Genius Pants: sizes available are large, extra-large, double extra-large, and triple extra-large
You can buy EQ Diapers in Lazada and Shopee.
Epilogue
If you are a new dad and you are worried about how to change your baby’s diaper, don’t fret because it’s really easy. You just have to keep some pointers in mind though to ensure that your baby is comfortable and rash-free.
Moreover, there are reliable diaper brands like Pampers Diapers and EQ Diapers which can be your dependable partner throughout your parenting journey.
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