Nappy Change: Parents Hate It But How To Do It?

Nappy Change: Parents Hate It But How To Do It?

Nappy change is an integral part of having a baby, it is just as important as feeding the baby. Point taken that it does require a fair bit of practice to get a hang of it. Obviously, as a parent, you would probably know how to do a nappy change. 

But, if you’re a new parent who’s still learning the ropes, a nappy change can be daunting especially since it can contain some ‘unpleasant’ materials inside it. Like we mentioned before, a nappy change is just as big a part of having a baby as feeding the baby. Which is why here at Panda Kids, we want to help make the journey smoother for you as parents.

We decided to include steps to help us further help parents learn this important task.

Step 1: Checking if they need a nappy change

We can’t miss the most basic step, we first need to check if the baby needs a nappy change. This is because with both reusable and disposable diapers, they both take time to change. Which might be hard to do if you are busy or have other things you need to do.

Sometimes, babies can look as if they are going to the bathroom but, in reality they are not. So it is always better to check so that a diaper is not wasted. 

It is also important to note that full diapers should be changed as soon as possible because full diapers can give babies a diaper rash. This makes them uncomfortable and could make the area around their buttocks red and irritated.

Say you checked their diapers and you found that they indeed need a nappy change. What then? Well, scroll down and read below for the next step that you should take!

Step 2: Getting the equipment and materials ready

Okay, so you checked and they did need a nappy change. The next step of the process is to get your materials ready for the big surprise event (because you never know what you’re going to find)!

Here’s an example of things that you would want by your side when you’re performing a nappy change:

• Extra diapers and not just one (because you never know when your back-up diapers might break, which is why you should have a back-up for your back-up)
• Baby lotion or baby cream (to help with moisturising their buttocks and it also helps keep them smelling nice)
• Wet wipes or washcloths (to help you actually clean up their ‘business’, always remember to get baby wipes because a baby’s skin is super sensitive to any chemicals)
• Your baby’s favourite toy (it helps keep them calm and distracted through the entire process)
• Find a change table. This is crucial as you do not want to hurt your back when you bend your back too much to have the nappies changed. You want to make the baby comfortable , so do yourself! Looking for a change table with perfect height whenever you are at home or outside (a parent room is preferred).

All those materials and equipment are there to help make the process easier for the parent to carry out the nappy change! A helpful tip would be to have these materials and equipment placed near where you would be doing the nappy change. This helps speeds up the process as everything is already there.x

Step 3: Nappy change

So you’re all prepared now, you checked to see if they needed a change and they did. You’ve also prepared all the materials you needed. All you need to do now is perform the actual nappy change.

What you need to do is, firstly take off the baby’s current nappy by unhooking or removing the tabs from where they’re attached. They usually have signs and directions on the diaper itself so when in doubt, look for those! 

Now, you want to place a clean washcloth next to the baby and then lift the baby up and place the baby onto the washcloth. You then want to throw away the old diaper as it is dirty. 

Although you might be tempted to hold your breath when doing that, we suggest that you take a small sniff to see if there are any smells that are abnormal. This is because a baby’s poop can be a strong indicator of their health, so any abnormal smells and you know something might be off.

Once you’ve thrown away the old diaper, use your baby wipes or washcloths to clean the baby’s bottom. Ensure that you wipe it thoroughly so that no residue remains, this is because a baby’s is really sensitive so any tiny residue by our standards may lead to greater problems later on.

After wiping the baby, you can apply some baby cream or lotion to help moisturise the area you just wiped and to keep it clean smelling! 

And voila! There you have it, you just performed a nappy change! You’ve just taken a gigantic step in terms of parenting skills

Bonus tip: in case of an emergency!

Here’s a bonus tip because we know accidents can often happen during a nappy change. The baby may decide to pee halfway or continue with their ‘business’ halfway through the change. What you need to do is remain calm and accept the fact that some extra cleaning will need to be done after the change.

This is where all those equipment and materials are going to come in handy, you can use the baby wipes or washcloths to start cleaning up the excess excrements that are present. Remaining calm is a big step as you do not want to scare the baby by panicking. If you do scare the baby and they start crying, you not only have a mess to clean up. But, you now have to do all that whilst your baby is crying and needing a lil hug.

The bottomline

Being a parent is tough, but it is also the most rewarding thing in the world. Seeing your little angel grow up to become their own person is an amazing thing. We also understand that it is tough, which is why here at Panda Kids, we’re trying to make that journey as smooth as possible for you with our quality baby products.

References

https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/health-daily-care/poos-wees-nappies/changing-a-nappy

https://www.tommeetippee.com/en-au/parent-room/how-to-change-a-nappy

https://www.pampers.com/en-us/baby/diapering/article/how-to-change-a-diaper