Diapering Tips - How to Change a Diaper

If you are a first time parent, or your are expecting a baby soon then you may be in for a big shock. Babies need to be changed about ten times per day, and in the lifetime of your child you will need to change their diaper about 2500 times. If you want to change a diaper then you should start learning now. It comes to more than just learning the proper technique though, there are some other things you should know and we will cover everything in this article.

The first thing you need to consider is your babies safety, even though they are just little, they are still flexible and like to squirm. Make sure you have a safe place to change your baby, and never take your eyes off of them, in fact never take a hand off of them. This is a good way to ensure the baby will stay on the table at all times and not fall to the ground.

The next thing you need is to be prepared, it is a good idea to have everything ready when you start. Here is a list of things you will need before you start changing your babies diaper

Clean diapers (always have a few, just in case one breaks or the baby decides to go to the bathroom right away)
Baby wipes
Somewhere to put the dirty diaper
Baby powder and or diaper cream (both optional)
Here are the steps to changing a baby

If you are changing the baby in a public area then you want to have a towel or cloth down, this will protect your baby from germs

Undo the diaper, this could involve taking out pins, or tearing off the tabs on the Huggies or Pampers diapers

If the diaper is very messy then you will need extra baby wipes or cloth

If the baby has had a bowel movement then use the front of the diaper to scoop the mess towards the back, then fold it over keeping everything inside. This is a good way to get most of the mess off the baby's behind

Now clean the baby, always wipe front to back to avoid feces from getting where they shouldn't be. If you have a boy then put something over his water wiggle, that thing could go off at any time.

Once the baby is clean you can apply ointment if it is needed

Now is the time to put on a new diaper. Lift the baby up and slip the diaper underneath. Now fasten the tabs to the decorated area on the front. Don't make it too tight, and make sure it covers everywhere it should be covering.

Now just dispose of the dirty diaper and you are ready for the baby to make another mess!