How to survive the first ever nappy change

I’ll admit it, I was really scared of doing my son’s first ever nappy change. He looked so tiny and fragile and helpless. I was really worried I was going to hurt him which made me slow, clumsy and hesitant whilst trying to change him.

Like dogs, babies can pick up on your fear and start to get worried themselves which results in lots of crying. The more they cry the more anxious you get. The more anxious you get the slower you become and the more worried baby gets and so it goes on.

Below are some tips on how to ace that first ever nappy change.

You will need:

· Changing mat

· Cotton wool pleat/balls/pads depending on your personal preference.

· Nappy cream

· Bowl of slightly warm water (remember their skin is very sensitive so ensure it is warm and not hot.)

· Nappy sack

· Nappy x 2 (opened flat with the frills splayed out to the sides.)

· A muslin

· A plastic sheet

· A new vest/sleep suit/ change of clothes.

1. Be prepared. Lay out everything that you will need.

2. Undo the poppers on baby’s suit and try to maintain eye contact throughout. Talk and sing to baby to keep them interested. I used to talk through what I was doing and why.

3. Once the suit and vest are undone using one hand pick up both legs and raise the bottom of the baby’s spine off of the mat. I used the space between my thumb and index finger to hold one leg and the space between my index finger and middle finger to hold the other leg. This leaves your other hand free to slide the legs of the suit and the bottom half of the vest up the baby’s back and out to the sides.

4. Wet a cotton ball and gently clean the front area of the baby. You need to use cotton and water for the first few days/weeks as their skin is very delicate and wipes can be too aggressive. Remember if it is a girl it is important to only clean from top to bottom/ front to back and then get a fresh cotton ball to avoid spreading bacteria and causing an infection.

5. Next clean between the baby’s legs. Make sure you pull the legs to the side to get in the leg creases as poo and wee always hides here.

6. Using one hand as mentioned above lift the baby’s legs off of the mat so you can clean the baby’s bum and back. Trust me you want to be cleaning baby’s back. The poo always ends up higher than you think. If you are unlucky, it goes so far up the back, that it escapes out of the top of the nappy. Sad times. :(

7. Then dab baby dry with a muslin.

8. If using a nappy cream apply the cream to baby’s skin and use the new nappy to wipe the cream off of your finger. This prevents the cream spreading onto their clothes.

9. Using the one handed grip as mentioned above lift the baby’s legs and bum off of the mat and using the other hand slide the nappy under the baby. Ensure the nappy tabs are laying under the baby (My dad put a nappy on backwards once when changing my son).

10. Use one hand to pull the front of the nappy between baby’s legs and up onto baby’s tummy. You will probably need to roll the top of the nappy (waist band area) over at least once so that the umbilical cord is free from the nappy as this needs to be kept clean and dry. Keep one hand on top of the nappy to ensure it stays in place.

11. Using the other hand pull the tab so it opens and bring onto the front of the nappy and stick in the middle. Repeat for the other tab.

12. Use a finger to run around the leg holes to ensure the frills are on the outside and not tucked into the nappy.

13. Using the one handed leg grip lift the baby’s legs into the air and using the other hand pull the baby’s vest and suit back down into position.

14. Fasten the poppers on the vest and then place one leg into the suit and do up a few poppers to stop baby immediately wriggling out of the suit. Then do the other leg.

15. Give yourself a clap for successfully changing your baby.

Top tips –

Change baby on the floor

I always change my babies on the floor. This has several benefits. If you do forget anything/ need to move away to get anything the baby is safe. There is no way he can fall. Even as a new born you would be surprised just how wriggly they are and how far they are able to travel.

Changing tables are expensive and take up extra room. You can’t leave the baby unattended so if you need to get anything you will need to pick up the baby and take them with you. Not what you want to be doing when they are smoothed in poo!

If you have a cot top changer then you run the risk of getting wee (especially with a boy) on the bedding as they always wee when you least expect it and man does that have some range! Then you have to change all of the bedding as well. There is also a risk of getting poo on the bedding if baby does a poonami.

Plastic sheet

I use a plastic sheet from the pound shop (often found in gardening but I have also had a tarpaulin, a camping sheet, and a plastic table cloth) which I put under the changing mat. This is particularly useful for boys as, as soon as the nappy is open they do a big wee and it always goes off of the mat and onto the carpet unless you have a mat down. The last thing you need with a new baby is to be cleaning the carpets.

Organise equipment/materials

I always lay the items out in a particular order to make changing easier. I have the cotton wool on my right side at the bottom. Above this is the water bowl (ensure this is far enough away from thrashing legs). Then I have the nappy sack. On the left hand side I have the muslin at the bottom, then the cream and above that the nappy. Experiment and find an order that works for you. I find that this way I can blindly grab and my movements flow making the whole process quicker and easier.

Pause

When opening the nappy just wait for a few moments as often once the nappy is open and the air gets to baby’s skin, they do a wee. If the nappy is still in place all you have to do is push the open flap back up to baby’s tummy to catch the wee.

Wee catcher

The muslin that you use for drying baby can also be placed on top of baby’s genitals during the change if they start to wee. They are very absorbent and will stop the wee from going all over you. Or you can use the second nappy to catch a wee and stop it spraying everywhere.

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