Regardless of the type of diapers used, diapering is an important part of nurturing a young child. Frequent diaper changes are important to keep baby's skin healthy. Also, each diaper change offers opportunities for eye contact, interaction, and bonding with baby - reciting nursery rhymes, making up silly songs, identifying that funny thing as a "belly button", etc.

Diapering can also offer a few hazards and challenges to both parent and child. Babies seem to enjoy the opportunity to urinate into the open air (throw a diaper over it quick!), and some like to quickly roll over at the least opportune time. Never leave a baby unattended on a raised surface, even for a moment. Even newborns can squirm off a change table. If an emergency arises, put the baby on the floor if necessary.

If using pins, keep two fingers between the diaper and the baby and put the pin through the cloth at a shallow angle. (Sticking pins in a bar of soap will make them slide into the cloth more easily.)

It is best to lay a newborn baby on his/her side to sleep, propped with rolled-up towels, rather than on the tummy. This is recommended to prevent choking should baby vomit. It will also help prevent discomfort if baby's diaper  is bulky in the front.

Some toddlers can remove their diapers. If this is the case, they should wear over clothing so they can't get their diapers off, especially at night. If this fails, disposable diapers can be taped with packing tape; fitted diapers can be pinned.

The diaper change area is best located near a source of warm water and away from food preparation or eating areas. A change table may not be necessary. If you have enough counter space beside your bathroom sink, a change pad or folded towel there will suffice. If you have a change table in baby's bedroom, you can keep a vacuum bottle or "coffee butler" or warm water there for wetting cloth wipes.
You should wash your hands with soap and water after each diaper change.

If using breathable waterproof diaper covers, they should be "cycled." That is, let one pair air out while you use another. At the end of the day, put both in the wash. Waterproof pants should be washed in warm water with your regular laundry and hung up to dry. Don't put them in the diaper pail.

If the adhesive tapes on disposable diapers loose their adhesiveness due to contact with creams or ointments, diapers can be fastened with masking tape.

Diaper Service
It is advisable to make arrangements before the baby is born. Even if you're planning to home launder, you may want to hire a diaper service for the first 2-6 weeks (a possible gift suggestion for friends or relatives).

Home Laundered
Wash new diapers before using. This fluffs them up, removes any irritants that may be in new cloth, and brings them closer to their proper size (cotton shrinks 5-10%).

You will need one or two diaper pails, with enough total space (26-30litre/6-7 gallon capacity) to hold about 24 diapers, plus inserts and cloths. Diaper pail deodorizers that fit in the lid are available. (1) If you rinse feces from diapers, rather than using disposable liners, you may want to keep a small pail near the toilet.

A synthetic detergent (e.g., TIDE, SUNLIGHT, or INDISPOSABLES liquid laundry concentrate (2)) is suitable for washing diapers. A pure soap works well in soft, hot water; however, it is more expensive, and, if used in hard water, can leave fatty deposits which will make the diapers less absorbent. Washing soda can be used to soften water.

Home-laundered diapers must be properly washed, but they need not be sterilized, as diaper service diapers do.(3) Minor stains will not harm the baby and usually wash out eventually. From an environmental perspective, the less you add to the wash the better. If desired, stains can be removed by hang drying diapers in the sun (the UV rays will also sanitize the diapers) or by using washing soda, AMAZE detergent booster, PRESIDENT'S CHOICE of SUNLIGHT laundry soap. Chlorine bleach can be hard on fibres, may damage VELCRO, and may fade coloured diapers. It should be used sparingly if at all (50-100ml/ 1/4-1/2 cup for a load) and should be well diluted before being added.

Fabric softerners are not recommended; they can make diapers less absorbent and may cause skin rashes. Using a clothes dryer softens the fabric. If hang drying, putting the diapers in the dryer for 15-20 minutes will fluff them up.(4)

Day Care
In group settings, it is important to minimize staff handling of feces and the possibility of cross contamination (spread of disease between children from different families). If using cloth diapers, parents can provide disposable diaper liners. Soiled liners can be discarded or flushed; CURITY liners that are only wet can be left in the Childrens Diaper which goes home in a waterproof bag for laundering.

The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends waterproof diaper wraps (not pull-on pants) be used over cloth diapers in group care settings to reduce feces getting on baby's legs. Also, children in diapers should always wear overclothing to help prevent leakage of feces and contamination of articles in their environment. A study on the effect of overclothing and diaper type on preventing fecal contamination in day care centres found that disposables showed an advantage over flat cloth diapers used with Pull Ups pants; however, if overclothing was worn there was no significant advantage shown for disposables.(6) In any case, children with diarrhea must not be left in group care settings because of possible spread of disease through feces contamination.

Proper handwashing must be strictly observed. The diaper change area must be separate from food preparation or eating areas. If possible, staff who change diapers should not prepare or serve food.

More Useful Links: