As soon as possible after they've done a poop
You'll know your baby best but as a guide, changing them after every feed, and as soon as possible after they've done a poo is best. Once your little one can sleep through the night, well-padded nappies should last 12 hours.
Experts recommend that you change your newborn's diaper every two to three hours, or as often as needed. Why? Your little one may urinate as often as every one to three hours, and have between two and five bowel movements a day.
“There are very few circumstances where I'd recommend waking a sleeping baby to change their diaper,” says Mochoruk. Unless your baby has an open sore or serious diaper rash that requires monitoring, let them sleep, she says. You really needn't worry about a bit of pee in the diaper.
Babies need frequent nappy changes. Babies have very delicate skin so their nappy needs to be changed as soon as they wet or poo themselves, otherwise their skin becomes sore and red. Changing your baby's nappy as soon as possible after they've done a wee or poo will help prevent nappy rash.
If your baby is sleeping you do not need to change their diaper. A dirty diaper isn't bothering them and so it shouldn't bother you either! If your baby wakes overnight whether it be to eat or just a typical overnight waking try to limit stimulation and skip a diaper change when possible.
Unless you can't be interrupted (like when you're driving), you should change the diaper "reasonably fast," meaning within ten minutes or so during the daytime.
Wiping your baby after pee is not necessary unless you want to freshen up your baby's bottom after a soaking wet diaper, and not doing it might in fact save your baby's skin from getting irritated from excessive wiping.
Although diaper rashes aren't always caused by not changing a diaper quickly enough, a baby who sits in a soiled diaper for too long will end up with a severe diaper rash. Baby Center noted that the combination of urine and bacteria in their poop can irritate their skin causing a diaper rash if not taken care of.
Carefully clean the affected area
Use gentle products, like WaterWipes to clean your baby's bottom after each change, then dry with a clean towel. Pat the area rather than rubbing to ensure you don't irritate the skin further.
Plain ol' water will do a fine job. You can either just wet a few wipes at a sink before use or you can fill a spray bottle with water just as easy as any of the other solutions. The best part is… it is FREE. While, no, it is not necessary to use a wipes solution; I think it is a nice luxury for your baby.
What should I use to wipe my butt instead? According to Dr. Goldstein, wet wipes should never, ever be used. Instead, your options are toilet paper and bidets.
It depends on many variables. If it's a poopy diaper, change immediately, otherwise there will be a rash. If the baby already has a rash, change immediately. If the baby is especially rash prone, change immediately.
Hence, it is important to understand that you may need to change the diaper every 2 to 3 hours. While it may get taxing at times, remember that not changing the diaper on time may cause rashes and irritate the skin of your baby's bums.
Baby poop overnight can be annoying because it can wake baby up. Absolutely change that poopy diaper at night. If you go in for a dreamfeed at night and baby has pooped, change the diaper before you put baby back in the crib for the night, even if you do not typically change the diaper at the feeding.
If the staining only happens occasionally and after you use dry tissue to clean yourself after a bowel movement, this may be due to inadequate cleaning. When you have a bowel movement, there will be faeces that stains the inner lining of the anus. We need to clean the anus of this faeces to prevent skidmarks.
If you feel like you have to use half the roll of toilet paper after you have a bowel movement, chances are you may have an underlying health condition. Not to mention, wiping so much can leave you feeling itchy, irritated, and uncomfortable by the time you finish going to the bathroom.
Washing with water is a much more effective and long-lasting way of cleaning, and removes more germs and bacteria than paper. Using water is a much more gentle and soothing way of cleaning after using the toilet and the feeling of freshness and cleanliness is incomparable to when using paper.
You can bath your baby at any time of the day. It's a good idea to pick a time when you're relaxed and you won't be interrupted. And it's best to avoid bathing your baby when baby is hungry or straight after a feed. If bathing relaxes your baby, you can use it as a way to settle your baby for sleep in the evening.
6 to 12 months
Once baby becomes mobile and starts eating solids, you may decide you need to begin bathing them more frequently. While they still only really need one to two soapy baths per week, you can either give them a sponge bath or put them in the tub to soak and rinse off more frequently as messes arise.
You should definitely wash baby's clothes, blankets and other washable items that will come in contact with their skin. It's not necessary to do it before they're born, but it's a good idea to do it before they wear them.
Being more than 90% water, wet wipes are more susceptible to microbial growth than typical personal care products; hence, high concentrations of preservative compounds are often used to ensure extended protection against contamination.
The thickest brands will disintegrate in 24 hours if submerged in water. Paper towels take a lot longer to dissolve while fibrous wet wipes, tampons and sanitary napkins probably won't dissolve for days, weeks, months or longer.
Baby Wipes are recommended for use on baby's bottom which is the most delicate body part, and they are also safe to wipe on baby's bodies and face.
Constantly wiping away any trace of food can increase the likelihood that your baby will become overly sensitive to different textures touching them and can create sensory difficulties that make your child uncomfortable to stimuli.