Diaper Changing Hacks for New Parents

Changing a diaper isn’t exactly rocket science, but there is a learning curve. I’ll try to help save you some of the “learning as you go” and give you some of my best Mom-hacks for changing diapers. You’re welcome.

All the Moms I heard from in our Instagram community say the same thing: keep baby busy while changing their diaper. I’ll be clear…you don’t want your baby’s hands free and searching while you have a full diaper open on the changing table. 😱 Give those little hands something to do! A toy, a diaper, a bottle, something! Busy hands keep them distracted and away from the mess.

Poop happens. And sometimes it happens ALL OVER EVERYTHING. Here’s some wisdom I’ve gathered over the years: a $2 onesie may not be worth saving. There are some things worth scraping poop off and trying to salvage in the laundry, but there are some blowouts so epic that you just cut your losses. It’s ok to throw away poopy clothes. (boy, I wish someone had told me that when I was a new Mom)

Want to know why pooplosions happen and how you can prevent them? Make sure your baby’s diaper fits right.

Speaking of pooplosions, did you know that those funny folded shoulders on onesies are made just for that? Those shoulders make it easy to take the onesie off from the top down (instead of bringing it up over the baby’s head, smearing poop all the way up). The poop stays all on the bottom half of the baby. Instead of using a whole package of baby wipes on the mess, you can just go ahead and pop the baby in the bathtub. It was probably time for a bath anyway…right?!

Every baby is different, and every diaper is too. Make sure the diaper you’re using fits the baby you have. Size up if you’re getting pooplosions often, size down if you have a gap and are leaking out the side. You may have to try a few different brands until you find a diaper that fits your baby just right.

Have a leaky diaper only at night? Try an “overnight” diaper. They have extra absorbency specifically for those long nights. You may also need to go a size up. Bigger size=more absorbency (as long as it still fits correctly). Other hacks include doubling up diapers (using 2 diapers, one on top of another) or using a waterproof cloth diaper cover over your disposable diaper.

There you have much of my wisdom gathered from years of diapering babies. I hope it gives some new parents a “leg up” as they start their diapering journey.

Got any more great diapering hacks to add? Comment below, I’ll start a list for the next post!