Many fathers will have joked about purposely changing the nappy wrong so they don’t get asked to do it again, or making sure they are busy when the time comes, but in reality, there’s nothing to it. You’re used to getting dirty in the garden or garage or wrapped around the back of the toilet with some urgent plumbing, right? This is no different. Think of it as a quick and very necessary brownie point win. There could be a pint down the local in it for you…
You should change a nappy roughly every 3 hours, discounting nighttime (you don’t want to wake junior in the middle of the night), unless of course there is an obvious need to change beforehand – usually a noise, face or unbelievable stench will let you know.
What you Need
- Clean and dry changing area
- Nappy bags
- Warm water and cotton wool pads (we found the pads better than the balls as they seemed to create a bigger mess and you need loads to clear up some of the more spectacular dumps)
- Baby wipes (after the first few weeks)
- Nappy rash cream or petroleum jelly (We find Sudocream the best for Junior – and one tub lasts bloody ages!
- Fresh nappies
- Paper towels
- Fresh baby clothes
Some people like to have a special poo bin – we tried it for a while but found having a whole bin dedicated to poo and wee was just a very smelly affair and not fun to get rid of.
What to do
- Clean yourself up. There’s no point putting a fresh nappy on junior with filthy hands
- Place junior on clean changing matt
- De-robe junior as much as necessary. This could be completely if it’s a number two type explosion of biblical proportions…
- Holding junior by the ankles with one hand, lift high enough so you can drag the old nappy from underneath
- Remove the dirty nappy and use it to collect as much poo as you can and dump it into the nappy bag
- Clean the area covered by the nappy with warm water and cotton wool (front to back for girls). Using the same ankle grip in step 4 lift them so you can clean underneath they bottom and lower back
- Pat them dry and apply cream or petroleum jelly. Don’t forget the creases in they chubby little legs
- Babies love being naked so this is a good time to let them feel free and air their undercarriage which helps prevent against nappy rash
- Make sure the surface is dry. if not dry it with the paper towels. There’s no point putting on a wet nappy
- Again, with the now familiar ankle grab, lift up the legs and slide the new nappy underneath (tapes on the backside for disposable nappies)
- Lower junior and pull the front of the nappy between the legs and smooth it out across junior’s tummy before fastening
- Dress junior
- Celebrate with a big squeeze
- Dispose of the old nappy, clean up and you’re done
