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Nappy hygiene

Nappies

Babies need their nappies changed fairly often, otherwise they become sore. Unless your baby is sleeping peacefully, always change a wet or dirty nappy and change your baby before or after each feed, whichever you prefer.

 

Organise the place where you change your baby so that everything you need is handy. If you’re using terry nappies, your midwife or your friends can show you different ways of folding them. Experiment to find out which method is easiest and best for you.

 

Changing nappies

You need to clean your baby’s bottom carefully each time you change a nappy to help prevent soreness.

  • Take off the nappy. If it’s dirty, wipe away the mess from your baby’s bottom with tissues or cotton wool.  

  • Wash your baby’s bottom and genitals with cotton wool and warm water and dry thoroughly. Or use baby lotion. For girls, wipe the bottom from front to back, away from the vagina so that germs won’t infect the vagina or bladder. For boys, gently clean the foreskin of the penis, but don’t pull it back; clean under the penis and the scrotum.

  • You may want to use a cream such as zinc and castor oil cream which forms a waterproof coating to help protect the skin. Or you can just leave the skin clean and dry, especially with disposable nappies since cream may prevent them absorbing urine so well.

  • Don’t use baby powder as it can cause choking.

  • Put on, or tie on, the plastic pants, if you’re using a terry nappy.

  • If you’re using a terry nappy, fold it and put a nappy liner inside, if you wish. Pin the corners of the nappy together with a proper nappy pin or clip which won’t spring open.

  • If you use disposable nappies, be very careful not to get cream on the tabs or they won’t stick down.
  • Wash your hands

 

Disposable nappies

If the nappy is dirty,  flush the contents down the toilet. Roll up the nappy and re-tape it securely. Put it into a plastic bag kept only for this purpose. Fasten the bag and put it outside in your bin each day.

 

Terry nappies

  • If the nappy is dirty, flush the contents down the toilet and rinse off the nappy in the flushing water.

  • Have a plastic bucket (with a lid) ready filled with water and the right amount of nappy sanitising powder. Follow the instructions on the packet. Make sure you keep the nappy powder out of reach of small children.

  • Put the dirty nappy to soak in the bucket.
  • Wash each day’s nappies in very hot water. Don’t use enzyme(bio) washing powders as these may irritate your baby’s skin. Rinse very thoroughly. Don’t use fabric conditioners as they may also irritate the skin.

 

Putting on a disposable nappy

With disposables, the end with the sticky tapes goes under your baby’s bottom. Fasten the tapes at the front.

 

Putting on a terry nappy

Lay your baby carefully on to a clean nappy and liner.

Bring the centre of the nappy between your baby’s legs and then bring over the first side piece.

Bring over the second side piece and fasten all three pieces together with a nappy pin. Put on plastic pants over the top.

 

Nappy rash

Most babies get soreness or a nappy rash at some time, but some have extra sensitive skins. If you notice redness or spots, clean your baby very carefully and change nappies more frequently. Better still, give your baby time without a nappy and let the air get to the skin (keep a spare nappy handy to mop up).

You will soon see the rash start to get better.

 

If your baby does have a rash, ask your midwife or health visitor about it. They may advise you to use a protective cream. If the rash seems to be painful and won’t go away, see your health visitor or GP.

 

Babies’ stools

Immediately after birth, and for the first few days, your baby is likely to pass a sticky black-green substance.

 

This is called meconium and it is the waste that has collected in the bowels during the time spent in the womb.

 

As your baby begins to digest milk, the stools will change, probably becoming more yellow or orange. The colours can be quite bright. Breastfed babies have quite runny stools. Bottle-fed babies’ stools are firmer and smell more.

Babies vary a lot in how often they pass stools. Some have a bowel movement at or around each feed; some can go for several days without having a movement. Either can be normal.

 

Most small babies strain and go red in the face, or even cry, when passing a stool. This is normal and doesn’t mean they are constipated so long as the stools are soft. If you are worried that your baby may be constipated, mention this to your midwife or health visitor.

 

What you find in your baby’s nappies will probably vary from day to day and usually there is no need to worry about how runny the stools are, for example. But if you notice a marked change of any kind in your baby’s bowel movements, such as the stools becoming very frequent and watery or particularly smelly or if they change colour to become green, white or creamy, for example, then you should get advice from your doctor, midwife or health visitor. See Babies with jaundice after two weeks.

 

Information provided by Health Promotion England.