Is it better to change diaper before or after feeding?

A good rule of thumb is to change your baby's diaper after each feeding and before and after each nap, or about every 2 hours during the day. If your baby is a newborn, you'll want to keep track of the number of wet and dirty diapers each day.

Tips for diaper changes

It may be difficult at first to tell if your baby needs a clean diaper. Disposable diapers often have a wetness indicator line that turns blue when a change is needed, or the diaper may feel full and squishy or heavy. A sniff test or visual inspection may tell you if your baby has made a poop.

A good rule of thumb is to change your baby’s diaper after each feeding and before and after each nap, or about every 2 hours during the day.

If your baby is a newborn, you’ll want to keep track of the number of wet and dirty diapers each day. This is a helpful indicator of whether they’re drinking enough breast milk or formula.

Some babies really dislike being wet or soiled, so if your baby is fussy, try checking their diaper.

At the very beginning, your baby may have a poop with every feeding, so you’ll be changing diapers around the clock. However, if your baby does not poop after feeding or starts sleeping longer stretches at night, you don’t need to wake them to change a wet diaper.

If they poop at night or their diaper feels very soggy, you can change the diaper with their nighttime feeding. If baby isn’t soiled, you can just feed them and put them back to bed sleepy.

You may need to perform more frequent changes if your baby develops diaper rash, as the skin should be kept as clean and dry as possible.

When changing baby boys, don’t be afraid to gently wipe the penis and around and underneath the scrotum. It is also advisable to cover the penis with a washcloth or clean diaper during changes, to prevent unwanted pee fountains. When fastening the clean diaper, gently tuck the tip of the penis downward to prevent soaking of his clothes.

When changing baby girls, make sure to wipe from front to back to help prevent infection. You may need to gently separate and wipe the labia and ensure that there is no fecal matter near the vaginal entrance.

When you’re out and about with no changing table or clean floor surface available, you can lay your stroller seat flat and perform a diaper change there. Car trunks can work for this kind of improve situation as well.

Having a toy (preferably one that is easy to disinfect) handy can help keep your little one occupied (i.e. less squirmy) during diaper changes.