Preparing for the birth of the baby is a huge deal; the hormones make the mom-to-be extra prepared for the baby's arrival. And that's the reason I was registered on almost all parenting websites, forums, groups that dealt with pregnancy that existed in this World (thank God for technology). In the process I read many tips that helped me keep diaper rashes away from my baby's precious bum.
What is a diaper rash and why it happens?
When baby's tender skin turns red or the baby has inflamed skin specifically in the diaper area like thighs, buttocks and genitals. It happens either due to infrequent diaper change or baby's sensitive skin. For the first month of my baby's life, I had decided not to use any kind of diapers - this was to keep a check on my baby's pee-count, helping me to decide if he is feeding well or not. However, my pediatrician recommended using diapers right from day 1 - but I made sure I followed all golden diaper rules, namely:
- Change diaper every 4 hours. Don't let the baby be in the same diaper for more than this time.
- If you are travelling, pat dry the diaper area with tissue or towel and put some baby powder between diaper changes.
- Invest in a good diaper rash cream and keep it handy. Take suggestion; ask fellow moms or your pediatrician, keeping baby's skin sensitivity in mind.
- Always use the right size diapers according to baby's weight and age which is very convenient these days as weight is already mentioned on the diaper packs. Too small may not leave room for airflow and diapers too big can cause leakage – both causing rashes.
And the most important
- Always wash your hands before and after every diaper change. Washing hands can prevent the spreading of any bacteria or infections to other parts of baby's body.
Now that we know how to successfully diaper a baby, let's understand the proper way of disposing used diapers. You cannot simply throw them in the bins. Our kids are watching each and every move. If we simply throw away the diaper we are showing them that we don't respect the environment. Also simply discarding plastic wrapped, pooped filled diapers into the bin pose health hazards to others. For our kids' bright future, dispose used diapers in the following ways if possible:
- Whether you are home or travelling, make sure you simply don't put soiled diapers in the bin. Try and flush the poop, wrap the used diaper in any sealed bag.
- Use a diaper pail to dispose of the diapers. A pail is nothing but a trash can that comes with a sealable bag that protects the baby's room from any kind of odour or germs. This trend is slowly picking up in our country but is a well-known method of disposing diapers at home in the west.
- Always carry bio-degradable bags to dispose of the diapers while travelling. I use the ones used for dog waste (Yay!! Perks of having a furry family member). These are easily available at all leading e-commerce websites. This is most useful during air-travel.
- Please don't just simply throw away used diapers on the roadside or in the bushes. Wait till you locate a waste bin. Wrap them in plastic or at least a newspaper properly till you find place for proper disposal.
- Make sure you always carry some plastic bags or sealable bags in diaper bag.
Be respectful to others, the directly dumped soiled diapers sometimes might threaten the health of sanitation workers. Let's help make the environment a better place to live in for all with small efforts like these. Let me know in the comments if you know any other useful tip for disposing used diapers.
