Nothing beats the feeling of learning you will be a new parent. While you’ll experience extreme happiness and excitement at the news, you won’t help but worry too. That anxiety will understandably worsen when you envision foul-smelling dirty diapers and disastrous diaper changes.
Fortunately, there are countless online resources and readily available diaper-duty accessories that can chase that nagging fear away. When things go south (literally), you’d better believe that a good ol’ diaper changing pad can save your day.
Let’s discover the wonders and miracles that diaper changing pads can do, a few pieces of advice on diapering, and how you can choose the best baby changing pad for your little one.
What Are Diaper Changing Pads?
Considering how often a newborn urinates and defecates, experts recommend changing an infant’s diapers every two to three hours. But with how squirmy some babies get during diaper duties, frequent diaper changes throughout the day can exhaust both the parent and their child.
Enter changing pads. Indicative in its name, parents use a diaper changing pad when it’s time to change their baby’s soiled diapers. Changing pads give parents adequate space for diaper changes while providing comfort and security for the baby.
The changing pad’s curved form, foam pad, and safety strap can prevent your infant from accidentally rolling over, ensuring their safety during a diaper change. To avoid unnecessary messes, you can also place a changing pad cover over it.
Depending on your needs, there are several changing pad options available. You can purchase a portable changing pad to assist you during diaper duties when you and your baby are out and about. If you aren’t too fond of cleaning up, there are also disposable changing pads that you can easily throw away once the deed is done.
A smart changing pad can even measure and help you monitor your baby’s weight. And for environmentally conscious parents, an organic changing pad made with eco-friendly and non-toxic materials can be the perfect fit for you and your child.
Why Should You Have a Changing Pad for Your Baby?
Diaper changes can be a draining task for both parent and child. Having a handy changing pad can lessen the stress of diaper duties. Here are the benefits of having a diaper changing pad::
- It is a convenient and adequate changing area.
- It can protect your child from dirty surfaces and help you avoid any leakage when changing.
- It is a space to store diaper-related items like diapers, wipes, etc.
- It has safety features that keeps your baby comfortable and safe (contoured form, foam body, safety belt, etc.).
- It is easily carried in a diaper bag during travels.
Are They Different From Changing Tables?
Learning about changing pads may lead to confusion about another important diaper changing tool: the changing table. Changing pads and tables have similar uses, but they differ in size.
A changing table is quite obviously a piece of furniture; hence it is larger than a changing pad. To unsuspecting individuals, changing tables may seem like ordinary dressers, but the tabletop’s design will give away its primary purpose. A changing table has drawers where you can store your baby’s essentials.
You may ask: do you need a changing table, or are changing pads enough? It depends on your needs as a parent. Parents with spacious homes may opt to use changing tables, while parents always on the go may choose portable pads for their diapering needs.
Selecting the Best Changing Pad
If you’ve decided to use a changing pad for diaper changes instead of a changing table, you will need to consider and examine several factors and features before buying. You want the best diaper changing pad for your newborn, don’t you?
It’s All About the Cushion
The most important feature you must evaluate is the changing pad’s cushion. As mentioned, changing pads can provide comfort to your little one, but that’s only if it has a soft and supportive cushion or foam.
Uncomfortable babies may become squirmy and difficult during diaper changes, leading to leakage and mishaps. As a result, you would want your baby to be at ease during these moments.
More importantly, a high-quality cushion or foam will give sufficient back support for your child when they lie down for diaper changing.
Safety First
Besides the cushion’s softness and support, you must also consider its form. Curved or contoured changing pads with raised sides can keep your baby in place while you change their soiled nappies.
Some changing pads may also have safety straps and belts for further protection. These straps can secure your child in the pad, restraining some of their movements and preventing them from rolling away from the pad.
Additionally, there are changing pads that you can attach to surfaces, such as changing tables, baby car seats, strollers, and even walls. When buying such changing pads, ensure that the straps are highly durable and easy to attach.
No Spills!
The truth is: diaper changing is a horror. It can be a disastrous and explosive mess. Babies may accidentally give you a splash of the two unsightly P’s while you change their diapers. As a result, it’s crucial to be prepared for these kinds of mishaps.
A waterproof diaper changing pad can help you lessen the clean-up work after these nasty and smelly instances. Waterproof surfaces are easy to wipe clean and stop unwanted wastes and excrement from soiling the pad’s cushion. As a result, you won’t have to spend too much time cleaning and scrubbing away the dirt and smell from the foam pad.
You can also use waterproof changing pad covers to protect the cushion if you already have a standard changing pad and do not wish to buy a new one.
Sizing Things Up
Babies will rapidly develop during their earlier months. Typically, you won’t have to use diaper changing pads and tables by the time your little one turns two because they will be too heavy or tall for them. Some parents even ditch these tools earlier.
For this reason, you must ensure that the changing pad you purchase is large enough to accommodate and support your newborn throughout their earlier months. Likewise, if you plan to use changing pad covers, ensure they fit the pad snugly.
A Short Guide on Diaper Changing
Hopefully, those tips will help you purchase a suitable changing pad for your newborn. Now, let’s dirty our hands with the actual messy business: diaper changing. While we won’t get into too much detail about it, we will prepare you for your first diaper change with a brief overview of the procedure.
- Keep your diaper change essentials nearby: clean diapers, diaper pails, wipes or washcloths, anti-rash lotion, etc.
- Gently lay your newborn on their back on the changing pad or table.
- Remove the soiled diaper from your baby. Wrap the used diaper in plastic before disposing it in a diaper pail or garbage can.
- Clean your infant’s lower half with a soft damp towel or wipes. Ensure that you wipe between the folds of their skin.
- Lift your newborn’s legs by the ankle and put a fresh diaper under their lower body.
- Place the front of the diaper between your baby’s legs before securing and fastening the sides.
Remember to change your newborn’s nappies every two or three hours or as needed. Doing so will prevent the accumulation of bacteria in the diaper area, and prevent your child from getting diaper rashes and irritation due to excrement.
Get High-Quality Diaper Changing Pads From Ashtonbee!
Parenthood undeniably has plenty of demands. The mere thought of countless tiring tasks may amplify the worries and anxieties of being first-time parents. But you won’t have to worry about these challenging chores when you have tools like diaper changing pads.
We hope this brief guide will prepare and help you face the challenges of your newborn’s first diaper change. Wondering where you can find diaper changing pads with excellent quality? Try Ashtonbee!
Ashtonbee’s portable diaper changing pad can take care of your baby’s bathroom breaks while you’re out and about. Our changing pad has a large changing surface, durable and easy-to-attach straps, and several storage compartments, making it extremely travel-friendly. What’s more, you can easily clean our changing pad with wipes because it’s waterproof!
Browse through our collection and find baby essentials that can assist you in your parenting journey.
