1st diaper changes - need a refresher course

[junestars]

Hi everyone, I posted this question in the diaper forum but got very few responses ~ and with a baby coming soon I don't have time to wait for answers I should of just posted it here to begin with...

So like I said I'm due any day now and I need a refresher course on those first diaper changes.. it's been about 2 and half years and I've got some serious placenta brain

I think I remember I only used a cloth damp with water for the first few days on my son? Is that right? How long should I wait to use a commercial wipe like 7th Generation or Tushies?

How about California Baby Diaper Wash spray? When is it safe to use that? It's Water, Witch Hazel, Calendula and Tea Tree.

How about if the meconium is really sticky/bad? What can I use (olive oil?)

And finally if what to do I need to know about wiping girls (if the baby is a girl) that is different from boys? This is a big one I'm kind-of freaking out about. Is that weird? I feel so used to boy "junk" girl parts seem so foreign to me. Tell me to relax

THANK YOU!

[JustVanessa]

I just used water to wipe ds for the first 5 days, then switched to wipes. I think any of the products you mentioned would be fine after a couple of days.

Girl parts-Check ALL the creases. I have changed my best friends girls right from NB and they are a little more difficult than boys, poop has more places to hide.

The first time she changed ds, she asked me how. My first kids, by this time she had 3 girls. I just laughed. After telling her not to retract his foreskin, I said just get all the poop off.

[kehliouise]

we did use the olive oil on ds for the first little while. i remember that helping wonderfully. i don't remember much either. i do remember that our midwife gave us instructions, so maybe she will this time as well.

[Peacemamalove]

My midwife said to put a little olive oil on there little bum with the first diaper to make that first bm easier to clean off...I am just using fleece wipes I made myself and some water.

As for little girls just make sure you get all the folds like PP said. Also there might be a little blood from her vagina since the rush of hormones from the birth.

Don't worry though that is normal for some babies...

[Chavaleh]

Originally Posted by junestars

And finally if what to do I need to know about wiping girls (if the baby is a girl) that is different from boys? This is a big one I'm kind-of freaking out about. Is that weird? I feel so used to boy "junk" girl parts seem so foreign to me. Tell me to relax

Hehe, I'm the opposite. I'm having my first boy after two girls and I'm a little worried about dealing with the willy! But yeah as stated above, girl bits have nooks and crannies that poop likes to hide in.

[allnaturalmama]

Yep, just slather that bum with olive oil the first few days. It will really help the meconium not stick.

I use cloth wipes with water all through the diapering days. It works fine to get them clean, and no worries about skin irritation/reactions.

For girls, in addition to checking all those creases, also make sure you only wipe front to back and never twice with the same section of the wipe - to avoid UTIs and vag infections.

[ollineeba]

Originally Posted by zahirakids

My midwife said to put a little olive oil on there little bum with the first diaper to make that first bm easier to clean off...I am just using fleece wipes I made myself and some water.

As for little girls just make sure you get all the folds like PP said. Also there might be a little blood from her vagina since the rush of hormones from the birth.

Don't worry though that is normal for some babies...

We also use olive oil at the beginning and it makes it a lot easier.
And YES to what this poster mentioned about baby girls- don't be freaked if you see a little bloody mucous coming from her parts at first. DH was so worried that something was wrong when he went to wipe her at just 3 days old and saw that.

[HardCoreMom]

i read on another thread here about using burt's bees apricot oil instead of olive oil (not for any particular reason). anyone know anything about this? i have a teeny little bottle of it that would be much more convenient to take to the hospital than any other sized container i could put olive oil in. but of course, i'd do whatever would be better for the babe.

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by HardCoreMom

i read on another thread here about using burt's bees apricot oil instead of olive oil (not for any particular reason). anyone know anything about this? i have a teeny little bottle of it that would be much more convenient to take to the hospital than any other sized container i could put olive oil in. but of course, i'd do whatever would be better for the babe.

I think any oil will do so long as it's not irritating. I used jojoba with excellent results.

[Jennah_Gole]

Man u guys should have put this thread up weeks ago...lol.... I had soo much trouble washing away those meconium poops that I kept wondering how I did it with the other dear kids...I dont remember using oil or anything and i dont remember having soo much trouble.

but i have been wiping with warm water and a cloth for all diaper changes...I wash my ds toddler in the sink with water but dd newborn is just too tiny and I am afraid she would slip out of my hands...but for the first time I am running into trouble with a rash...none of my kiddos had a rash this early...I am changing her diaper whenever she is up but it seems maybe its not enough and i can usually hear her when she does her poopies but she is already having a reaction to the diapers.

so would olive oil be good for a rash at this young age or should i go with desitin or something with zinc oxide, or a powder...?

[muttix2]

I always used Desitin for the rashes that my boys got. I'm not sure if it was the best, it was just what I knew to use. I might use something different this time (I'm going to research it) though.

Are you drying her off before putting on a new diaper? That was a problem with one of my boys, he needed to be completely wiped off at every change but then he also needed to be dried off or he'd get a rash.

[junestars]

Originally Posted by zahirakids

As for little girls just make sure you get all the folds like PP said. Also there might be a little blood from her vagina since the rush of hormones from the birth.

Don't worry though that is normal for some babies...

Wow thank you so much! See and hear I really thought I knew it all - I had NO IDEA about that. Wow. Shocking....

Thank you so much everyone for the great advice. I'm feeling a little bit more relaxed now. I like the Burt's Bee Apricot suggestion.. I too have a little bottle of that...

Front to back for girls. Got it.

Jennah might it be the diapers? I had to experiment with different disposables and even cloth with my ds till I found a diaper that didn't give him a rash. I never used Desitin or Powder.... The Burts Bee diaper ointment or Weleda
Calendula Baby Cream worked great.. and that California Baby Diaper Wash Spray is awesome to help prevent (and u could make up your own concoction with the basic ingredients and put it in a spray bottle.)

[To-Fu]

This is such a great thread, so thanks to junestars for starting it! I'm a first-timer and really had no idea about these things.

Love the olive oil idea (this is just for those first big poops, right? The meconium?), and I'm going to check out the California Baby spray, since I know they carry it at my local HFS.

I'm open to other tips!

[kehliouise]

i started to buy some of the california baby spray this weekend when i went to whole foods but i didn't. now i'm thinking maybe i should have. it smelled really nice.

[impromptukiss]

we always just use cloth wipes with warm water. i don't put any oil or anything on the butt, i've never had any problems getting the mec off. personally, i think girls are so much easier to clean. it was such a pia geting poop off of ds's scrotum. too many little wrinkles, lol. kayleigh was a simple swipe front to back!

with dd, we used disposables the first 3mo, and did from day 1.

[To-Fu]

Diapering Question!

OK, so we decided to do gDiapers and I think I have everything ready to go. My only question is whether or not we should wash all the diaper covers first. I'm assuming the answer is "yes" since all his clothes need to be washed before putting them on his delicate little skin.

Help? (Can you tell I've never changed a diaper in my life? Seriously.)

[simplehome]

Originally Posted by To-Fu

OK, so we decided to do gDiapers and I think I have everything ready to go. My only question is whether or not we should wash all the diaper covers first. I'm assuming the answer is "yes" since all his clothes need to be washed before putting them on his delicate little skin.

Help? (Can you tell I've never changed a diaper in my life? Seriously.)

I would totally wash them first....a few times! There's usually all sorts of sizing and stuff on new fabric, and you never know how it'll interact with urine and irritate. Can't really hurt anything to throw them in the washer, eh?

[Jennah_Gole]

Well i guess it culd be the diapers - i always use pampers thats worked with all my kids - but i guess since she sleeps so well like 4 or 5 hrs at a time that i shud be wakin her up and changing her and if i am going to do that then i guess i might as well try to wake her up to breastfeed too.