Baby Diapers: Is it Safe to Keep a Baby in Diapers all Day?

Disposable diapers are a norm in modern day parenting. Though a necessity, parents often come across information, that makes them question the safety of diapers. Diaper rash, baby comfort, how to diaper and is it a healthy practice are a few of the many questions that bother a parent. If you too are uncertain of whether or not to use disposable diapers, this article will help you restore harmony in your parenting journey.

Jul 21,2021 by MomComIndia Share

This is one of the most asked questions on all of our platforms. The convenience of diapers v/s the advice of well-meaning elders or the scare of diaper rashes, often baffles parents. The mind boggling information online can often be contradictory. Keeping the safety of your baby in focus, I decided to address this frequently asked query. My response to it is purely based on my personal experiences with diapering my son. We were told to avoid using diapers for the first 40 days by well-wishers. Their reason being that the newborn’s skin is sensitive and the use of diapers can cause rashes. Taking their concerns into consideration, we spoke to our paediatrician. Being forthright, we learnt that it is absolutely safe to keep a baby in diapers throughout the day, if one is mindful about the following points.

1. Always invest in a good quality Diaper

Parents often get confused about which diaper to purchase. To decide we rely on the advice of chemists, commercials or other parents. Avoid cheap diapers, when you purchase a particular brand, do observe its performance, especially its soaking power. A baby should not feel the wetness in a diaper. Since all babies are unique, check whether the brand suits your baby. If not then change the diaper brand. We found both Huggies and Pampers to be good brands to use (Click here to check our Diaper recommendation for a newborn baby). In fact, for a new born one can use newborn diapers that have a wetness indicator. One knows from the blue line in the diaper that it is time for a change. It is a boon for new parents as it takes the guess work away from diapering.

2. Change the diaper every 2-3 hrs

Depending on the amount of peeing that a baby does, a diaper should be changed every 2-3 hours. Even if the diaper is not full in 3 hours, change it. For poop, a diaper has to be changed immediately. This prevents the growth of germs in the diaper. My son had a phase where he was peeing around 20 times a day. I changed him every 2 hours to maintain the hygiene. Some babies get uncomfortable even after a pee, in such a case one might need to change the diaper every time baby urinates. Analyse your baby’s comfort and maintain a hygienic cycle of diaper change. Remember, when you delay changing a wet diaper the chances of a rash becomes high.

3. Clean the genital area well while changing the Diaper

For the sake of convenience, more parents are choosing baby wipes. While it is a great option, when the baby is having a day out or when one is traveling, it is best to use water to clean a baby at home. During a diaper change wash the bottom with your hands and pat dry with a Bamboo Fabric Washcloth which are great for sensitive skin of baby. Leave it to air dry for 5-10 minutes. Apply a diaper rash cream or coconut oil, before putting on the fresh diaper. For our days out, we used the Pampers Sensitive wipes. Many wipes have alcohol in them which irritates the baby’s skin. Check the labelling and avoid using such wipes. Bamboo Based Organic wipes are great for this purpose.

4. Apply a good quality Diaper Rash Cream with every diaper change

Diaper rash cream is a preventive measure and is to be used regularly. The assumption that diaper rash creams are only for use during a diaper rash is false. With every change apply a diaper rash cream or coconut oil. This creates a protective barrier on the baby’s skin. Invest in a good zinc oxide based diaper rash cream (click here to check our Diaper Rash Cream recommendation for newborn baby). Alternatively you can apply coconut oil as it has cooling effect and is anti-inflammatory. For our son we used Butt Paste (in winters) and Aquaphor (for summers).

5. Choose the right size Diaper

Diapers come in various sizes according to baby’s weight. Choose the right size diaper for your baby, never make the mistake of continuing with a tight diaper just because you have a few left. It’s advisable to always keep the next diaper size handy. Since a baby can get a growth spurt, a size larger ensures that the baby is comfortable. Sometimes babies cry just because a diaper is too tight to accommodate its movement and this can definitely lead to a diaper rash.

6. Do not put a Diaper if the baby has a Diaper Rash

The only effective remedy to treat a diaper rash is more contact with air. Leave the baby’s bottom open or make the baby wear loose bottoms. Also avoid using wipes in such cases. The wiping motion aggravates the situation. We had kept separate lowers for Kabir, that he used to wear only during the hours that we left him diaper free. Wash, air dry, apply diaper rash cream and leave the baby diaper free. Do not apply powder as it will only block the pores on baby’s skin, worsening the rash. Do not overlook a diaper rash. It can worsen quickly.

Having a hygienic diapering routine, kept our son off diaper rashes. Kabir (our son) has had just had one incident of diaper rash and that too we managed to control in the initial stage. I have never chosen to cloth diaper Kabir. The absorbing power of normal nappies, keeping a track of wetness and wash cycle hygiene were the reasons for me to stick to disposable diapering. That said, should you choose to cloth diaper one can get high quality cloth diapers these days. A lot of cloth diapers need to be washed multiple times even before the first use and the laundry routine has to be strictly followed. However even in the case of cloth diapers, keeping a track of the changing time, cleaning routine between diaper changes and air drying is a must.

Diapering is an essential part of the parenting journey. Choosing well according to you and your babies comfort is a must. Do reach out to me with any feedback, comments or queries. MomComIndia is present on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can also choose to interact with us on our website. This content is available in a video format as well below this article. I endeavour to share my parenting journey with more parents, with the aim of making parenting a joyful experience. Do share my articles to further this cause. Enjoy simplified parenting.

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