10 More Smart Mummy Hacks to Make Diaper Changing a Cinch - December 2024

Now that you have read the first part on diaper changing, here are 10 more mummy hacks to make that duty a cinch.

It isn’t easy wrestling with a wriggly baby while dealing with poop and pee. You want to do it efficiently and quickly, ensuring his little bum-bum is clean and you also want to save on yourself, your purse and the environment by not wasting diapers or doing unnecessary washing or cleaning up of diaper spills and seepages.

So here are more mummy hacks on diaper changing and saving.

When baby starts moving, you will need to move even faster. That applies to diaper changing as well.

1. Diaper under diaper

This will save you countless changes of clothing and pad covers.

Your little bundle of joy will feel a sudden change of temperature when you open his diaper for a change. That can make him spew out of both ends with serious projectile force.

To protect yourself and the bedding where you are changing him:

Open up a new diaper and place it under baby’s current diaper
Carefully open up the diaper that is on them
Clean up and prepare to use the front end as a shield just in case
Slide the dirty diaper out
Place baby’s bottom safely on the new clean diaper waiting beneath

2. Keep those ruffles out

Whether you are using a cloth diaper or a disposable one, they will have ruffles that act as leg gathers. Pull them out to ensure they keep leakages at bay. (Image Credit: The Bump)

See those extra little elasticized ruffles that surround baby’s legs? They tend to naturally fold in because that is how they are packaged to be compact. Pull them out when you put on a clean diaper because those ruffles are designed to keep in leakages.

3. Prepare to wrestle

Once your baby is rolling over, they’re going to be in explore mode. Those times of him keeping still while you changed him are over. He’ll be all moving hands and legs and while on the subject of hands, watch those hands. They just might grab a lump of poop while you’re busy grappling with his legs. Some mums roll up his top over his head to hold those hands out of the way.

Once your baby is rolling over, they’re going to be in explore mode and may not keep still for slow diaper changes.

4. Get your baby’s next diaper size ready

Your baby can literally change sizes overnight. Even if he is a few hundred grams away from stepping up to the next size, he could be too big for his old diaper size to have room to contain those things that come out. Have at least a small package of the bigger size around just in case. You’re going to need them eventually anyway so it is not an unnecessary buy.

Diapers seepages are not unusual. They run either up the back of the baby or out the legs especially if he is small and the fit isn’t snug enough. This applies mostly to preemies, newborns, and all the smaller sizes such as Size 1 and Size 2.

5. Babies need to be diaper-free

A little “nekkid” time is good for baby’s bum. Will keep diaper rash at bay.

Nothing is better for preventing and treating diaper rash than taking off that diaper. All of that moisture constantly trapped in there with friction is just asking for a rash. Give baby’s bum an airing. It’ll be good for him.

6. Keep plastic bags in your bag

You know this one. Keep a few handy. You never know when they can come in useful. (Image Credit: IndiaMART)

Always keep extra plastic bags with you wherever you go. It’s always when you’re at a swanky do or at an open house at your baby-less friend’s fancy pad when your baby decides to make the nastiest mess in their pants. You’ll want to be able to seal that up so as not to disgust those around you with that stench. It’s also handy if your little darling has a blow out on his clothes while you’re out with him. Keep those stinky clothes in the bag to keep the smell in until you can get home and wash them.

7. Envelope shoulder flap for diaper messes

See those envelope shoulder flaps? They were designed for style and functionality. (Image Credit: Amazon.com)

And you thought this was just a design style.

Well, it’s yes and no to that. On no-blow-out days, baby can look real stylo-milo in his neat little envelop-shouldered onesie. But if baby has had a blow-out, that’s where those shoulder flaps show function over style.

Simply open those shoulder folds and roll the onesie down the baby instead of removing the entire soiled onesie over his head. It’s to keep him clean from the neck up, saving you the trouble of having to give him a full bath and shampoo. Ingenius!

8. Point your little boy’s part downwards

Have you ever wondered why your little boy’s chest and stomach may be soaked while the diaper is still dry? Well, it’s because boy-boy’s little parts were pointing up when he sprayed inside the diaper; he wet his clothes and kept the diaper dry. Avoid this simply by aiming down!

Point boy-boy’s little thingy down to prevent upward sprays that will wet his clothes and keep diaper dry.

9. Use the top part of a soiled diaper as the first wipe

This diaper changing hack may sound a little strange, but it can be incredibly useful for the times you only have only one or two wipes left and you are dealing with a poopy diaper.

10. Have an emergency diaper stash ready everywhere

Always keep extra diapers with you. You never know when you will need to count on them to save the day. (Image Credit: Mummyfique)

Probably one of the worst things that can happen is when you are in mid change and you realise you’ve run out of diapers. That’s when you’ll realise about the importance of stocking up and planning for the inevitable. An emergency diaper stash is just what is needed. Always have two or three diapers nearby for when you least expect it. Stash a couple of diapers in the car, in your closet and in that secret pocket of your bag so that when you are out an about with baby, you won’t be caught empty-handed.

For more smart mummy hacks, read all about it on Motherhood.com.my