Nappies

Nappy days are here

As a rough guide, change your baby's nappy about as often as you feed him. If your baby is feeding very often, you don't need to change him every time, as small feeds don't generally warrant a nappy change.

The point of changing your baby's nappy is to protect his skin, which can become sore if it's allowed to stay in contact with wee or poo. So if you know your baby has had a poo, you'll want to change him as soon as you can, especially if his bottom is already a bit red or sore.

How to change your baby

• Lie your baby on his back - on any clean, safe (not high) warm surface
• Take off the used nappy and place out of reach
• Gently wipe your baby's nappy area using a baby wipe, or warm water with cloth or cotton wool
• Dry the area (not necessary if you've used a wipe)
• Lift your baby's legs up and place the clean nappy underneath his bottom
• If you're using a disposable, the edge with the tapes should be at the top about level with your baby's waist, and the absorbent side of the nappy should go against his skin
• If you're using a cloth nappy, the widest part should go under your baby's waist
• Bring the bottom edge of the nappy up between your baby's legs
• To adjust the fit, stick the tapes on the underneath side to the front of the nappy or use grips or pins to fasten a cloth nappy
• You may want to use a baby barrier cream to help prevent nappy rash - ask your midwife or health visitor about this

Reusable vs disposable

Reusable cloth nappies

These come as foldable, traditional terry towelling squares, which you then pin or clip to hold them on, or else pre-shaped nappies, which usually use built-in fastenings so there's no need for folding or pinning.

'Real' nappies come in a range of style and colours.

The preshaped ones tend to take longer to dry after washing, whereas the terry towelling ones unfold and dry quite quickly. Your baby may need to wear waterproof pants over the nappy to stop leakage through to his clothes.

The initial outlay can seem expensive, but this is considerably less than the cumulative cost of disposables over two-and-a-half years.

It's also kinder to the environment to opt for resuables - even when you factor in the washing. Once you've bought them, they can do for more than one child, and not having to buy nappies makes a real difference to the bulk of your weekly shop.

Disposable nappies

There are several brands that are constantly being redeveloped, to convince parents that this year's nappy is even better than last year's in terms of fit and absorbency. They're convenient, as there's no washing and drying.

Most parents use disposables because of this convenience factor, and parents who use reusable nappies most of the time may use disposables when away from home.

Some parents opt for reusables during the day and disposables at night.