Are you a new mom? Welcome to motherhood! Your responsibilities have just begun. As a new mother, you need to learn lot about your child and ways to tackle it. One major time consuming responsibility is nappy

Cleaning your baby. It isn’t necessary to wash your baby when changing a nappy. In cleaning your baby after a bowel movement, you can use plain water on cotton balls or flannel, baby lotion and tissues or baby wipes. Storebought premoistened wipes often contain perfumes and other chemicals that can cause rashes. With girls, always wipe from front to back. It’s nice to let the skin air dry. It’s important to wash your hands with soap and water after changing the nappy to prevent the spread of harmful germs.

When to change. Most parents change the nappy when they pick their baby up for feeding and again before they put him back to bed. Parents who are very busy have found out that they can save time and laundry by changing only once at each feeding - usually after it, because babies frequently have a bowel movement while eating. If children have sufficient covers over them, the wet nappy does not feel cold. It is when wet clothing is exposed to the air that evaporation makes it cold.

Disposable nappies. Most parents today choose to use disposable nappies for convenience and because they absorb more fluid. Disposables can seem dry because they absorb moisture well, but they still need changing about as often as cloth. The costs of cloth and disposable nappies are similar when a nappy service is used. Cloth nappies washed at home cost’s less but take a lot more work.

Cloth nappies. Cloth nappies are equally effective but time consuming. You spend a lot of time and energy doing it. Many parents choose prefolded cloth nappies, which close with Velcro. If you prefer the old-fashioned type, there are two things to remember when putting them on: position the moist cloth where there will be the most urine and don’t allow so much nappy to bunch between the legs that it keeps them widely separated.

When you put in the pins, slip two fingers of the other hand between the baby and the nappy to prevent the child from being pricked. The pins slide through the cloth more easily if you’ve them stuck into a bar of soap.

Washing cloth nappies. You want a covered bucket partially filled with water to put used nappies into, as soon as they are removed. If it contains 120ml of bleach per 4 litres of water, this will help in removing stains. When you remove a soiled nappy, scrape the movement off into the toilet with a knife or rinse it by flushing while you hold it in the toilet. Clean the nappy bucket each time you do a nappy wash.

Wash the nappies with mild soap or mild detergent in washing machine or washtub (dissolve the soap well first) and rinse two or three times. The number of rinsings depends on how soon the water stays clear and on how delicate the baby’s skin is. If your baby’s skin isn’t sensitive, two rinsings may be enough. If your baby has a tendency to develop nappy rash, you may need to take additional precautions - at least at the times the rash appears and perhaps regularly.

Now you have learnt about the art of nappy changing. Have a wonderful motherhood experience!