Do you wipe your baby every nappy change?

[lifeisahighway1]

Discussing with friends (obviously if a poo or nappy rash is present then all of us agree it’s wipe and appropriate cream). We also agreed wipes are used first nappy change if your child has slept through the night without a nappy change.

Some of us use wipes every nappy (wees) and some of us do every 2-3 nappies and we literally couldn’t believe the divide between the two! There were really strong (healthy) arguments for why both are the “right” thing to do.

Not saying what camp I’m in, just wondering what you all think!

YABU - Wipe every time
YANBU - Wipe every other or every 2/3 nappies

Clean cloth in warm plain water and soft towel dry the area after each nappy. Lazy parenting to not freshen baby each time.

What I’m I reading……..

Of course wipe every time. I used water and cotton wool but my kids are all in their 30s. Tmi but I use incontinence pads which are very absorbent but I obviously wipe and usually wash if I'm somewhere that's possible to do, because it is unhygienic not to.

Eww. Filthy fuckers! Of course wipe every time, same as I would my own bum when I've been for a wee or a poo. Their poor kids.

Why wouldn't you wipe though? Is it just laziness on the part of your friends? Its incredibly hard to believe anyone would leave shit and urine on their baby's skin. It would never occur to me not to clean during a nappy change.

I am a grandmother now, but all of my babies were wet wiped with - no scent - baby wipes, then had cream put on as well, and none of them ever had even a touch of nappy rash, ever. I am not sharing that information as a boast, I am sharing it because @lifeisahighway1 mentioned in her post that of course if a baby got nappy rash then they would wipe, and not just change the nappy.

Adult pads absorb at the same rate. If they have family members in a care facility, who needed pads, are they ok with them not being cleaned in-between changes? Do they not freshen themselves up, in-between sanitary towel changes? I've never heard if this before. If they are worried about the environment, then change to flannels etc.

Do you wipe yourself every time you go to the toliet, this shouldn't even be a discussion tbh, wipe the baby's bum every change it prevents nappy rash.

Baby - always wipe and cream most of the time too.
big toddler before potty training - sometimes whipped one off and other straight on, eg if changing quickly out and about and he was standing up rather than on a changing table. As op has said the nappies are so absorbent that his skin wasn’t wet (obviously the idea of dry wee is a bit gross so would defo get a wipe soon after!)

I guess when the are big toddlers in nappies that absorb several wees’ worth, they will always have wee next to their skin (unless you changed after every wee when the nappy only had a tiny squirt in it?)

The only time I've not wiped is on a couple of occasions, in the middle of the night when I've realised half way through nappy change that the wipes have run out, and it was only a light wee, and I don't want to risk child waking if I faff around looking for them. And maybe once where I'd run out entirely by accident. So maybe a handful of times in 9 years of changing bums. Certainly could count them on one hand. It's absolutely not ideal. It's pretty grim and only if no other practical choice.

When big toddler I sometimes whipped a nappy off and put a new one on at nighttime to stop leaks at night, or if he’d fallen asleep In the buggy on the way home with a full nappy and I didn’t want to wake him up I woudnt wipe I’d just do a quick change into new nappy. Better to put a dry nappy on without a wipe then to leave in a wet nappy and risk it leaking too in my view

Wipe and cream, every single nappy change. I’m guessing you’re the not wipe camp 😵‍💫

I’ll put my head above the parapet and admit to not wiping every time on either of my kids. If the skin looked dry and clean then I’d just put a new nappy on without wiping.

This makes no sense. It doesn't matter how absorbent the nappy is - the urine doesn't magically teleport into the absorbent layer, it still puddles round the skin at the time when the baby is actively weeing. It might dry, but that's dry wee, it's not gone anywhere and it's still damaging the baby's skin if it's just left there.

Even if you accept the completely illogical stance that the nappy has absorbed it so it's 'gone' - what is the actual benefit of not wiping the baby that makes it a better choice than wiping?

I agree makes no sense. Depending on the fit of the nappy and anatomy of the baby, there isn’t nappy pressed directly onto the urethral opening at all times. Or perhaps there is in the case of boys? I wouldn’t know!

Am also interested in how someone could passionately argue for not wiping. I’m assuming by your comment op that you are on the no wiping side since you can see both - those of us on the wiping side can see no argument for this whatsoever…

Wipe everytime. I get that modern nappies are really absorbent but it seems cruel not to give their skin a quick clean.

It’s been a long time since my children were in nappies but I would clean every single time. Not with baby wipes at home, though - I used reusable wipes (basically made of Terry towelling - cheeky wipes was the brand, I assume you can still get them). They were brilliant and very kind on skin. I always used barrier cream too as found my babies would quickly get nappy rash without it.

Would people consider older children or adults who have to use incontinence pads to be clean if their carers only changed the pad and didn’t clean their genitals? Surely not. Why is it different for babies? I would consider not wiping to be neglectful actually.

The only thing to understand about a parent who would remove a nappy and put a new one on without wiping their baby, is that they are lazy and neglectful of their baby's wellbeing.

Urine gets on the baby's skin before it's absorbed into the nappy. If these parents cleaned their babies properly then the babies would be more comfortable and the chances of nappy rash would be greatly reduced. Poor little mites.

Modern nappies also contain a lot of chemicals. Those are at least as harmful as the urine itself. Wipe every time and not with fragrances wipes but water based wipes or reusable water soaked wipes.

Wipe every time. Disposable nappies are very absorbent but it takes seconds to wipe and eliminates any risk of leaving urine on their skin.

I just don't see why you wouldn't.

Before wipes were available we used cooled boiled water and cotton wool for every change

WTAF.

Of course you give the kid a wipe.

I wondered if wiping (with water and a soft cloth) every change was actually irritating my baby's skin, so I stopped wiping for wees and their skin improved. They got a wet wipe first thing in the morning and after a poo. This was best practice for my children.

Not wiping is absolutely disgusting and neglectful

I wiped every single time but on a couple of occasions each dc was a quick nappy off and one on and I can’t remember why - probably in the car or pram somewhere with no facilities or needing to be super quick maybe. I remember I have done this as I remember it not sitting right and needing to change them asap to actually ’clean’ them.

Do any of you bath your babies monthly?!
(lighthearted)