Can someone give me an idiot's guide to nappy changing?

[MrsFogi]

I'm waiting for no 1 to arrive and to relieve my boredom am repacking my hospital bag (which has turned into 3 bags so I'm trying to do some pruning!). I'd like to use as few lotions/creams/chemicals on the baby as possible so am wondering what I really need to pack for nappy changes in the first days - clearly I need nappies and cotton wool. So the question is - is that enough (ie clean with cotton wool and water) or do I really need to use lotions/powder/nappy cream? If so, do let me know what I need.

cotton wool and water is fine! nothing else needed.

never used lotions on my kids... think they can be quite bad -- do a search for some posts by Mears on avoiding all sort of things on babys skin to prevent rashes etc..

first few day ofpoo are meconium that needs acid to clean it off -- but patience and cotton wool and water do the job!!

Nothing else needed! Maybe a little pot you can keep in your bag to fill with water if you're not close enough to a tap.
I always kept wet wipes also for really messy poos.

The few times my dd got a sore bottom i put sudo crem or vaseline on until all back to normal.

cotton wool and water are all you need to clean a new borns bum. or indeed any baby's bum. wipes are just more convenient but aren't very good for baby's skin.

on a newborn i never use anything other than cotton wool and warm water. it helps to have a little bowl to put water into, but the hospital always had one, which i took home with me, one of those little disposable type things.

wipes are easier to use but i wouldnt use on a newborns skin as i think its just too delicate. wait a few weeks, a month or so i think.

i have only ever used creams when baby has a nappy rash. even then, the best is to keep it clean and dry. leaveing the nappy off it possible at all
oh, and for girls, try to clean back to front, so you are not ppushing pooh into vagina.
good luck

I could never get the poo off with cotton wool wihtout scrubbing away at it my babies must have super sticky meconium! Don't worry though because the hospital should have anything you've forgotten anyway... well mine did!

No need to have anything other than nappies and cotton wool. I never bothered with lotions at all, and only use nappy cream if S gets sore, not a matter of routine. I would also take a small change mat along too; not all hospitals provide them. Mine made you change babies in their cots - resulting in lots of sheet changes!!!

Oh yes forgot about the cot thing... yucky... I think they meant for you to take them to that nursery bit... or is that just on the Diana Suite? Can't remember... waddling down the corridor every 2 hours isn't fun though!

Think that's just on the Diana suite. I was on the ward.

I got the Diana Suite both times and still I complain..

my hospital moaned when I didn't take in wipes! Cotton wool and water will work, but u do have to scrub at it. I went straight for the wipes and dummies as soon as I got home, I'm a bad mummy! Didn't wash them in anything but water tho.

Thanks for the replies! I hadn't thought of the changing mat.

Iknow someone who uses cut up muslins dipped in chamomile tea to clean her babies bums!

In the early days I would change baby on a raised surface (table/bed etc) as your back etc may be very 'floppy' after giving birth adn it can be a real problem getting up and down from the floor