Tip number one for a proper diapering? Have Daddy do it.
Unfortunately, the last year has made it more difficult than ever for Daddy to be there for proper diaper checks and changes. And not every little one is able to connect with a ‘big’ who can properly help with diapering.
So how should a little one diaper himself? It was a crucial topic in the Crinkle Club Discord Server! (It’s such an amazing community – everyone is always helping each other out with advice and support).
Hiro pointed everyone to this handy video, a classic from Twitter:
Hiro’s Diapering Masterclass
Hiro then provided his own written instructions!
His instructions have been lightly edited:
1. Open the diaper and fluff it up a bit without breaking the padding. Usually taking them out of the bag lets them decompress, or you can move the padding around a bit to soften it and fold it in the middle length-wise (take length as from back waistband to the front waistband when the diaper is fully open and extended). This should create a natural “channel” for accidents to flow towards the front and back. It’s important too to “activate” the leak barriers and ensure they are not stuck to the padding from the pressure on the bag. Just make sure they are raised so the pee doesn’t flow freely!
2. I sprinkle some powder on the padding so it spreads a bit when i move around.
3. I will sit on top and lay back. At this point, I ponder if I want to put rash cream in the tight-crotch folds (because that skin tends to be delicate for me), or just powder. If I’m using a booster, I use rash cream not only on folds, but the entire crotch area. If it’s only powder… Well I prefer to put more than needed on my tummy / crotch / legs instead of ending up short. I just spread the powder nicely so it covers everything that doesn’t have rash cream.
4. At this moment, I make sure to “point down” and pull the diaper up into my tummy making it feel snug. I tuck the front wings to my side without taping to check if the front and back waistbands are well aligned. For me, the back waistband needs to be just slightly higher than the front waistband. If the waistbands don’t match well, I just adjust until they do.
5. Taping time! With the rise of the diaper adjusted, I tuck the front wings evenly and peel one of the bottom tapes (I usually go bottom right > bottom left > top right > top left). For bottom tapes I try to angle them slightly down, so when they pull, they pull the diaper towards your tummy.
6. With both bottom tapes, I try to straighten the front wings so the don’t get all scrunched by the taping job. pulling them so they wrap my body properly as shown in the tweet, and later pulling from the top as well, so the little one doesn’t get wrinkles in the front wings!
7. The top tapes are taped tight (not to the point of breaking them!) to ensure a snug waistband fit.
8. Take the leg guards and push them softly into your crotch as shown in the tweet, to get yourself good movement for an active little boy! With two tapes diapers, I am less experienced and I just pray for the tapes to resist well and tape them tight so you don’t feel like the diaper falls off. A proper onesie helps a lot to keep two tapes diaper snuggly around your bottom!
Notes:
Keep in mind that I try to tape them symmetrical from the central line of the diaper so they are equally spaced from the centre.
When you are taping, make sure your tummy is not tensed up! Because babies getting changed don’t have their tummy tensed normally. This will also help on getting an snuggier fit.
The Magic of a Snug Diaper
A Daddy or Big can’t always be there to make sure a little one’s diaper is snug and secure. But as a Daddy, there’s something so reassuring about a diaper that is fit to the proper ‘height’ along the waist, where the tapes feel secure, where the diaper hugs the contours of a little one.
The reassuring thump as you pat his bum after a change, and knowing that the thick padding will securely handle all of his accidents, is one of the real joys of being a Daddy.
Hiro has done an amazing job describing the ‘process’ of diapering. And I know that he also realizes that the most important part of a diapering is the moment that it’s done: because now you’re snug and safe, a crinkly little baby who no longer needs to worry about wet pants.