Baby Tips 2: Diaper Strategy

While cloth diapers are the best for babies given its advantages like more airy (less likely to get nappy rash), more comfortable (since its usually 100% cotton and less likely to have allergy) and more economical over the long run, we still choose to use disposable diapers. And boy I am glad we stick to disposable diapers.

The two main advantages disposable diapers have over cloth diapers are convenience and mess control. These two were strong reasons and I tell you why. Xavier is on breastmilk right from the start so he poos very often during the first three month. How often? Up to eight times a day. And I am not counting the number of times he pee yet. So you can imagine how many soiled diapers we have to wash every day if we were to use cloth diapers. Now what if the soiled diapers also dirty the area (sofa, his cot, your bed, your clothes) the baby was resting on? You know what I mean.

Disposable diapers are not cheap though. The cheapest cost at least 10 cents per piece and the most expensive I have seen is about $1.20 per piece. Which diaper to use for your baby is down to your baby's butt preference. Some babies' butt is made of gold and have to use expensive diapers to prevent rash whereas other babies' butt is more forgiving and accepts all diapers.

There are differences in the quality of the diapers. Some are more comfortable, some are more absorbing, some are less bulky, some have urine indicators and some are made in Japan (and no it doesn't wash your baby's butt like those Japan toilet seats).

I find the best way to go about using disposable diapers is to have two sets of diapers (instead of using only one kind of diaper):
1) For use when you are at home or at places where you can easily change his diaper with minimum fuss - Cheapest diaper that your baby is not allergic to and is able to reasonably contain his output. The rational here is since you can easily change his diaper, get the cheapest diaper that will not cause him nappy rash and is able to contain his output. This is where you can save quite alot of money.

2) For use at night when he sleeps or when you are out (shopping, chilling) and you want maximum convenience - Good diaper that is reliable (contain his output for up to 10 hours without changing). You might wanna spend more and get good ones as you are actually paying for convenience (not having to wake up in the middle of the night to change diaper) and reliability (not having to wake up in the morning to find your baby sleeping with his/her pee or poo around him/her, or dealing with soiled mess when you are out shopping). Bulkness might also be a consideration if you go out often for long period of time. Having bulky diapers means u either have to carry a big bag or carry less diapers when you go out.

When testing for nappy rash allergy, either get a small pack to try or get a few samplers from your friend using that brand and model. I know Huggies do give samplers if you register and request from them. Once we have decided which brand and model of diaper your baby should use, look out for offers and stock them up. The offers can be pretty substantial so do your homework.