Diaper: when necessary and how to choose?

Diapers are one of the main attributes of a newborn baby. They help the baby to take a comfortable position, give a sense of calm, facilitating the process of adaptation to the surrounding world. However, in recent years, many have refused to use these handy accessories.

In the time of our mothers, when there were no diapers and waterproof sheets, each young mother had at least two dozen diapers. In previous years, after each popis baby, diaper had to be changed; now it is not so important, because, in most cases, waterproof panties are worn on babies, which protect the material from an unpleasant feeling of dampness

Nowadays, more and more young mothers are talking about the dangers of swaddling. There are theories that it does not allow the child to develop harmoniously, inhibits the development of tactile functions, limits the perception of the surrounding world and does not allow the formation of individuality. That is why many fundamentally refuse to buy diapers, however, as practice shows, after a short time they come to him, being exhausted by long nights without sleep.

Swaddling goes back to ancient times. Even in ancient Russia, newborns were wrapped with diapers and a special midwife - a strip of homespun decorated with crosses about 20 cm wide, decorated with crosses, such items were transferred from mother to daughter and were considered the amulet of a baby. The crumbler was wrapped in a diaper and wrapped around it by a cuckold from the neck towards the legs. During the first 10–15 days of the child’s life, tight swaddling was used, it was believed that in this way it was possible to alleviate slightly the stress that the baby experiences during childbirth.

In the old days, babies were wrapped in a diaper in such a way that the baby’s legs were straightened out and pressed as tightly as possible to each other, while his arms were tied to the body. This method is called tight swaddling, and it certainly does not bring any benefit to the baby. It is proved that such wrapping significantly slows down the normal development of the basic motor characteristics of a child, while babies begin to get used to their own limbs only by 6-7 months, and in addition, such children, up to a year, can wake themselves with startles during a night's sleep.

Tight wrapping often causes dysplasia (that is, dislocation) of the hip joint, and also disrupts the baby’s blood circulation and squeezes the lungs noticeably. As a result, the organs do not receive oxygen in the proper amount, which has the most destructive effect on the development of the organs and systems of the baby.

Tight swaddling promotes overheating, and this, in turn, weakens the immune system. Thus, the hard dipping of the baby violates its physiology, impairs well-being, sleep and food crumbs. Well, if we talk about psychology, then you should listen to specialists who say that, with such an effect, a submissive person is formed from a child, ready for complete submission; Often, such measures lead to the fact that the child grows up passive, prone to be a victim.

But all this concerns only tight swaddling. Most modern moms use free wrapping, in which the legs are wrapped freely and do not restrain movements, hands are pressed to the body quite a bit, and, after a couple of weeks, they are completely above the diaper. Such wrapping creates conditions that resemble intrauterine. As you know, before birth, the child is located in the uterus, the walls of which tightly hug his body, give support to the extremities, such “hugs” become close to the child and any imitation helps create a sense of comfort and warmth in the child.

It is no secret that at the moment of birth, the baby feels a sharp shock and fear. After a well-known, warm and dark environment, he experiences stress during labor, when moving in the birth canal; discomfort in the lungs from the very first breath. And then he finds himself in a large space filled with light and various unfamiliar noises. Deprived of support arms and legs begin to move - all this scares the baby. This fright extremely adversely affects the mental characteristics of the child, slowing down the development of cognitive function.

In this way, free swaddling allows you to limit the space surrounding the baby, gives a foothold, creates warmth and allows you to take the usual physiological positionin which he can pull his legs to his tummy and suck a little cam — in this way, the child quickly learns to calm himself down.

In addition, swaddling significantly improves the baby’s sleep strength, and therefore, his mommy can sleep. It is known that a person’s sleep consists of deep and slow phases, while at the moment of transition from the first to the second, the excitability of nerve endings changes and the person can startle. In newborns, there are no braking mechanisms of the nervous system, so the startles are rather pronounced, the arms and legs heave high and the child wakes up. As it develops, by about a month, the flinches become weaker and the fear is gone.

Thus, there is no doubt that the baby needs diapers during the first month of his life:

• the newborn does not interfere with his hands and feet, can not be frightened by his own body parts and scratched in a dream;
• being in the "cocoon", the baby feels most protected and easier to adapt to their new living conditions;
• it is noted that immediately after birth, the child sleeps much more calmly if he is swaddled;
• diapers are shown in some orthopedic pathologies.

That is why there is no reason to doubt the expediency of swaddling - it will bring a lot of benefit to your crumbs. However, you need to consider a few simple recommendations:

• The optimal time for using a diaper is the first 1.5-2 months of a newborn's life.
• The baby’s stay in light diapers should not exceed 6-8 hours per day.
• Strictly swaddling is not allowed, as it was popular with our mothers and grandmothers.

Diapers can be presented in various ways.

The most common is a model in the form of a simple canvas made of fabric with overlapped edges, but in recent years more modern European diapers - cocoons are very popular:

This model was created in the United States many years ago, in Russia, mommies were able to evaluate its convenience only recently. The advantages are obvious - the baby in a cocoon sleeps much better, feels warm and protected; at the same time the cocoon does not squeeze the feet of the baby, and the handles securely fixes. Such diapers are equipped with strong velcro and zippers, which allow you to swaddle your child in a matter of minutes and not wake him up.

Cocoons are made of light natural fabrics through which the body breathes.By the way, this model is optimal for women who have given birth to their first child - as a rule, they are not familiar with the correct technique of swaddling and the use of the euro model greatly simplifies the task and allows you to save precious minutes that are so important for every young mother.

One of the most popular cocoon options is a zippered diaper, which is distinguished by maximum ease of swaddling - to do this, put the baby on the back inside the cocoon and carefully fasten the snake. Some models have two zippers on the sides - it is very convenient when you need to quickly and change the diapers.

One more model of cocoons is made on stickies. They are sewn from flannels, as well as knitwear or fleece. It is very simple to change such a diaper - the baby is laid out on the back, the legs are placed in a special “pocket”, after which the left end is taken to the right and fixed with a strong velcro. Even dad will cope with this task, and all swaddling will take no more than a minute.

Cocoons are very convenient for moms, especially when feeding in public places is necessary, however, and their cost is high. The price of one product is 500-700 rubles. That is why many mothers get 1-2 cocoons for walking, and for staying at home they use simpler options.

Waterproof diapers are very popular, which on the one hand include cotton linen threads, and on the other hand, moisture resistant oilcloth, which blocks the access of fluid. These products are not suitable for swaddling, but they often wrap the baby in them, going with him for a walk, or to see a doctor at the clinic.

Diapers can be single and reusable.

Disposables are very common in our time, they are indispensable to put the baby on a changing table or examination table in the clinic, and also put it in a knitted cloth when swaddling a baby. A disposable product can be spread out on the sofa during hygienic procedures or used during medical manipulations (massage, electrophoresis, etc.).

A disposable diaper is often used as a bed sheet if the baby is born into the world at the end of spring or summer - in this case, it can sleep without diapers on hot nights, keeping dryness and a sense of comfort. Despite the exceptional practicality of such products, they can not completely replace cotton. Firstly, it is economically disadvantageous, and secondly, they significantly lag behind calico, as well as knitwear, flannee and flannel, in terms of hygienic standards.

More advantageous to use reusable linens. On the one hand, they have a rather pleasant, soft to the touch, surface, which is made of special natural fiber, and on the other, a rather thin oilcloth. Such products are very convenient to use on the road and on walks. As a rule, they have anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory impregnations, therefore, they guarantee reliable protection against bacteria and microorganisms.

Sterile products made of flannel, calico, satin, 100% cotton knitwear and bamboo products can be considered optimal for baby skin diapers. Nowadays, the market is overwhelmed with proposals from unscrupulous manufacturers who make products for infants from mixed webs: they contain artificial synthetics, which is absolutely unacceptable for children of the first weeks of life to be included in the wardrobe. Thin diapers for crumbs are made only from natural materials that do not cause allergies, and at the same time completely absorb all moisture.

The chintz is a completely natural cotton, it is very light and soft, quite pleasant to the touch to both mothers and babies. These products can be used in the hot summer, as well as at any other time of the year, if the room where the child is staying is well heated. Calico diapers are perfect to use. Diapers do not diverge and do not lose appearance even with repeated washings. Moreover, they can be boiled and boiled in cases when it is necessary to get rid of contamination and destroy pathogenic microorganisms without the use of chemical agents - such a need arises when a baby has a strong allergic reaction to powders.

A chintz is a cheap and affordable material; any mother can afford diapers made of such fabric.

Muslin diapers are as comfortable as possible for a baby, they are soft, light and extremely light, but muslin is a category of elite fabrics, so its products have a rather high price - a set of three things costs about 2-2.5 thousand.

For cool weather in the fall, in the winter and in the early spring, they produce denser diapers from flannels or similar material — the bikes. These canvases are characterized by a special softness, they are well absorbed by water and, importantly, they retain heat well due to the thick pile, and even in raw form. Such products are commonly used not only for swaddling, but also for wiping the baby qualitatively right after bathing.

Knitted diapers are considered the most popular type of diaper. Like all other products for babies, they are made from 100% cotton fabric, however, they are distinguished by their ability to stretch, so that they take a comfortable shape for the baby, they are more physiological and comfortable, and also allow the baby to move with hands and legs without hindrance without squeezing the body.

At the time of our mothers, there was a single standard of diapers for babies, recorded in existing tables, guests and standards. Our manufacturers produce these products with parameters suitable for themselves, and therefore many parents are lost, not understanding what the correct size of diaper should be.

In fact, the indicators of the length and width of this attribute have no special significance, however, if the canvas is too small, for example, 60x90, then the baby will be able to calmly and easily get out of it, and more voluminous fabrics will not be very convenient for moms to use. .

Diapers can be triangular or square, while the latter, judging by the reviews of young parents, are much more convenient and more profitable than angular ones.

The diaper with the parameters of 90x120 cm is considered the classic variant. In the first 5-7 weeks of the child's life, the diapers are 80x95 cm comfortable for him; after, when the crumb grows noticeably out of them, you can use them for wiping after bathing. At 8-12 weeks old, children are better off buying cloth with the parameters 95x100 or 100x100cm - at this moment the babies begin to actively move their arms and legs, so they can get out of the diapers of small sizes.

The most popular diaper is the canvas size 110x110 cm, it is convenient for children, whose age is 12-16 weeks. By the way, it can be used as a bed sheet, or bedding in a pram or a children's corner.

The largest of all manufactured films are 120x120 cm products, they are more expensive than others and are intended for children older than 4 months.

When purchasing diapers, first of all, you should pay attention to the composition of the material - only natural materials from cotton are allowed.

The main criteria for a good diaper are the following:

• The diaper should absorb the liquid as best as possible, but it does not allow the creation of a “greenhouse effect” when rashes and diaper rash appear on the baby’s skin.
• The diaper should be made from a delicate fabric so as not to rub the baby’s body.
• The material must maintain the natural temperature of the body, not allowing any excessive hypothermia or overheating.
• The fabric must be very strong and high-quality, otherwise under the influence of numerous washes it will quickly tear and crumble.
• The edges of the sheets should be well processed, and the fabric itself should not have any internal seams, ruffles and other decorations - they simply rub the skin of the infant and lead to painful sensations.
• The changing cloth must keep the baby's body temperature, without overheating and hypothermia.
• It is best to use diapers made of cotton or flax, but the use of wool will not bring benefits to the baby - many babies are allergic to this component, which is manifested in rashes or difficulty breathing.

Modern children do not require a large number of diapers, the following maximum is considered to be the absolute maximum:

• Knitted - 5 pcs. If you have decided on the expediency of swaddling, then it is necessary to stop on this material, since there is nothing more convenient than knitwear. However, if you do not plan to swaddle, then this purchase does not make any sense.
• Flannel - 5 pcs. It is useful in the cool season, and you can additionally use it as a bedding for crumbs in case you forgot or did not have time to buy a disposable sheet.
• Calico - 5 pieces. It is useful in the summer, you can lay it under your head, use it as a bedspread, wipe the baby if he burped, etc.

A total of about 15 pieces, but this is a conditional figure - it largely depends on whether you plan to use diapers and, if so, how often. If their long wearing is unacceptable for you, then it makes sense to buy a little more diapers; if not, you should not overload your closet.

In addition, the need for diapers depends on the season. For example, in the summer products dry out after washing very quickly, so you will not need a large number of diapers, but in winter this process takes much longer - you will need an impressive stock of these products.

In conclusion, we give some recommendations on the use of diapers.

Before first use, wash it with baby soap or a hypoallergenic powder and rinse thoroughly.

Many mothers after a single penis diapers do not wash, but simply dried and reused - this is a big mistake, because insufficiently clean products can cause serious skin irritations and even strong diaper rash.

If you buy diapers in advance, then you should not look for the smallest size, since children are born with different height and weight - for a start, you should buy a pair of medium-sized items for discharge, and buy the rest after the baby is born.

On how to properly swaddle a newborn, see the following video.