Diapering Your Growing Baby

Your little one's diapering needs change as they grow -- from newborn to toddler, here's what you need to know.

Baby’s diapering needs change through the years, from moving up in diaper sizes to how many diapers your little one needs as they grow.

To help you prepare, we've gathered a few fast facts on what to expect as you move from diapering a baby to diapering a toddler.

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You'll be a lot busier changing diapers when your child is a newborn than when they're a toddler, says Tanya R. Altmann, MD, California pediatrician, and author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers. While both babies and toddlers tend to urinate frequently, a toddler may poop as little as once a day.

"With an infant we usually say you'll need five or ten diapers a day," Altmann tells WebMD, "but with a toddler, several daily is often enough."

Fortunately, by the time your little one is a toddler, diaper rash is usually a thing of the past. There are two reasons for that.

First, a toddler's skin is usually less sensitive than a newborn's, so they're generally less bothered by dampness against their bottom. Second, toddlers just don't experience dampness against their bottom as often, says Altmann. "They’re standing upright and moving around, so toddlers are generally in less close contact with their diaper than a baby is."

If your baby or toddler does get diaper rash, however, the treatment tips are generally the same for both:

Try changing your little one's diaper more often, but leave their bottom bare for as long as possible before putting on a new diaper.Make sure your little one's diaper isn’t too snug.Use alcohol- and perfume-free wipes when cleaning your children, so you don't upset their already irritated skin.Cover your little one's skin with a diaper rash treatment. For infants, slather on a thicker ointment or cream. For a toddler, a thinner lotion may be fine.

Because newborns and babies have sensitive skin, it's always a good idea to steer clear of products like baby wipes, lotions, and soaps with alcohol, perfumes, or dyes.

But as your child goes from baby to toddler, their skin usually becomes less sensitive. So while you may need a special baby skin care regime for your newborn, chances are good you can use the same skin care products with your toddler that you use with the rest of the family.

Newborns and babies grow out of diapers more quickly than toddlers. Though you'll go up in diaper sizes as your little one grows, "you’ll often find in the toddler years that they'll be wearing the same size diaper for a longer time because they're just not growing as fast," says Altmann.

If you're using disposable diapers and find your toddler's diaper is leaking often, that's a good sign they're ready to move on to the next size.

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