Diaper Changing the Easy Way

I love babies! Ever since I was a little girl I have loved babies. I remember rocking my dolls to sleep, feeding them their pretend bottles, and changing their little diapers.

So, when I was asked to babysit a baby for the first time, I was so excited! I finally got to rock a real baby. I could feed a real baby a real bottle. I could change a real diaper. Wait, I had to change a real diaper! I’ll just hope the baby only has pee diapers. Pee diapers, I can handle.

Not my luck! About 30 minutes after the parents left, I began to smell this scent and I knew what I was facing … a poopy diaper! The parents weren’t coming back for another three hours, so it was up to me to change this diaper. I’m the babysitter. I can do this!

And I did. And I survived. And you will too! Check out this video on changing a diaper. I used a doll in the video, so you could see a close-up of exactly what to do. If you’re babysitting a baby for the first time and want a little practice, ask the parents to demonstrate a diaper change with you. They will be really impressed that you asked, and you’ll feel much better when it’s your turn to change the diaper.

Diaper changing the easy way.

Let’s talk about poo. Not that kind of poo. I’m talking about baby poo. Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I know those babies look cute, but those cute little babies drop loads of you know what into their diapers. And they’re not embarrassed about it. It’s not like Oh, I’m so sorry. I pooed. Nope, they just plop it out like it’s a little nugget of gold and you’re lucky they’re sharing it with you. You might even believe by the way they’re smiling, that it is a nugget of gold. But it’s not, it’s a nugget of poo.

So now we get to the fun part! You get to change a diaper and dispose of the nugget of poo. I know, it seems unfair but you’re the babysitter. You’re getting paid to do this. And if you’re not getting paid to do this, watch my video on how to get paid.

Diaper changing is actually pretty easy. Just ignore the smell and focus on these ten steps.

Find a safe place to change the baby’s diaper. The best place is on the floor, laying the baby on a towel or changing pad. Babies like to move and roll, so the floor is pretty safe. At least you know they can’t roll off the floor.

Before you put the baby down, make sure you have a clean diaper and a bunch of baby wipes. It’s best just to bring the whole package.

Remove the dirty diaper. Just like this – undo the tabs first and then slide the diaper out. Put it to the side and make sure it is not somewhere where the baby can grab it and smear it on your arm. Yes, that actually happened.

Gently wipe from front to back with the baby wipe. If it’s a messy nugget of poo, you may have to use multiple wipes. Use one more wipe, because I know you didn’t get it all. Seriously, babies have little creases and folds where poo loves to hide.

Gently lift the baby’s legs with one hand and use the other to slide a clean diaper under her bottom. Be sure you have the diaper in the right position with the sticky tabs under the baby.

Pull the diaper up, fasten the sticky tabs snuggly. You don’t want gaps. Gaps lead to leaky poo. You don’t want to go there.

Roll up the old diaper in a ball, fasten the tabs to secure it so it doesn’t unravel, and throw it away. Preferably in a diaper disposal system, but if you don’t have one handy, grab a plastic bag, tie it closed, and put it in the trash.

Wash your hands with soap and water. Because hand sanitizer ain’t gonna cut it. There you go! Easy! Because you’re the Babysitter Boss.

Check out more Babysitter Boss videos.

Learn more about babysitting infants.

Take a Safe Sitter® class and learn more child care skills. Find a class near you!