Nobody warned me about the volume. Not the smell — everyone warns you about the smell — but the sheer number of diaper changes you’re going to do in the first year. Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000, depending on whose estimate you believe. I was changing Claire eight to ten times a day for the first few months. That’s not a parenting task, that’s a part-time job.
The good news is that diaper changes are a learnable skill. The first few are awkward and slightly alarming — newborn poop is genuinely surprising in both color and consistency, and no amount of reading prepares you for it. But by week two you’ll have a rhythm, and by month two you’ll be doing it one-handed in the dark without thinking about it. Here’s how to get there faster.
Set Up Your Station Before You Need It
The single most important thing you can do is have everything within arm’s reach before you lay the baby down. Once your baby is on the changing table, one hand stays on them at all times. You cannot turn around and rummage through a drawer. You cannot cross the room to grab wipes. If you have to move away from the table, you take the baby with you.
Your station should have: a stack of diapers in the right size, a full pack of wipes with the lid open, diaper cream if you’re using it, and a spare outfit nearby. That’s it. Everything else is optional. Get those four things sorted before the baby arrives and your life will be measurably easier.
The Actual Process
Lay the baby down. Unfasten the dirty diaper but don’t remove it yet — use it to do an initial wipe-down before you slide it out. This saves you from making a bigger mess on the mat. Then slide the dirty diaper out and fold it closed around the waste. Set it aside where you won’t accidentally put your elbow in it.
Wipe front to back. This is not optional and it’s not just for girls — it applies to all babies. Clean thoroughly, including the skin folds. Take your time here. Diaper rash almost always starts with incomplete cleaning or a diaper left on too long.
If you’re using diaper cream, apply a thin layer before putting the new diaper on. You don’t need a thick coat every time — a light application at each change is enough for prevention. If there’s already redness, go heavier with a zinc oxide cream and consider leaving the baby diaper-free for a few minutes of air time if the situation allows.
Slide the new diaper underneath with the tabs at the back, bring the front up, and fasten. The fit should be snug but not tight — you should be able to slide two fingers under the waistband. Check the leg cuffs and make sure they’re folded outward, not tucked in, which is a common cause of leaks.
The Umbilical Stump
For the first week or two, your newborn will still have the umbilical cord stump attached. Fold the front of the diaper down below it so the area stays dry and exposed to air. Most newborn diapers have a notch cut for this — if yours don’t, just fold the waistband down manually. The stump needs to dry out and fall off on its own, which usually happens by two to three weeks. Keep it clean and dry and leave it alone.
A Few Things Nobody Mentions
Boys will spray you. It happens to everyone, usually in the first week, usually when you least expect it. The exposure to cold air triggers it. Keep a spare cloth nearby and learn to move quickly when you open that diaper.
Diaper rash is not a sign of failure. Almost every baby gets it at some point. It’s usually caused by prolonged moisture against the skin — change diapers frequently, especially after poop, and let the skin air out when you can. If a rash doesn’t improve within a few days of consistent treatment, mention it to your pediatrician. Some rashes are yeast infections that require a different kind of cream.
Night changes don’t always need to be full productions. In the early weeks you’ll be changing at every feeding, which means multiple times a night. Keep the lights dim, move quietly, and don’t do anything that fully wakes the baby. Change the diaper, feed, put them back down. The goal is to keep the night as boring as possible for both of you.
The Diaper Bag Setup
For going out: pack more diapers than you think you need. I always packed one for every two hours we’d be out, plus two extras. A portable changing pad is worth having — public changing tables are useful but not always available and not always clean. Wipes, a small tube of diaper cream, one spare outfit for the baby, and a plastic bag for the dirty diaper if you can’t find a bin. That covers most situations.
The Bottom Line
Diaper changes are not complicated. They’re repetitive, occasionally unpleasant, and happen constantly — but they’re also one of the most regular forms of physical care you’ll provide your baby in the first year. Claire and I had some of our best early conversations during diaper changes, which sounds absurd but is completely true. She’d look up at me, I’d talk to her, and for a few minutes it was just the two of us.
Get your station set up, learn the technique, and then just do it. You’ll be a pro before you know it.
Dad. Engineer. Survivor of the first year. I’m James Calloway, and my daughter Claire is the reason I started writing. When she was born, I went looking for honest content written for dads — not parenting manuals, not diaper commercials, not advice from people who seem to have forgotten how hard the first year actually is. I didn’t find much. So I wrote it myself. The Dad Year is everything I wish someone had told me before that first night home. No expertise, no credentials — just a dad who took notes.
