A baby has to be changed often to prevent it from wetness, rashes and infections. There are different kinds of nappies available in market. Choose the one which suits you. Here is a guide on nappies.What are nappy liners?
Liners are thin one-way shields to be placed on top of a cloth nappy to prevent wetness from touching the baby's delicate skin (and thereby preventing diaper rash). There are two kinds of liners: disposable and cloth. Either of these could be placed on the cloth nappy. Disposable nappy liners are of course more expensive.
What are disposable nappy pads?
Disposable nappy pads, recently introduced under a popular brand name, are an intermediate step between disposable diapers and cloth nappies. They work like women's sanitary pads, in that, you are supposed to insert one nappy pad in the child's
nappy (be it cotton or plastic), and then change the nappy pad after a couple of hours. The advantages are three-fold: (a) the mother gets relief from washing a huge load of laundry, (b) it is more convenient because nappy pads hold more urine and so do not need to be changed as often as cloth nappies; and (c) the cost of nappy pads is roughly 1/4 of the disposable
diapers.
What are cloth nappy pads?
As the child gets older (3+ months), she passes much more urine than she used to as a newborn child. Cloth nappies alone may not be sufficient, especially if you do not plan to change her for some time (during sleep times). Instead of letting her remain soaked in urine, you can add a cloth nappy pad inside her cotton nappy. This will help in retaining a lot more urine. Placing a nappy liner on this cloth nappy pad will further ensure that the child does not feel any wetness.
Do I need to buy cloth nappy pads from the market?
A nappy pad is essentially 4 x10 inches in size. You can either purchase readymade cloth nappy pads from the market, or you can also create makeshift nappy pads from the baby diapering items you have at home. If you already possess nappy squares, you can fold them into rectangles and use them as nappy pads. This arrangement works out well because as the child gets older, you can use some of the same nappy items she has outgrown.
Are liners and nappy pads better than diapers?
One of the most important factors why liners and nappy pads can be preferred over diapers is that they are cheaper as compared to the diapers. Diapers are bulkier than nappy pads and liners so it may become uncomfortable for newborn babies. At the same time newborn babies pass urine frequently, so liners and nappy pads are perfect for them to be used instead of diapers as they are sleeker and thinner than diapers.
Diapers surely hold more urine as compared to liners and nappy pads and as such they can be used while
travelling. Also, making newborn babies wear diapers the whole day can create a lot of discomfort for them. So, liners and nappy pads can be preferred over diapers. Liners and nappy pads can be introduced to babies before starting to make them wear diapers.
It is also very important for parents to note that even liners and nappy pads can cause rashes and need to be changed when they become wet. Like wet diapers, wet nappy pads and liners too can cause discomfort to babies. It may make them susceptible to infection and
rashes. Also, is a must to offer some diaper, nappy pad or liner free time to babies to avoid suffocating their bottoms and letting them feel some air.