How to Choose the Right Size Diaper for Your Baby

Choosing a diaper for your newborn baby can be a little bit more complicated than you may think. Not all babies are created equal and not all diapers are created equal either, making choosing a diaper size a pretty difficult task for new moms. From proper fit to proper leak protection, the right diaper size for your baby will provide maximum comfort and dryness in between changes.

Newborn Diapers: Most new moms think automatically that they will need plenty of newborn diapers. I sure did! However, a lot of babies never wear this diaper size--NEVER! So this means that the last thing you should be doing during your pregnancy when you are stocking up on all the necessities is determining what diaper size your baby will wear before he is even born! For babies that are over 6 pounds and under about 9 pounds then a newborn diaper is the perfect fit. Just don't forget about the fact that your baby may come out at a whopping 9 and a half pounds making the newborn diaper size way too small.

Preemie Diapers: Let's just hope that you as a new mom do not have to choose this diaper size just because it means that your baby was born early, and this sometimes comes with complications. However, when my daughter was born she weighed a mere 5.5 pounds so the newborn diapers nearly engulfed her. Preemie diapers were the way to go since not only did this diaper size fit her more snuggly it also left some room to see here around the edges! Choosing a diaper that is this small is specifically left to mother's whose babies are under 6-7 pounds.

Size 1 Diapers: All mommies want to think that their babies are going to need those tiny little newborn diapers but many babies never end up needing a diaper size this small. Choosing a diaper that is size one would be the best choice for babies that are over 9 pounds. Although most of the size one diapers are specifically made for babies over 10 pounds and under about 14 or 15 pounds, I find that at 9 pounds the newborn diaper size tends to fasten to close to the baby's legs and rub causing redness. When you are choosing a diaper you do not want a diaper size that fits so snuggly that the baby is chaffing and turning red from the tightness of the diaper.

Always make sure when choosing a diaper that the diaper size corresponds with the size of the baby. Diapers that are too large will not fit snuggly enough to the baby's bottom to hold in the mess and leaks. Diapers that are too small can cause irritation and redness on the baby's legs and even the belly. Most newborn diapers and preemie diapers come with a specially cut out area in the center front of the diaper for the umbilical cord to rest freely. For babies who go directly into a diaper size one you should simply roll the front of the diaper down below the umbilical cord to prevent the cord from rubbing or being inside the diaper where it is susceptible to bacteria, which could result in infection.