There is always a necessity to provide some privacy covering over the genital parts of our babies; this is usually done for various reasons, but mainly for easy defecating without soiling the clothes or bedding. It is for the same reason that parents have since granted baby diapers much attention. A diaper is what Wikipedia describes as “a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without the use of a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to prevent soiling of outer clothing or the external environment.”
There are different types of diapers, some are washable while others are disposable but despite the type both are worn by either infants under the potty training age or beyond but still bed-wetting. Diapers require regular changing to avoid skin irritation or leakage.
There is no denying that disposable diapers have provided extreme convenience for mothers, but are they entirely safe for babies. Here are some reactions you may experience on your baby while using diapers:
Allergic Reactions
The manufacturing companies use different materials for the production of diapers. Some are made using synthetic fibers, and a mix of chemicals which may be harmful to the baby’s already soft and sensitive skin. It is important for any mother to choose carefully when buying dippers, get soft diapers with baby friendly materials to avoid skin irritation and allergies on your baby.
Skin Rashes
It is easier for the baby to get rushes from wet diapers if left on for too long. Naturally bacteria breeds in soiled diapers, and since the diaper is in direct contact with the baby’s body it easily affects the contact area hence causing rushes on the baby. This means mothers must be active on diaper change to minimize risks.
May cause Toxicity
Normally a baby uses in between 8 and 10 diapers a day and one stays on the baby’s body for roughly an hour. Most diapers are made of harmful chemicals and synthetic materials; these are not friendly at all to the baby’s skin, and when the baby has the diaper on for a bit longer it means the baby is literally absorbing the chemicals. Now, that is toxic though can be salvaged by using the diapers intermittently.
High Chances of Infection
Diapers are made in a way that they easily absorb urine leaving the diaper almost dry for a prolonged use. Many parents take advantage of this, and invest highly in high absorbent diapers but unknown to you, high absorption means complete blockage of air hence creating room for bacteria breeding. This excessive use makes the baby prone to skin infection; it is advisable to maintain frequent change of diapers despite the absorption rate.
Cost Effective
Diapers are not pocket-friendly at all. A baby needs an average of 6, diapers a day which makes it 180 pieces in a month. No matter how comfortable it makes a mother, the cost may not sit well with everyone. Therefore, relying purely on diapers may just cause you a hole in your pocket. Find alternative, but workable measures like washable napkins if the disposable diaper cost does not meet your monthly cut.
Difficulty in Potty Training
Old habits die hard so they say. Bringing a baby up in diapers is all good and comfortable but trouble comes when the diapers have to be put aside for the actual toilet. This happens mainly because the baby is already in comfort zone of pooping or peeing in the diaper anytime anywhere and without an alert. In most times, the baby whimpers and fusses during potty training, and always ends up in the late response. Experts say it helps to minimize the use of diapers as the child grows and opt on potty training at an early stage.
With every good commodity comes a mythical backlash, word has it out there that disposable baby diapers have a long-term effect on the boy child as it may cause infertility in the future. The backup story which is the genesis of this is that disposable diapers keeps the baby’s scrotum always warm and that may lead to infertility.
Truth is, testicles do produce sperms at a later stage of a baby boy’s life and keeping testicle in a warm skin pouch at that production stage may cause falling out of the sperms. But at this time, when the baby’s testicles are still too young to produce any sperms, no one knows the actual effect any warm scrotum may cause. Study also has it that the baby’s scrotum is normally cooler than his body temperature despite being in diaper; a cool scrotum is known to increase sperm production, and not fall out. Yes, a man’s sperm quality may be affected either when he stays in a seated position for too long of when he adorns a tight pant, nonetheless that does not transcend to a diaper wearing baby. This therefore remains a myth until science steps up to prove otherwise.
Diapers may have no tangible proof to being extremely unsafe for your baby but that doesn’t mean you leave it at that. Here are things to always have in mind:
- Empty the garbage regularly to avoid building up diaper stink and bacteria.
- Be watchful when dressing up the baby to notice marks around the baby’s legs. A mark is a symbol of a tight diaper and that means you need to either loosen the fit or upgrade to a bigger size.
- Check the baby’s bum during bath for any red burn or rushes, if any then it is either you are over using the diaper or it’s a wrong product for your baby so alter the brand.
- When diapering a baby boy consider putting his penis pointing downwards to minimize leak or stop the urine from going beyond the waistline.
- Be gentle with the umbilical cord, in cases where it hasn’t fallen off, make sure you fold the diaper at the waistline to avoid irritation, and also keep it dry.
- Hygiene is key, keep the baby’s changing area clean and always wash your hands before and after changing to avoid spreading of germs.
Diapers are safe for all babies provided they are well-used.
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