Newborn Fit Checklist

      SO you've got your babies diaper stash" sitting pretty" in your nice and neat organized changing table. Surely you prepped them once, ok maybe twice because you have been so anxious for this baby to come. Well now the baby is here and your home from the hospital and you are so full of crazy hormones you are freaking out whether or not you are even putting these things on right?

Hey mama don't fret! We are here for you! Every mom has been in this situation regardless of what type of diaper they are using. So take a second, take a deep breath and lets get into this!

How to get the BEST fit with your SoftBums on your newborn baby!

1. Lets start with the leg elastic:



Newborn babies are wiggly and hate being cold. Well how the heck are you supposed to measure and size these leg elastic's when the baby wont stop moving and crying?

You have three options:

1. (Shortcut) Take a disposable you got from the hospital and lay the shell over that to size the leg elastic down.
2. (Customized) Measure your babies thigh when they are eating or bathing or whenever they are most happy! They wont care, just take a fabric tape measure and measure the part of their thigh where the shell would sit. Take the thigh measurement and subtract an inch and a half.
3. (Free-style) Size the leg elastic to bigger than it should be. Pull the ends of the leg elastic out of the shell, Lay your baby down and secure the Velcro crossing over the waist, get a hold of the toggle and pinch that down and pull the elastic with the other hand till tight enough that there aren't any gaps, and you can comfortably fit 2 finger between the shell and the babies leg.

2. Once you got the leg elastic down next comes the fit of the pod & shell.

• Pull pod up high against baby’s body so that the tip of the pod is in line with the middle of the Velcro of the shell above.
  

  
• Make sure the pod isn't sticking out the top, legs or back. This will cause wicking onto clothing.The pod should still be about ½ inch below the top of the diaper. NOTE: If your little one likes to curl their legs up onto their tummy, you may have to pull them down to ensure proper pod placement.

• Crossing waist tabs over: on newborns you need to cross the waist tabs over one another to ensure a tight fit and prevent leaks out the top and back. If your trying to avoid the umbilical stump be sure to have the back of the shell as high as their belly button and then pull the front up and pull the waist tabs around at an angle to form a v shape in the front. (pictured below) 
  

  
• Try 2 minis fanned out for more coverage or a OS pod as some newborns' are heavy wetter's.
• It should look a bit baggy in the crotch when the pod is in place correctly

3. Be sure to use correct detergent and correct amount, too much may give rash, leaks, and stink.

 SoftBums' Diaper Detergents recommendations:

• Eco Sprout
• Lulu in the Fluff
• Rockin' Green Soap
• Country Save
• Purex Free and Clear

Natural detergents may seem like a good idea but they often contain softeners or oils which leave a coating on fabrics and may impede the absorbency of diapers.

Detergents to avoid for these reasons include:

• Dreft
• Planet
• ECOS
• Seventh Generation
• Ecover
• Bio-kleen

Note: Homemade detergent is a great solution for your family's clothes but it is not recommended for cloth diapers.

How Much Detergent?

 If you are using a cloth diaper specific detergent (like Rockin Green) then follow their suggestion for amount per load.

If you are using a general laundry detergent (like Purex F&C) then for general washing use 1/4 of the recommended amount for the load. 

Note* the diapers should not smell like anything once they are washed and dried. If you hint a detergent scent you are probably using too much (try using 1 tbsp less) . If they still smell dirty you are not using enough (try adding 1 tbsp)

Here is a helpful stink charts to further help resolve stink issues & explain in more detail: http://paddedtushstats.com/2012/03/06/help-my-diapers-stink-tips-resolving-whiffing-woes/

4. Newborn Poop Leg Leaks:

Cause: Its runny, slick & shoots out fast, its basically butter (churned up breastmilk or formula) the pod in some cases already is saturated with urine or just cannot absorb the stuff in enough time before it rolls down the length of the pod and onto the shell where it quickly finds its way out. If in a seated position can be caused from compression.

Solution:

• Putting the shell in the dryer for 15min on high to seal the sewing seams.
• Changing often (especially with poops)
• Adding additional absorbency (easy way to add a bit of absorbency without bulk for a newborn, use a baby washcloth or cloth wipe behind the pod).
• Making sure fit is good -no inserts shifting or legs too tight causing compression leaking.

Even with all of these things it can still happen, but newborns do outgrow this stage (and some never have this issue to start with). When changing the diaper make sure the legs are down and not curled up in their lap. If curled up when securing the diaper, once they kick down, the pod will also go down and leaks will happen.

5. Absorbency & Shell Rotation:

With newborns most parent's find the mini pods or (small) pods to be suitable for the first month or so. Although some babies come out heavy wetters and need more absorbency from the start. If you are sure your pods are fully prepped (3-5 washes or more for bamboo) then your baby might just be ready for a more absorbing pod. Our Superpods are the perfect next step up and are meant to give you more changes in the beginning using the mini pod and OS pod on the small setting. 

Shells: Typically in the beginning shells are only able to be reused maybe once due to the fact that newborns poop almost every diaper change. As your child gets older you will be able to reuse the shell more during the same day. The key to being able to reuse the shell is rotation. Keeping 3-4 shells in a rotation during a day will allow time for each to dry out before the next diaper change. If one gets soiled toss that one into the diaper pail and put a new one into the rotation. At the end of the day toss them all into the diaper pail and start fresh the next day. Some find they are able to reuse shells the next day if they were only used once the day before but with newborns this is hardly the case. 

If you still need any help troubleshooting were here to help you! Email us at info@softbums.com or hop on our SoftBums SuperFans page on Facebook.