Home › The Care of Babies › The Care of Babies: Diapers

The Care of Babies: Diapers

The Diapers.-Use great care in the selection of the baby's diapers at all times, and especially during the summer months when it is so easy to overheat and irritate the bladder and the bowels. Make the diapers of the softest cotton cloth. Change them promptly when wet or soiled and keep them in a bucket or other receptacle containing water in which baking soda has been dissolved in the proportion of about one teaspoonful to the pint. Cover tightly to prevent odors and to exclude flies.

A big lard pail or tin cracker box is suitable. Remember that summer diarrhœa and cholera infantum are infectious diseases and contagion may be carried to other children or grown persons by flies. Wash soiled diapers as soon as possible with pure refined soap or, preferably, in hot soda water. Rinse, air and dry thoroughly before using again. Never dry and use a diaper a second time before washing it. Boil all diapers at least once a week. Diapers freshly washed should never be put on a child suffering from diarrhea. If there are no more at hand which have been washed several days previous, go through the house and gather all the clean soft pieces of old linen and muslin you can find. Cut these into proper shape for temporary use. If the supply is still insufficient, borrow from someone else. In summer, diarrhœa diapers must never be used until they have been exposed several days to sunlight and fresh air to kill the germs which they contain.

After every movement of the bowels change the diaper promptly.

Babies often get sick from being left with soiled diapers on. Wash the THE CARE OF BABIES baby well and pay especial attention to the creases in the flesh. The baby may become sore and chafed because it is not well washed, or because baby powder is put on when it is still dirty, or because the diapers are not washed out but only dried and used again. If the baby is chafed apply to the irritated surfaces a little zinc oxide ointment, sweet oil or olive oil instead of powder.

Clothing worn during the day which is to be worn again should be hung up to air, preferably out of doors, weather permitting. Garments worn at night should be hung up to air during the day. Both the baby and its clothing should be kept at all times clean, sweet and free from odor.