Disposable Diaper How-to's
by Sheri Wallace

New parents often have many seemingly silly questions about diapering their newborn. They get the answers pretty fast by trial and error. We have asked the experts, moms with kids in diapers, what the low down is on diapers, and have gotten some handy tips for both the new parent and the experienced diaper-changer.

Review of the basics

The tabs on the diapers go in the back. You then tape from the back to the front, and this holds the diaper on securely. (This may seem self-explanatory, but for beginning diaperers, it is not always easy to tell the front from the back -- of the diaper that is!)

Make sure the diaper fits your baby properly. You may have to try several brands to see which offers the best fit. The moms we interviewed all said that the different brands of diapers fit their children individually, and they all had a favorite brand. Ensuring a proper fit will keep leakage to a minimum and also make baby happier.

Dispose of the diapers properly. Follow the package instructions for disposing of solid wastes in the toilet prior to throwing the diaper away. Failure to do this can result in disease and contamination of water supplies as well as some other nasty problems, so make sure to read the package carefully.