For parents like you, any task related to caring for your baby is enjoyable— even changing diapers! You will notice that in the first week of birth, a baby sleeps more and feeds less, but as you move forward to the second week when the baby warms up on breast milk or bottle feeding, the bowel movement comes as often as 5-10 times a day! There will be moments when you are still in the middle of putting on a new clean diaper, and the baby poops again.
While the task may be demanding, you savor even these moments because you show your love and care to your child even through diaper changing. That is why we are here to introduce the baby changing pad, a tool that can make your task easier for many reasons. Check out the details below to know what we are talking about!
What are changing pad covers?
A changing pad is another layer of cloth or cushion you lay on a diaper changing table or the area where you are changing your child’s diaper. It generally fulfills the function of providing comfort to your baby and ensuring the mattress underneath the pad remains clean. These changing pad covers are often a separate cloth and do not come with a crib or baby diaper changing bed. These products can be easily bought online or in baby stores, and parents patronize them because of the practical use they provide and the more benefits we will discuss below.
Why should you get one?
You have a changing pad, and you’re probably thinking if you need a cover and a liner? Well, covers and liners aren’t that essential, but they are a nice idea to explore. Changing the pad cover and the liner serves a different purpose than the pad does. The pad is designed to keep your baby cushioned during diaper changes and protect your personal belongings from pee and poop that makes its way out of the baby’s diaper.
Now, what protects your baby changing pad? Well, this depends on the kind of material you get. If the material has indented designs, your changing pad can get stained. That is where liners and pad covers come in.
The liners and cover soak up any pee that starts spouting after you take your baby’s diaper off, leaving you with less cleaning to do. If poop or pee gets on the cover and soaks through to the liner, simply take them off and pop them into the washing machine. Pee won’t be running off the waterproof surface and onto your personal belongings like it would if you were just using a changing pad.
Another advantage of having a cover is that it keeps your baby pretty comfortable. Most changing pads are confined with a plastic waterproof layer that can be cold against your baby’s back. Therefore, a cover is a nice touch if you don’t want to wake them up or make them less comfortable.
Why use a changing pad cover?
If you want to use the more traditional style of changing pad, which is made of foam and vinyl, we do definitely recommend using a changing pad cover. Here’s why:
- Back-ups are less bulky to store – Keeping a changing pad cover on your changing pad is easier than having to buy, and store a back-up changing pad (because you know they are going to get ‘messy’ just about every day). And if you didn’t want to buy a back-up changing pad? Well, you’d have to find somewhere else to put baby down while you clean the changing pad. It’s a no from me, dawg.
- They look pretty – Covering your changing pad with a changing pad cover allows you to make something look pretty that would otherwise be a bit of an eyesore. Changing pad covers come in so many gorgeous prints, it’s a fun and cute way to add some style and personality to your nursery.
- They’re soft & comfy – Changing pad covers are often made out of cotton, bamboo or linen – all fabrics that are much more soft and comfortable than vinyl.
How many changing pad covers do I need?
As with many baby items, a good rule of thumb is ‘wash, wear, spare‘. We think this rule applies really wonderfully in this case, as we would recommend having 2-4 changing pad covers. If you choose to err on the ‘less is more’ side and go with two changing pad covers, you’ll need to be a bit more on top of it with your laundry. If you know you’ll have lots of support, and will be able to wash and dry a load within a few hours, two will be enough.
If you’d prefer to just have less to worry about, then we would definitely recommend buying 3 or 4 changing pad covers. It’s no secret that the cost of baby gear adds up quickly. This way, if you’re having guests over and you want to show off the pretty nursery design you put together, you’ve got a changing pad cover that you love. You’ve also got a few extra for those days when you’ve got a cumulative three hours of sleep and find yourself caught in the middle of a poop explosion.
Are changing pad covers necessary?
At the end of the day, if you’re on a super tight budget or just really don’t like having a lot of stuff – you could definitely get by without a changing pad cover. Your nursery just won’t look as pretty, your baby won’t be quite as comfortable and you’ll have to find an effective way to properly clean your changing pad pretty often (and even then, the changing pad may end up with stains).
