Review & Recommendation: All about that bass, 'bout that bass.

Diapering. Something you will do umpteen times a day, so it's worth finding products that you love. Crockett might hold the record for most poops in a day. He also gave the hospital pediatrician who rounded on him a nice shock when his poop SMELLED day 1 of life. I’m told / have read everywhere that baby poop doesn’t smell, especially if breastfed, but turns out my EBF baby boy's does! Gotta love the irony of a germaphobe mom having the biggest, smelliest diapers on her hands. For reference, I’ve caught poop with my bare hand four times as of the time of writing this post. So for any mom or dad out there worried about diaper changes (1) I promise when it’s your baby you will not be phased and (2) if you embrace the task instead of dreading it, lots of good laughs are in your future!! Because Crockett is a poop pro, these diapering products have been put to the TEST.

Changing Pad - we have the Skip Hop Wipe Clean Changing Pad and are BIG fans. Two things I particularly like about this product: (1) wipe clean after a messy diaper change and (2) Crockett has really started to enjoy the little toy & mirror attached, which is a nice distraction during a diaper change. His first month, we put changing pads on the table mostly because Siti insisted we do out of concern that he would be cold (and Siti is pretty much always right), but now that he’s a little older I just use the changing table as is. Highly recommend.

• Warning: A similar product is the Keekaroo Peanut Changer, but my BFF registry expert at BuyBuyBaby recommended against it as he frequently sees the product returned due to it being cold. I do not find the Skip Hop changing table to be cold, nor does Crockett.

• Interesting product: This Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad is both a changing pad that is wipe clean AND weighs your baby! I love the idea of this, but ended up not selecting this product because I was concerned that I would get wrapped up in the data and create a problem that didn't exist. I think with all smart products, it's important to think about whether this data will be helpful to you or give you anxiety monitoring day to day progress rather than progress over a period of time. If you have this product, I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments to help other mamas out in considering this item!

Diaper Pail - Remember my smelly pooper? This makes a good diaper pail all the more important. We have the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail and it's brilliant. Very easy to use and does a great job of eliminating any odor. Also, you can put the refill parts (bags & deodorizing puck) on subscribe and save via Amazon and get them discounted. One complaint I’ve read through in reviews is that particularly full dirty diapers may have to be squished through the opening and therefore could get on your hand (collective ~ewww~), but I have not experienced this yet, even with my blow out poop prone son. This may be an issue when he gets older and has bigger diapers. I’ll update you if this happens. Recommend. (Can’t highly recommend yet since I don’t know if the squishy diaper will become an issue).

Diaper Rash Cream - Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, certified best by my sister three kids later. My champion pooper has never had a diaper rash which I attribute to two things: (1) the wipes I use which I’ll go into detail on below and (2) the combination of using this butt paste + breastmilk as butt paste occasionally as a proactive measure. Highly recommend.

• As a preventative measure, I use butt paste before bedtime and at least once during the day even though Crockett does not have a diaper rash.

• Free Alternative: Breastmilk. I’ve learned that breastmilk can be used for all sorts of things outside of feeding baby (butt paste, nipple cream, bath time additive). If Crockett’s bottom is red from a particularly large poop, I’ll dab breastmilk on it and let the milk dry before closing his diaper. Any redness will be gone by the next time I open his diaper! If it were easier, I would just exclusively use breastmilk instead of buying butt paste, but I don’t always have BM handy. #breastmilkmagic

  • TIP: If you pump or use your haaka for some extra milk and accidentally leave it out over night (BEEN THERE a few times) then label it as diaper milk, keep it in the fridge, and use it for the next few days on baby’s bottom! Or, toss the whole bag in baby’s next bath. Make sure this bag is clearly labeled so a tired parent doesn't accidentally grab it for a bottle feed!

Butt Paste Applicator - THIS IS MY FAVORITE PRODUCT. Well, second favorite product after the Haaka (more on that when we get to boobs). Of all the gear, this little tool that is absolutely unnecessary is so simple yet brilliant and I don’t know how it wasn’t around for my sister’s kiddos. Basically a butt paste spatula so you don’t have to use your fingers. Again, so simple. So brilliant. Highly recommend. If this wasn’t around for your first baby, do yourself a favor and get it for your next (or gift it to someone you know!).

Diapers - I’ve listed each brand I have tried below and noted my experience. NOTE: diapers are great to buy on amazon because you can use the subscribe and save feature. If you register on amazon (and hit the $500 threshold), you can combine the subscribe and save with the registry diaper discount for even deeper savings. I do think diaper preferences can vary based on your baby so it’s worth experimenting a bit. (Picture is of size 2, small, and size 2, respectively)

• Huggies: Before Crockett’s umbilical cord stump fell off, I loved the Huggies Little Snugglers newborn size because they have a scoop front that allows the diaper to fit under the stump (which is necessary until it falls off). This gives you one less thing to think about during those early day diaper changes as you don’t have to fold down the front of the diaper. Once I ran out of the Huggies Snugglers, I switched to Pampers Swaddlers because that was what I had on hand. I retried Huggies recently when we bumped up to Size 2 diapers because amazon was all out of Pampers Swaddlers (#coronaproblems) and I did not like Huggies in this size as much as the Pampers. The side wings on the Huggies are harder to open and not as wide. For a boy whose forte is man sized poops, we rely heavily on those side wings to keep him from blowing out the diaper. I also did not like the overall fit of the Huggies on Crockett. Recommend for Newborn only.

• Pampers Swaddlers: Absolutely love these. They fit Crockett great, the wings flap out very easily, and they keep little man’s poops contained. I’ve changed the lyrics to Lizzo’s song to be “I flip the back up, check the wings, baby how you feeling, good as hell” because if we don’t do our “three point diaper check" (both wings out, back all the way up), Crockett will blow out the diaper. This is why I prefer Pampers Swaddlers over Huggies. In the middle of the night, the last thing you want is to discover a blow out and need a full outfit/swaddle/sheet change because you didn’t sufficiently pull out the Huggies wings. Pro tip, you can download the pampers app and scan your pampers purchases to receive perks! Highly recommend.

• Andy Pandy’s: Also love these. The Andy Pandys fit Crockett great, the wings flap out very easily and are large, the back is high and they contain Crockett’s poops. IMPORTANT note here, they run large (do not trust the poundage on the label). These are the diapers we registered for and ended up not using them for a while, even their smallest size, because they were too big for Crockett (born 7.5 pounds). I love these eco friendly bamboo diapers but they are more expensive than pampers and you need to be aware of the sizing issue. We started using these as our night diapers (since Crockett went a little longer between feeds/changes) and pampers during the day. Once we run out of the amount on hand, I’m not sure if I’ll keep buying or just buy pampers since they’re less expensive. Cost and sizing confusion make these a Recommend rather than highly recommend.

• Honest: I have not tried the Honest brand, however, my sister and a close friend have both recommended against this brand for daytime diaper needs, but have said their nighttime diapers are good. Since I personally have not tried, no opinion yet.

• Cloth diapers: Cloth diapers work great for random messes and as burp cloths because they're very absorbent! A little tip a friend gave me. Recommend getting a cheap pack on Amazon to have on hand.

Wipe warmer - Most people pass on this item (reasonably so, it is definitely unnecessary), however, since Crockett was a winter baby I decided to register for one and I’m glad I did. During his first month of life when he really didn’t like diaper changes, yet was having them all the time, the warm wipe calmed him down and he started to realize diaper changes aren’t so bad! When he would get a diaper change without a warm wipe, he cried. When he would get a diaper change with a warm wipe, he was happy. I have this warmer and have been pleased. Recommend.

Wipes -

• Bloom Baby Wipes: One of the factors that I believe has kept Crockett diaper rash free are these Bloom Baby Wipes. In addition to the fact that they are gentle on Crockett’s skin, I love the size of these wipes (they’re very large), the texture of these wipes (they have some texture which makes it easier to wipe), and I appreciate that they are scent free (I’m very sensitive to smells). For the big pooper you need a big wipe and these definitely rise to the occasion. Highly recommend.

• Pampers Sensitive: I received these free with my diaper purchase from the grocery store so decided to give them a try. Even though these say they are for sensitive skin, I disliked the smell and did not use them on Crockett. Do not recommend.

• Babyganics: Bloom wipes were sold out across the board at one point during the COVID quarantine so I tried the Babyganics wipes in the interim. I did not like these. They are smaller, no texture, and they have a fakely sweet smell to them, which I can’t stand. They are labeled “fragrance free”, so do not have any added fragrance, but they do have a fragrance in my opinion. Admittedly, I have the nose of a bloodhound so you may not be bothered by these things, but I think after pregnancy, many women have a heightened sense of smell and/or smell sensitivity. Do not recommend.

• Water Wipes: I love these wipes, but not for diapering. For diapers, I find them too small, but they are wonderful for wiping down Crockett’s hands and face. Now that Crockett has discovered his hands, they never leave his mouth so I use the water wipes to wipe down his hands throughout the day. Also, if Crockett spits up and I don’t have a burp cloth handy I use these water wipes to wipe off his face. I have a pack in every room of the house so they’re accessible at a moment’s notice. Highly recommend.

Changing station - I was gifted this changing station and I appreciate it for its portability. I have it packed with diapers, wipes, an outfit change, little trash bags and a toy. We use it as a mini diaper bag. We keep this in the stroller for our walks and once we’re out and about again we can use this if we need a “just the essentials” bag instead of the fully loaded backpack. This product is not necessary as you can grab your full size diaper bag in any instance that you would need this, but it is convenient to keep in the stroller so I give it a recommend.

Trash bags - I accidentally got the wrong size trash bags for my bathroom trash can, but then realized they are perfect to put in my diaper bag and car to use as dirty diaper bags if I’m not in a place/position to immediately throw the diaper away (like when we went to the park pre-quarantine). I’ve changed more than one diaper in my car so these have been handy to have around. Recommend.

Miscellaneous Items - There are a few items I keep handy for diaper changes that aren't specifically diaper-related, but you may also want to keep close by!

• Kleenex: I keep a box of plain Kleenex handy so I can pat Crockett's bottom dry before applying diaper cream or breastmilk. This is the lazy alternative to just fanning baby's bottom dry (but do make sure baby's bottom is dry before applying anything!!).

• Hand Sanitizing Wipes: As much as I would love to immediately wash my hands every time I change I diaper, that is a luxury I'm not always afforded. To solve for this, I keep hand sanitizing wipes at the changing table to use on my hands when I realize I won't be washing them immediately.

• Paci: If your baby is a sucker like mine, you'll want a pacifier to live on the changing table.

• Burp Cloth: If your baby spits up like mine, you'll also want a burp cloth to live at the changing table.

• ABC Wall: As Crockett has gotten a little older, he LOVES chit chatting and staring at the ABC stickers on the wall next to the changing station. I bought this set off Amazon and it's been great!

• Circumcision: If you have a son circumcised, a few extra products you will need are gauze pads and aquaphor until the site is healed. Your baby boy will also pee on you those first few weeks so make sure any stuffed animals are outside of the line of fire (learned that one the comical way!) and remind yourself that pee is sterile!

If you have diapering products you love or really disliked, or if you have a different experience with any of the above products, please share below!!