No Diaper Rash Here! The Easiest Way To Clean Baby's Bum

During those first few months, everything seems to be sticky - from black straight-out-of-a-scifi-movie meconium to transitional green then mushy yellow poop. It goes everywhere and every diaper change (and there are so many!) is a potential cause for diaper rash. Before our daughter came, we read all the blogs and thought we'd prepare ourselves with all the diaper rash creams available; different organic balms that promised to soothe itches with natural, calming ingredients to Baby Aquaphor and Desitin. With all of that and a huge box of Water Wipes, we felt ready. 

When we got home from the hospital with our first month nanny (officially called "yue sao", a live-in postpartum mother and baby caregiver commonly hired for the first month after childbirth in Chinese culture), she paid no attention to our stash of creams and wipes, and checked out the bathroom sink. The best way to clean a baby's bottom - and foolproof way - to prevent diaper rash, she said, is to wash with water. Mic drop.

Forget the wipes, forget the creams. Just rinse with water at the sink. If it's an especially sticky one, use a tiny bit of baby soap with water, and it should wash off with a few rinses. Gently pat dry completely, then put the diaper back on (snug, but not too tightly). Maybe it was dumb luck, but more likely, our yue sao's decades-long expertise - our daughter never, ever had a diaper rash with this method in the first 9 months. 

Here are 5 tips and tricks for washing a baby's bum:

1. Have small, thin cotton cloths for drying and transferring baby from sink to changing table. We cut up newborn onesies we got from the hospital into 4"x4" squares. Sometimes baby's not done and you can easily throw these into the wash.
2. Have a dispenser with baby soap next to the sink (better yet, every sink in your house!) so you can dispense with one hand.
3. Turn on the tap and undo the diaper tabs first, so the diaper can be easily removed by your free arm.
4. Perfect the cradle - rest baby's head in the nook of the elbow and bum supported by your hand (slightly more on the exterior side bum - see image above). Your free arm can remove the diaper and wash off the poop.
5. Rest baby's bum in the sink if they're too heavy. Just make sure to support their head and neck.

You'll be a pro in no time and you'll have one less thing to worry about. For after the quick bum wash, check out our super soft footed baby yoga pants - because trying to keep track of baby socks is another thing you don't need to think about!