A newborn baby in the house warrants about 10 diaper changes a day. If you do that math and see how many diapers you should expect to use in a week, month, or year, you might find preparing for baby worrying and scary.

For the first few years of your baby’s life, diapers will become a big investment. As with all investments, it helps to have the right plan and in this case, it helps to choose the right diaper size for your baby each time you go diaper shopping.

The current market offers a huge selection of diapers. With so many options at your disposal, confusion is apparent. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right diaper for your baby:

Fast & High Absorbency

One of the key factors of choosing the best diaper is the ability of the diaper brand to keep wetness away from the infant’s skin because baby skin is more sensitive.

When your child’s skin comes into contact with urine for an extended period of time irritation occurs which eventually leads to the dreaded diaper rash. A highly absorbent diaper will also allow fewer changes which eventually saves you money and time.

We recommend looking for diapers that have advanced ingredients below the surface to allow fast and efficient absorption.

Maintaining Dryness

In conjunction with fast absorption, the diaper should also distribute the wetness evenly. This helps keep the surface of the diaper that is in contact with your baby’s skin dry and comfortable.

With this feature, we advise parents to keep an eye on how their babies’ skin reacts to the brand. Babies have different reactions to different brands; it’s not always cut and dried. You can reduce the chance of this by selecting the right diaper with a soft, cottony surface that will gently protect your baby’s sensitive skin.

Before you even start using the diaper, make sure to feel the inside of the diaper and make sure the inner feels fluffy and nice. If you feel roughness on the diaper surface, your baby will likely feel that as well.

Great Fit

As parents, our worst nightmares are leaks and blowouts. Sometimes, a poorly fitting diaper can be the reason for leaks and blowouts and not the baby’s fault.

To minimize the chance of this, make sure the diaper is a god fit. You can do this by making sure that it is made with leg cuffs that comfortably contour your baby’s legs. The diaper should also feature a secure elastic waistband.

Once you are sure that the diaper is a good fit, make sure that it fits your baby well enough to help prevent leaks. If the diaper looks like its riding on your baby or crooked, you probably need to adjust. The aim is to make sure you are covering all the right spots including the hips and backside.

Not covering the bum well can lead to an uncomfortable baby and eventually leaks. We recommend checking that the diaper fit is front, back, and side-to-side, straight and symmetrical. The waistband should be right at the baby’s waist, not too low in the back and not too high in the front.

Buy diapers with resealable tabs. They will make it easy for you to make adjustments for a snug, comfortable and flexible fit.

Know When to Change

As your baby grows, so does the size of diaper he or she uses scale up. Often times, when you start to notice blowouts that usually indicate that the size has become too small for your baby. Size is the main causes for leaks and blowouts.

Always examine diapers in the current diaper size and see how well they fit your baby. If you notice red marks around the tummy and upper legs from the elastic band, then the diaper is likely too small.

Always try the next diaper size to test if the absorption and fit is better and more comfortable than the current size. On the other hand, if you notice excessive gapping at the baby’s waist and legs, the diaper could also be too large for your kid. In this case, allow your baby to grow a pound or two bigger and try them again.

Plant-Based Materials

If you are environmentally conscious and prefers to use eco-friendly products then you should also consider the ingredients in your baby’s diaper.

The most eco-friendly and safest disposable diapers use plant-based materials because they are more sustainable. Consider diapers with bio-based cores that use wood pulp.