You already know it’s a dirty job and that you’ll be doing a lot of it. Still, you can make diapering your baby a lot easier if you follow some easy tips:
     
Cloth diapers....
Some parents choose cloth diapers because they say they’re softer against baby’s skin, are less expensive than disposables, and are less harmful to the environment.
    
If you use a diaper service, you can have dirty cloth diapers picked up and cleaned ones dropped off, twice a week. Be sure to find out if you need to rinse the diapers

out before they’re picked up.
    
If you wash the diapers yourself, keep them separate from your other clothes. Wash them in soap instead of detergent (for softer diapers), and don’t use fabric softeners. (They can cause rashes.) Always use hot water, and double-rinse each wash.
  
Your baby will probably go through about ten diapers a day (or 70 a week). If you’re using cloth diapers, and washing them yourself, you might start out with about four dozen diapers and see how far that goes. Even if you do use cloth diapers, you may want to keep a few disposables handy for when you’re headed to the park or store.

Disposable diapers...
Moms who choose disposable diapers usually do so because they’re more convenient. And because of their plastic liner, they do a good job of protecting bedding and clothing.

Make sure when you change your baby’s disposable diaper that you dispose of it in the right way. Empty out any soil in the diaper before you throw the diaper away. Be sure to throw the diaper into the trash and not the toilet.
   
Before you start diapering your little one, make sure you have everything you need within your reach. Never leave your baby on a changing table, even for a second. You never know when she’ll turn over.
    
To change your baby, you’ll need:

• A clean diaper
• Diaper rash cream or ointment (if your baby has diaper rash).
• Cotton balls and some warm water, and a washcloth (can be used instead of diaper wipes, which may irritate your baby’s skin).
• Step 1
  Remove your baby’s dirty diaper, and use the cotton balls, washcloth, and warm water to gently clean his diaper area. Apply any cream or ointment if needed.
• Step 2
  Put a cloth or disposable diaper on your baby. Cloth diapers need to be fastened with diaper pins, or even diaper tape — a tape that sticks to cloth. Disposable diapers are fastened with tape fasteners. Just be sure you don’t get cream or ointment on the tape — it keeps it from sticking.

You’re changing your baby when you notice that her diaper area is covered with small, red bumps. It sounds like she has a diaper rash. Lots of babies get diaper rash, where these small, red bumps pop up on their bottoms, genitals, thigh folds, and even their lower tummies, near their diaper. Normally, diaper rash is found on areas that have touched the wet or dirty diaper. You can try to avoid diaper rash by making sure your baby is changed regularly. Sitting in a wet diaper for a long time can chafe your baby, and urine can irritate her skin. If your baby has had a bowel movement, the stool can also irritate her skin.
 
Almost every baby gets a diaper rash at some time or another. It’s especially common in those babies from about eight to ten months old, those who are starting to eat solid foods, and those who are taking antibiotics.
 
You can try to protect your baby from diaper rash by changing her diaper as soon as possible after she’s had a bowel movement and carefully cleaning her diaper area. Also, be sure to change her wet diapers often to keep her from sitting in moisture. Try to keep her diapers loosely fastened, and if you use plastic pants, try not to use them all of the time. You may even want to let your baby “air out” a little whenever you can...removing her diaper all together...to help avoid diaper rash. Just be sure she’s lying on an old towel or blanket!

• Urine
  Your baby may urinate every one to three hours, or maybe just four to six times a day. He may urinate even less if he’s sick or running a fever.
   
  Normally, urine is light- to dark-yellow in color. It may be lighter when your baby is drinking more liquid. You may even notice that it looks a little pink now and then. This usually means the urine is very concentrated. If you think you see blood in your baby’s urine or in her diaper, you should talk to your baby’s doctor right away to rule out a serious problem.

• Bowel movements
  Your baby’s first bowel movement was passed during the first two days of her life — a thick, dark green or black substance known as meconium. Now, normal digestion is taking place, and her stools are more yellowish-green in color.
    
  The color and consistency of your baby’s stools are determined by whether she’s breastfed or formula-fed. Breastfed babies have stools that look sort of like light yellow mustard, with little "seeds." Their stools remain fairly soft or runny until they begin to eat solid foods. If your baby is formula-fed, her stools will be more tan or yellow in color and a little firmer.
    
  It’s normal for your baby’s stools to change from day to day, often depending on her diet. Be sure to talk with your baby’s doctor if you have any questions about your baby’s stools.