Babies Born Premature Facts

Every day, there are over 11,000 babies born in the U.S. alone and out of those, 1,400 babies will be born premature (or over 540,000 babies born premature per year). Unfortunately, the rate of babies born premature is actually increasing rather than decreasing and it’s alarming. Premature births increased 36% comparing early 1980’s and 2006, according to The March of Dimes. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, chance of survival has increased, but sadly, after weeks and sometimes months in the NICU, some babies will grow up to have lasting disabilities.

Preventing Babies Being Born Premature

Most babies born premature will be due to unknown reasons (roughly 40%). Studies have shown four primary paths that may cause premature birth including infections, mom or baby under stress, bleeding (such as placental abruption), and over-stretching of the uterus (such as when there are multiple babies or excess amniotic fluid).

No pregnant woman is completely risk-free when it comes to premature birth. Any woman can have a baby who is premature, unfortunately. There are things that you can do to limit your risk such as not smoking, drinking, doing drugs, high stress, and getting prenatal care. You can also be more at risk if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, are obese, or underweight before pregnancy.

Although there is nothing definitive that can be done to prevent premature birth, in 2003, they did find giving women who previously had a baby born premature progesterone during pregnancy decreased another premature birth. There have also been studies that show giving the pregnant woman antibiotics if she previously had her water break before 37 weeks can reduce the chance of another premature birth. Lastly, there are also studies that show a woman’s cervix can be stitched who have a short cervix. This procedure is called cerclage.

How Baby Insights Can Help

When babies are born premature, there is so much to worry about. Parents of all newborns need to make sure their baby eats enough and have enough wet and dirty diapers, but when your baby is premature, extra care needs to be taken as there is higher potential for complications. By using Baby Insights to track your baby’s schedule, you can ensure she has enough wet and dirty diapers, eats and sleeps enough, and takes any medication on time, too, just like Kerry did when she found out her baby had a heart condition when she was just one week old. With Baby Insights she was able to track her baby’s medication doses very closely. Having information stored all in one place helps you worry less and enjoy your baby more!

Raise Awareness About Babies Born Premature

You can help raise awareness about babies born premature by sharing this article, considering a donation to the March of Dimes, or volunteer today!

Learn more about March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness month and what you can do by visiting The March of Dimes Website today!

When Babies Start Teething

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know exactly when babies start teething because all babies are unique and genetics play a part, too. There are very few babies born with teeth and for most babies, they will not get their first tooth until 6-7 months old. Unfortunately, just because a tooth does not come through until 6-7 months, on average, does not mean that the teething process does not start sooner. Your baby can show signs of teething a month or two before the first tooth actually comes through the gums. Your 3 or 4 month old can drool and chew on toys or her hand like she will get teeth any day, but it just might not happen that quickly.

If you are breastfeeding, you might want teething to start later as it can be painful when your baby decides to chomp down at an inopportune moment. Don’t worry, women have been breastfeeding successfully for thousands of years, even babies with teeth and there is hope. You do not have to stop breastfeeding. If you can feel your baby’s teeth while breastfeeding, try removing your baby and re-latching him. If your baby bites at the end of a breastfeeding session, that usually means he’s finished so try to watch for signs he’s finishing before he bites such as slow sucking or looking around looking bored. If your baby does bite, end the breastfeeding session (or take a break if baby does need a feeding) and say “No bite.” firmly (but not yelling). He will quickly learn not to bite the breast that feeds him.

Order of Baby Teeth

Do not worry if your baby does not get teeth in the same order as other babies. The general guideline is your baby will get the bottom middle teeth, then the top middle, then the top incisors right next to the top middle and then bottom incisors next to the bottom middle. In other words, the top and bottom four teeth, in the middle, will be the first eight teeth your baby will get. In general, teeth usually come in pairs (but not always) about one per month or so. After the first eight, the first-year molars will begin to come in. The first-year and second-year molars are often the most difficult on your baby to come in. These teeth tend to take longer to come in and hurt your baby more as they break through the gums. Note: when your baby is teething, she may like to breastfeed more often to help massage her gums.

My personal teething story

I have two sons and when my first son started teething, it was around 4 months, but then didn’t pop through until just after 5 months old. He struggled with the first few teeth, but one day just had molars. His younger brother, on the other hand, didn’t get his first tooth until after 6 months and struggled for over a month to get his one-year molars and we all seemed to feel it with all the fussiness. So, even within the same family, when babies start teething varies and how difficult it is on the baby varies, too. A friend of mine’s son didn’t get his first tooth until well after he was a year old!

I hope this article has helped you figure out when your baby might start teething or whether she has already started. Make sure you send your family and friends a picture of her first tooth from her online baby album!

Share your teething story

Are you ready for Halloween? That’s one fun thing about October, but October is also an important month because it’s SIDS Awareness Month. In 2005, 2,230 babies died of SIDS and while it’s not preventable, there are things you can do as a new parent to reduce the risk. Here are some SIDS facts:

What is SIDS?

SIDS is the diagnosis given when an infant under one year of age dies suddenly and there is no other medical explanation for the death after a complete examination.

SIDS is most likely to occur in infants between one month and 12 months of age with the majority of deaths occurring between 2 and 4 months of age.  The risk of SIDS diminishes significantly after the first year.

How to Reduce the SIDS risk:

• Place babies on their backs to sleep. If baby falls asleep on his tummy, gently roll baby onto his back.

• Baby should sleep on a firm, flat mattress. Avoid using soft, fluffy or loose bedding that can increase suffocation risks. Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets. (See the Merino Wool Baby Sleeping bag as part of our giveaway.)

• Keep baby’s room temperature warm but not too warm. Overheated
  babies are more likely to go into a deep sleep from which it may be hard to wake up.

• Babies with mothers who smoked during pregnancy are three times
  more likely to die from SIDS. Exposure to passive smoke around babies can double their risk of SIDS.

• Good prenatal care and breastfeeding can also help lower the risks of SIDS.

Please forward this valuable information to people you know to save lives!

Now for some Babble Soft news:

The Ultimate Guide to Baby’s First Year of Sleep
Win a $75 Target Gift Card, $50 Target Gift Card, 3-Month Subscription, and more!
Babble Soft Is Staying Home

The Ultimate Guide to Baby’s First Year of Sleep

We know that many of you find your way to Babble Soft because you are trying to help your baby get on a schedule and possibly sleep better, too. Using Baby Insights helps you do both and now we have more ways to help! Now when you purchase a subscription to Babble Soft, you not only receive a subscription to Baby Say Cheese, your very own online baby album, but you will also receive a free copy of the book The Ultimate Guide to Baby’s First Year of Sleep! Inside the book you will learn the primary ways to help your baby sleep through the night, how much sleep he really needs, how to help him nap better, tips for keeping up your tracking in Baby Insights, and more! The book also has sample schedules for each month of age to compare against what your baby is doing. To purchase a subscription, please go to the Purchase Page, now!

Win a $75 Target Gift Card, $50 Target Gift Card, 3-month subscription, and more!

In recognition of SIDS Awareness Month, Babble Soft is co-sponsoring a giveaway on the Pick Nick’s Brain website and providing 3-month subscriptions to three lucky winnsers! There are a variety of prizes available including a $75 Target Gift Card and $50 Target Gift Card. Who doesn’t need some money in time for the holidays? To enter the giveaway is very easy and takes just a few seconds of your time, so head over now by following this link: Enter Giveaway!

Babble Soft Is Staying Home

Awhile ago, we announced that Babble Soft was looking for a new home and for all intents and purposes, we’ve found one! But, it’s not too far from the current home, so you might say we’re staying home. I have decided to take on the operations at Babble Soft! Helping parents with their babies is near and dear to my heart and I have a lot of passion for it, so it made sense for me to take it over and run with it. Aruni has taken the company to an amazing place and she is an amazing woman, but with all the things on her plate right now, she needed to confidently let someone else see to the day-to-day details. Aruni is still part owner and Babble Soft will always be near and dear to her heart. I know that I wish her well in her next endeavors.

Have a great weekend!

Common Baby Medication

Baby Reflux

– While baby spit up is normal, if there is too stomach acid in the spit-up, it can irritate your baby’s esophagus and your doctor might determine your infant has reflux. If methods to help reflux without medication do not help your baby, your doctor might prescribe medication such as Pepcid and Zantac, which are tolerated well by most babies. Even though they are tolerated well by most babies, this type of medication seems to be prescribed more and more often, so do take care not to allow your doctor to prescribe medication for normal fussiness, which is very common. Most babies will outgrow reflux with or without medication.

Baby Colic

– A small percentage of babies (around 20%) are said to have colic if they cry more than three hours per day where the crying is uncontrollable and difficult to soothe. There are various theories on the causes of colic, but it is still unknown what the true cause of colic is. Most people and doctors have said that there is no cure for colic and a baby will just outgrow it around 4 to 5 months of age. Some parents have used gripe water as a medication to help with colic with the thought that colic is caused by an immature digestive system.

Baby Teething

– It might start to feel like your baby is teething for two years straight, particularly if your baby is sensitive to pain when the teeth break through the gums. To help your baby (and you) get through the height of teething, sometimes medication can help. Of course, no one wants to give their baby medication every single night, so I always chose to give medication only when it was obvious in the daytime that teeth were really bothering our baby or when it was more difficult than usual for our baby to sleep. Ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin) or Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) can help relieve the teething pain. For a more natural medication, you can try Hyland’s Teething Tablets.

Baby Colds, Coughs and Flu

– When your baby has a cold or the flu, can’t breathe through his nose, has sleep trouble, fussy, and is overall miserable, some parents choose over-the-counter cold and flu medications. In 2008, there was a voluntary recall of all OTC cold & flu infant medication due to many people giving too much medication to their babies. Manufacturers are changing the labels for children under 4 for this reason. Make sure you read about OTC medication safety if you are considering giving your baby cold medicine.

Baby Medication Tracking and Management

For whatever reason you decide to give your baby medication or need to give your baby medication, it’s important to dose it correctly and make sure numerous caretakers don’t give medication too soon. When your baby is taking medication critical to their health, this is, of course, even more important that doses are not missed or that you accidentally overdose your baby. Tracking your baby’s medication can be the difference between life and death when you have a busy home life or if your baby has numerous caretakers to keep up with medication doses. In addition, many new parents are sleep deprived and it’s easy to forget whether it’s been 30 minutes or 2 hours from the last time you gave your baby medication. Many new parents forget to even eat lunch! If you are a working parent, being able to logon to check on your baby’s medicine doses from your computer (or mobile) and know that he is getting all he needs during the day, on time, can give you peace of mind to help you focus on other things at work.

Giving Baby Medication

Here are some tips to help the medicine go down:

•     Measure your baby’s medication and then use a syringe or dropper to give it to her. You can let her suck it out of the dropper or place the dropper in the back corner of her mouth and dispense a little at a time.

•     Depending on the medication, you can try to put it in some formula or breastmilk, but keep in mind the taste might be altered and some babies won’t like that very much.

We hope this article has helped you feel more confident in giving your baby medication. None of us want to have to give our baby medication, but if we have to, at least there are ways to give us more peace of mind!

What type of baby medication was prescribed for your baby? Please share your tips!

Pumping Full Time

Sometimes, for whatever reason, breastfeeding might not work out for some new moms and they decide that pumping full time is the next best thing. I commend these moms, because I pumped part-time for a 11-12 months and it is no small feat! Because pumping does not always get as much milk out as breastfeeding would, sometimes a mom has to pump more often than a baby would typically eat. This might mean that a mom has to pump every two hours when the baby is eating every three.

Unfortunately, some moms find that if they don’t pump at night, in the early days, that they see their milk supply drop in the daytime. For these moms, sometimes pumping before bed can help, even if your baby is sleeping through the night. Some moms even take the next step and set an alarm, pumping in the middle of the night. That’s dedication!

Pumping For Milk Supply Stash

Pumping and breastfeeding at the same time can have unique challenges. Not only are you requiring your body to make a big enough milk supply to feed your baby, but you are trying to make even more milk to provide an extra date-night bottle or to store up extra milk for emergencies. Building up a milk stash can be challenging, but not impossible. Here are some tips:

• Typically, the early morning is when you have more milk, so plan to feed your baby and then pump. Your body will make enough milk for your baby’s next feeding.
• Consider tracking your baby’s schedule, so you know how often she is breastfeeding and can plan a pumping schedule accordingly. If you also track your pumping and how much milk you get at each pumping session, you can figure out the best schedule that works for you. For example, I found feeding my baby and then pumping 45 minutes to an hour later the best for me. I rarely got much milk after a feeding and if I waited too long, I’d be light for baby’s next feeding 2 1/2 to 3 hours later, so pumping in between was best for me. Since everyone is different, it helps for you to find what works for you and your baby.
• If you know your baby often feeds on just one side, consider pumping at the same time you are feeding your baby. You can simulate you have twins and encourage your body to make more milk at each feeding. Generally, you may get more milk this way because of your baby stimulating your other nipple at the same time.
• Figure out the best times NOT to pump. Again, since I monitored how much milk I got at different times of the day (which is hard to remember, so better to track pumping), I knew that in the early evening it was the worst time to pump. My baby cluster fed and I was tired from the rest of the day.

Pumping To Increase Milk Supply

Even if you are breastfeeding for the most part, some moms find they have trouble keeping up with baby’s needs. Pumping can be a great way to increase milk supply. Consider pumping for an additional 10-15 minutes after your baby is done eating. This simulates your baby needing more milk and will signal your body to make more. Sometimes, it is isn’t that your baby does not want more milk, but they get way too busy to want to keep suckling when they can be exploring! Pumping is a great way to do it for them. Again, it might also be a good idea to pump an extra time before bed.

This article explored the various ways pumping can help you achieve your goals with your milk supply, but also keep in mind that you need to drink enough water, get adequate rest, and eat healthy (oatmeal helps!). Making milk takes energy (calories), so make sure you have enough. You may be interested in other ways to increase your milk supply. Happy pumping!

You need peace of mind at the time your baby begins to crawl so you need to keep your baby as safe as possible using a safety gate. There are two major types of child safety gates, differing only in how they are mounted. There are pressure-mounted gates and hardware-mounted gates. Which one you choose depends on the area to be protected.

Look at the following points when buying a child safety gate:

• Look for Safety certification. You need to look or ASTM/JMPA certification for your child safety gate. It is present on the outside of the package so you know that the item has been inspected as safe. Don’t just go by the manufacturer’s name.

• Sizing. Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the distance between the hard surfaces. Don’t rely on what seems like the right height for a gate because you need to remember that your baby will become upright and taller before you know it. Choose the taller one from the beginning.

• Bar Spacing. Many models have vertical slats and you should make sure the slats are no further apart than 2 ½ to 3 inches apart as any greater can trap a child’s head between the slats. The baby could strangle if he gets caught in too wide of slats.

• Opening with Ease. Most of the hardware mounted variety of child safety gates open easily with just one hand. Pressure mounted gates can be practically impossible to open so you have to climb over them. This can be dangerous, especially if you have a baby in tow. Having a gate opening feature will add to the price of the item but it is well worth it when it come to getting from room to room in your house with ease.

• Watch out for second-hand gates. If a gate was made before 1985, it might not be safe. It might be of the accordion variety which is unsafe because the triangle shaped holes on the gate can easily trap your baby’s head in it.

Pressure-mounted baby gates are simpler to install than hardware-mounted gates but can fall down when pressure is applied to them. Hardware-mounted gates are sturdier and should be used at the tops of stairs and when you really don’t want baby to get through the gate. It takes about a half an hour to install a permanent hardware mounted gate but it may be worth the extra time because they enhance the safety of the doorway.

Happy shopping!

Newborns

At birth, the hospital will tell you that your baby needs to eat at least every 3 hours and you may even have to wake your baby to make sure he is getting enough. Keep in mind that breast milk digests faster than formula, so you will need to keep this in mind when you are considering feeding baby on a schedule. If you are a breastfeeding mom, your baby will need to eat every 1 to 3 hours. If you are a formula feeding mom, you will need to feed every 3 hours.

3 to 6 months

Feeding a baby on a schedule at 3 to 6 months can still be challenging because they are starting to roll and move around more, but aren’t eating many solids, if any (the AAP recommends delaying solids until closer to 6 months). Breastfed babies may still be eating every 2 to 3 hours and formula feeding babies can eat every 3 to 4 hours.

7 to 12 months

Once you start solids, it gets a lot easier feeding baby on a schedule. Most breastfed babies can now go longer between feedings and formula fed babies are still eating every 3 to 4 hours only now they are also eating solids with their milk / formula.

Tips for feeding baby on a schedule

• Keep track of feedings and your baby’s schedule, so you can monitor progress and find the best schedule for your baby. You might want to keep a breastfeeding or formula log and consider using our baby care and schedule software for easy tracking and reporting. It makes it easy to see the forest through the trees.

• If your baby is struggling with going long enough between feedings, try stretching your baby slowly by waiting just 15 minutes longer between feedings.

• If you’ve started solids and your baby does not have the patience to try new foods, try offering 1/2 of a bottle or nursing session and then offering the solids and then the rest of the bottle / nursing session.

• If your baby doesn’t have the patience to wait for the second half of the bottle / nursing session as mentioned above, try giving the whole feeding and then offering solids half-way between the two milk / formula feedings.

Sample Feeding and Sleep Schedules

4 Month Old Schedule
6 Month Old Schedule
7 Month Old Schedule
8 Month Old Schedule
9 Month Old Schedule
10 Month Old Schedule
11 Month Old Schedule
Toddler Schedule

If feeding baby on a schedule is very difficult, try taking a break and try again a few weeks later. Babies change a lot during the first year and it will go fast. Try not to stress too much about it. Some babies thrive on a routine and schedule while others tend to make their own. It will all come together in the end!

There are certain kinds of food items that mothers needs to abstain from or avoid because they can indirectly affect the baby’s well-being. Breastfeeding mothers also have to make sure to consume certain food types for example, whole grains & cereals, fresh fruits & vegetables for the sake of iron as well as calcium rich dairy products and protein rich foods. Protein foods are a source of B vitamins, iron, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium; milk products are rich in protein, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin and phosphorus; grain products are a source of B vitamins, iron, phosphorus and zinc and vegetables and fruits are sources of folacin and vitamins A, B6, and E, and minerals. Consuming a healthy, well-balanced and adequately caloric diet can assist in the baby’s growth and ensure the safety of the mother’s health as well. According to Kathleen Huggins, author of The Nursing Mother’s Companion, breastfeeding mothers don’t necessarily need to eat more than average mothers but they need to make sure that their diet includes all the healthful and fresh food items.

Certain mothers feel that losing pregnancy weight might be hard during breastfeeding; on the contrary, the technical process of breastfeeding actually helps to lose weight since deposited fats are diminished as body is prepared for lactation. Breastfeeding also helps delay menstruation and prevents pregnancy. Experts recommend that mothers should not attempt to lose weight during the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding since energy is required to nurse the baby around the clock. Rather, the weight loss procedure should be gradual, losing one or two pounds every week and maintaining a well-balanced and wholesome diet. If mothers find that they are losing more than a couple of pounds, they should consider increasing their daily intake of calories. Losing weight rapidly can release harmful toxins in the body’s bloodstream that can enter breast milk and be passed to the baby’s body; limiting food supply can also affect the mother’s milk supply. Therefore, mothers should take 10 to 12 months to gradually lose all their pregnancy weight by taking care of their diet.

For the fact that fish and seafood contain mercury, conceiving, nursing and pregnant mothers should limit their intake of fish to 6 ounces of ‘white’ tuna and 12 ounces of ‘light tuna’ a week. Moreover, shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish (golden or white snapper), tuna steak, orange roughy, Spanish mackerel, marlin, grouper have highest mercury levels and should be avoided. Breastfeeding mothers should also abstain from alcohol or limit its consumption because it too, can indirectly affect the baby. If an alcoholic beverage is consumed, mothers should wait for a couple of hours for the alcohol to pass from the body before nursing. During this time, the baby can be fed stored breast milk using a breast pump, which the mother has already saved and frozen earlier. Varying types of breast pumps are available in stores depending on costs, efficiency and ease of use. Two major types of pumps are manual or hand operated and breast electric pumps. This type of nursing should be done only if there is no danger of nipple confusion; a situation where the baby might confuse a bottle nipple with that of the mother’s. Water intake should also be taken care of; mothers should consume at least 8 ounces of water, juices, soups and other fluids to avoid dehydration since excess fluid is drained from the body during nursing. Also, caffeine in all forms should also be limited as it can make the baby agitated, fussy and alert; not more than one cup of coffee or equivalent should be consumed. Nicotine can cause respiratory diseases in the baby, so smoking mothers should quit during breastfeeding period or try to limit their nicotine consumption during this time.

Certain foods can cause the baby to fuss, cry or sleep little, therefore they should be avoided. Allergic foods can also be identified by observing skin rashes on the baby and any change in breathing and stool. Overall, if these precautions are heeded, both the mother and the child will benefit from them. Apart from these limitations, mothers can enjoy eating whatever they like during the breastfeeding time. Happy eating!

Additional Resources

Track breastfeeding and mom’s diet to make sure your baby is not sensitive to your diet.

More on foods mom can/can’t eat

 
 

Breastfeeding is not always easy

For some, breastfeeding will be easy, but for others it will not come as easy. In general, it should not hurt. When a baby is latched on correctly, it might be slightly uncomfortable and weird, at first, but it becomes second nature after awhile. I will say that it did hurt me, at first, but only because our latch was incorrect and my nipple was damaged. When I was pregnant, everyone told me to make it to the first 6 weeks and don’t quit on a bad day. It was painful when he’d latch on the more damaged side, but thankfully I found out about saline solution to heal a damaged nipple and it was smooth sailing after that. I wish I had been able to see the lactation consultant in the hospital sooner because maybe it wouldn’t have been damaged.

Alcohol, Caffeine, and Food

Some new moms may want to avoid breastfeeding because they are afraid they will have to stop eating their favorite food, avoid coffee or soda/pop, or feel tied down that they can’t drink alcohol. It is rare that a baby has problems with mom’s diet, including caffeine and alcohol. Many people believe their baby is fussy due to mom’s diet and in rare occurrences, this is true, but not often. When my baby was almost 6 weeks old, his fussiness was really hard to handle and my husband’s co-workers suggest I cut dairy out of my diet. I was tempted, but I knew from my reading that fussiness is common up to 6 weeks and then gets better. I knew it was not colic, at least (thankfully!). Drinking a glass of wine and less than 2 cups of coffee a day is also considered just fine for breastfeeding mothers. You should “pump and dump” if you drink too much (like the night of my best friend’s bachelorette party).

Pumping

Breastfeeding as a working mom can have its challenges. Pumping can be tricky at the office and it can grow tiresome, but it is a relatively short time in your life…thankfully.

Exercise and weight loss

It isn’t true that exercise will affect the taste of your milk, so there is no reason to get back to your work-out regimen after the baby is born. Breastfeeding actually helps many women lose weight because of the extra calories burned to make the milk. I lost my baby weight very quickly…at least the first time. It helped that I was walking my son in the Baby Bjorn, something I couldn’t do as readily the second time.

Small breasts and saggy boobs

It isn’t true that you can’t breastfeed if you have smaller breasts and your breasts don’t get extra saggy after you breastfeed, either.

Although breastfeeding is healthier for your baby, some people either choose to bottle feed or breastfeeding just doesn’t work out for whatever reason. Everyone’s situation is unique and we all have to make the best decisions for our families. It is a very personal choice. Bottle feeding moms do not love their babies any less than breastfeeding moms. Be confident in your decision. We only strive to help give you information to help you make the right decision for you and your family.

How many diapers a newborn uses

Your newborn should wet her first diaper by the end of the first day and it should increase to about 5-6 per day by the end of her first week. Wet diapers is the #1 way to know that your baby is not getting dehydrated. It is important to track diaper counts, carefully, in the first few weeks of your baby’s life. Not only is it important to make sure your baby is getting enough breast milk or formula, but your pediatrician will also ask you how many wet diapers and how many dirty diapers your baby is having. It always helps you feel like a more confident new mom when you don’t have to tell your doctor “uhhh…I’m not sure.”

Your baby should have 3-4 dirty (aka poopy) diapers a day by the end of the fourth day. You should no longer see meconium by the end of the 5th day.

Make sure you know the meaning of the various colors of poop for your baby, too.

How many diapers a 1-3 month old uses

Your 1 to 3 month old will still wet 5-6 diapers per day (or more), but dirty diapers could start to space out. If you breastfeed your baby, she may poop after every feeding (mine did!) or go up to a week without pooping! This is just fine. If you are formula feeding, though, it’s easier for your baby to get constipated, so if your baby does not poop for 2-3 days, you probably want to call your pediatrician.

How many diapers a 4-6 month old uses

The number of diapers a 4 to 6 month old uses doesn’t change much from 1 to 3 months, but if you start solids in this time-frame, expect the contents to change! It will smell more than breast milk or formula poop, too. Many people start with rice cereal which is notoriously constipating (we started with oatmeal for this reason), so make sure your baby is still having a dirty diaper at least every 3 days, if he’s eating solids.

If your baby is sleeping through the night, don’t worry about changing any diapers at night anymore. If she is not, you may want to change one wet diaper a night with a feeding and always change a dirty diaper to avoid diaper rash.

How many diapers a 7-9 month old uses

Expect your 7 to 9 month old to wet 5-6 diapers per day (or more) and again, dirty at least one every 3 days. Now that your baby is eating more solids, if she is constipated, make sure you offer a sippy of water (for practice with the sippy and to help constipation) and focus on “p” foods such as pears, prunes, and peaches.

How many diapers a 10-12 month old uses

Your 10 to 12 month old will also wet 5-6 diapers per day, but you might notice they space out a lot more with dry diapers between. If your baby is still not sleeping through the night, it is most likely not due to diapers and you may want to help your baby sleep better.

How many diapers a toddler uses

Most toddlers won’t be potty trained until past 2 and as old as 4 (especially boys), so your toddler will still be going through 4-5 wet diapers a day and pooping every 2-3 days. They do learn to space out peeing more, so hopefully you will be going through fewer diapers.

But, what size diapers?

The size diaper you use at any given age will vary baby to baby and just depend on his size. If your baby is in the 50th percentile, you will most likely be following the weights on the packages very closely. Most newborns outgrow the newborn size diaper very quickly, so don’t stock up on those too heavily. Some babies go home skipping that size! If your baby is leaking during the night, try going up one size just at night and see if that helps.

How many diapers does that mean in the first 2 years?

For fun, let’s do some math (ok not fun for all of us) and figure out about how many diapers this is in the first two years of your baby’s life:

Let’s assume only 1 wet diaper is also dirty at any given day. Most dirty diapers are also wet. Here goes the math.

6 wet diapers per day for 730 days = 4,380
1 dirty diaper every 2.5 days for 730 days = 292
1 “oops I changed a diaper that wasn’t wet or dirty because I’m a new mom” diaper for the first month = 30
= 4,702

*Note: If your baby will go to daycare, most have a rule they have to change a diaper every 2 or 3 hours whether it’s wet or dirty, so you may want to add a diaper a day here and there to the total.

If you were to buy the extra large boxes of 160 diapers a box for about $40, you’d be looking at about 30 boxes for a total of $1200 in diapers for the first 2 years. Scary, huh? For fun, track your baby’s diapers, so you can see if we’re right or wrong.