How long should we wait before putting a new diaper on our newborn? Is it necessary to give them diaper-free time?

Question

When changing diapers, should we immediately put a new one on or allow our newborn some diaper-free time? We notice that the skin under the diaper is slightly moist when changing it. Should we let the baby air out, and if so, for how long? What are the potential drawbacks of not giving them any diaper-free time?

Answer 1

Most of the time it's okay to just put the clean diaper right back on. If it's too moist too often, he will get a rash, but usually that's more due to waiting too long to change rather than putting a new diaper on too soon. Make sure to clean all the urine off so the moisture is just from the wipe. You can use some baby powder if it starts to bother him, and there's a gazillion ointments out there too.

That being said, there's no down side to diaper-free time, except to your carpet!

Answer 2

How much time to air:
After cleaning, you can dab off the skin with a soft towel (paper is likely to irritate more than cloth). If the skin still feels a little moist, it takes only 30 seconds to air-dry, and then you can put the new diaper on. You can also softly pat the skin with the back of your hand to speed up the air-drying.

Especially with newborns, there's often no need for soaps, ointments or powders as long as the skin is clean and dry. We use only warm water, and cosmetic pads rather than wipes. We do use an ointment on occasion when the skin is red, otherwise nothing.