Changing diapers is often one of the biggest challenges for first time parents. Here are some helpful baby diaper changing tips to make you feel like a pro in no time.

A baby's skin is incredibly sensitive. Especially in the early days when you are changing diapers very frequently, the last thing you want your baby to get is a nasty diaper rash. Therefore, many pediatricians recommend that you use simple disposable cotton squares dipped in water to wipe your baby's bottom instead of commercial baby wipes.

Always make sure you dry your baby's bottom with a tissue after wiping.

FOR GIRLS

Never wipe from the rectum forward, because this can easily bring fecal bacteria into the urethra and vaginal area. Instead, wipe front-to-back (just as girls and women do after using the toilet to prevent bladder infections). Also, separate the labia and cleanse lightly to remove and clean all matter. Do not scrub as this will irritate your baby's delicate parts.

FOR BOYS

Plan to get squirted. Your boy will probably also wet his own clothes and maybe even squirt himself in the face occasionally. When you get skillful at diapering, you'll be able to hold a wad of toilet tissue or a clean diaper over his penis with one hand while washing/drying with the other hand.

Keep in mind that your baby's urine is only water and is sterile when it first comes out. So having a sense of humor about changing your baby boy's diapers will go a long way in the beginning until you master this very necessary skill.

Some parents prefer to point the penis down as they put on a fresh diaper. Otherwise, boys tend to pee up and the urine may go out the top of the diaper. It is definitely best to point the penis down until the umbilical cord falls off. Keeping the umbilical cord dry is optimal.

Make sure to clean under the scrotum, where fecal matter can become hidden. If your baby boy has not been circumcised, his foreskin will not yet retract so don't try to make it do so - just wash it with a cotton pad.

If the newborn has just been circumcised, you probably would have received instruction in circumcision care. Some procedures involve a plastic ring that gets no special care, or just a dab of petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment. Other procedures involve a gauze pad that will need to be removed at each diaper change. Dab at the circumcision with a clean, wet cotton ball. You may have been instructed to apply petroleum jelly to the wound or to a new gauze pad. If this is so, then re-wrap the wound. (Look out for discharge or odor and call the doctor if it ever appears to be infected.)

Cloth Diaper Changing Tips:

1. Traditional cloth diapers need pins (or diaper covers). If you keep the pins stuck in a bar of soap, they'll slide through cloth diapers more easily.

2. Put two fingers of your left hand (if you're right-handed) between the diaper and the baby so if the pin sticks someone, it's you.

3. Beware of the possibility of pins unpinning and sticking your baby. Make sure you're not using a "kite" fold that has a pin in the middle over the genital area or stomach, which could be damaged by a loose pin. This should not happen, however, if you are using diaper pins – because they have a safety latch. Never use ordinary safety pins for securing your baby's diapers.)

4. If the cloth diapers you bought or were given are not pre-folded, but instead are the large cloth rectangle diapers, you have several options for how to fold them of your choice.