The McGennis Family
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How to Change a Diaper (the McGennis Family Way)
Our family's step-by-step for a clean diaper change — the order we actually do it in, and the wipes, diapers, and creams we've tried. Each step where it matters lists the options we've used so you can pick what fits your kid's skin, your budget, and what's already in your house.
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0 of 11 steps completedStep-by-Step Instructions
1 Step 1: Lay baby down
Step 1: Lay baby down
Lay baby flat on their back on the changing surface. Keep one hand on them the entire time — even pre-rollers can launch themselves off a table faster than you'd believe.
2 Step 2: Unbutton, unzip, and remove the lower-half clothing
Step 2: Unbutton, unzip, and remove the lower-half clothing
Open the bottom of the onesie (or pull pants down) and get clothing fully out of the way. If you leave it bunched around the waist, it will end up in whatever you're about to clean up.
3 Step 3: Undo the diaper straps
Step 3: Undo the diaper straps
Peel the two side tabs forward but don't open the diaper yet. With boys especially, the cold air on bare skin is a classic trigger for a fresh pee — leaving the diaper draped on for an extra two seconds saves you a re-do.
4 Step 4: Remove the diaper
Step 4: Remove the diaper
Lift baby's legs by the ankles with one hand, fold the front of the diaper down and use the clean inside-front to do a first wipe back-to-front (girls: always front-to-back to keep bacteria away from the urethra). Then pull the diaper out from under and fold it closed around itself with the tabs.
5 Step 5: Wipe the skin clean
Step 5: Wipe the skin clean
Use as many wipes as it takes — front, creases, and back. For girls always wipe front-to-back. Pat dry for a couple seconds if skin is wet before the new diaper goes on, otherwise you trap moisture and invite a rash.
WaterWipes Sensitive Baby Wipes
99.9% water + a drop of fruit extract — no fragrance, no alcohol, nothing else. The pick that NICUs and dermatologists hand out for newborns and rash-prone skin. Pricier per wipe but worth it for the first weeks and any flare-up.
Millie Moon Luxury Diaper Wipes
Costco's plant-based premium wipe — thick, large, fragrance-free, 99% water. Our daily driver once baby was past the newborn-skin window.
Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes
Fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, dermatologist-tested. Soft texture and broadly available — the safe default if you can't find anything else in stock.
Huggies Natural Care Sensitive
99% water + plant-based cloth, fragrance-free. Slightly thinner than Millie Moon but the cheapest of the name brands on a per-wipe basis.
Parents Choice Fragrance Free Wipes
Walmart's store brand. Cheapest wipe per use that we've found — thinner than the premium options, but for routine pee changes they get the job done.
Scented baby wipes
Warning: Fragrance is a top cause of contact dermatitis on baby's skin. If a pack says 'scented', 'fresh', or 'with lotion', leave it on the shelf — use fragrance-free.
Wipes with added fragrance — common at every drugstore. Smell nice in the package, but the fragrance compounds are the most common diaper-rash trigger pediatricians flag.
Flushable baby wipes
Warning: 'Flushable' wipes are a leading cause of clogged plumbing and damaged septic systems — water utilities and plumbers have been warning about them for years. Always trash, never flush.
Marketed as toilet-safe so you can flush them with the diaper contents. The label is misleading — they don't break down like toilet paper.
6 Step 6: Grab a new diaper from the side basket
Step 6: Grab a new diaper from the side basket
Reach for a fresh diaper from the basket beside the changing table. Tip: with a very young baby or one who pees mid-change, pull the new diaper out first and slide it open underneath before you remove the old one — it catches the surprise.
Pampers Swaddlers
The diaper most hospitals send you home with. Softest interior we've tried, the wetness indicator line is genuinely useful in the first months, and the umbilical-cord notch on newborn sizes is a small but real win.
Huggies Little Snugglers
Hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and the pocketed waistband on the back is a legit blowout shield. Slightly stiffer feel than Swaddlers but the leak protection is best-in-class.
Millie Moon Luxury Diapers
Costco's plant-based premium diaper. Hypoallergenic, no chlorine bleaching, very soft. Comparable to Swaddlers/Snugglers on performance, often cheaper per diaper if you have a Costco membership.
Up & Up Diapers (Target store brand)
Hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and roughly two-thirds the price of name-brand premium. A solid default for daytime once baby is out of the newborn-skin window.
Parent's Choice Diapers (Walmart store brand)
The budget pick. Thinner and less stretchy than the premium brands but the cheapest per-diaper we keep finding — fine for routine daytime changes.
Scented diapers
Warning: Added fragrance against baby's skin for 4–8 hours per diaper is exactly the exposure pattern that triggers contact dermatitis. Stick with fragrance-free.
Diapers with added fragrance, sold to mask the smell of a soiled diaper. Same irritation concern as scented wipes — applied to an even larger area of skin for hours at a time.
Diapers with built-in lotion
Warning: The lotion can sit between skin and any diaper cream you applied, blocking the cream from forming a barrier. If you ever use diaper cream, avoid lotion-lined diapers.
Some premium lines include a thin lotion layer on the inside of the diaper, marketed for skin softness.
7 Step 7: Check for redness and apply diaper cream if needed
Step 7: Check for redness and apply diaper cream if needed
Condition: If skin is red, irritated, or showing the start of a rash
Look at the skin around the bottom, creases, and folds. If anything is pink, irritated, or peeling, this is the moment to put on cream — once the new diaper is closed you've lost the chance until next change. A thin layer is plenty; you want a barrier, not frosting.
Triple Paste
Dermatologist-recommended, fragrance-free, and the cream pediatricians keep telling us is the gold standard for prevention and treatment. Thick zinc-oxide barrier — works on active rash and on prevention before bed.
Boudreaux's Butt Paste (Original 16% zinc)
The classic pediatrician-recommended treatment paste. 16% zinc oxide knocks out a flare-up fast; goes on thick and stays put.
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment (3-in-1)
Petrolatum-based occlusive barrier — preventive, not zinc-based. Best for nightly use before a long stretch of sleep or whenever skin just needs a moisture seal rather than treatment.
Desitin Maximum Strength
40% zinc oxide — the heaviest-duty over-the-counter option. Bring this out for a stubborn rash that Triple Paste or Butt Paste isn't closing out in a day.
Burt's Bees Baby Diaper Rash Ointment
Plant-based, 40% zinc oxide, no parabens or phthalates. Nice option if you want a natural-ingredients route and still want real treatment-strength zinc.
Talcum baby powder
Warning: IARC classifies talc as possibly carcinogenic (Group 2B), and the AAP warns against using any powder near infants — fine particles are easily inhaled and can cause serious lung problems. Don't use talc on a baby.
Classic 'baby powder' — talc-based, sold for decades to absorb moisture and reduce friction.
Cornstarch baby powder
Warning: AAP still discourages cornstarch powder near infants because of the aspiration risk, and cornstarch actively feeds yeast — using it on a yeast-based diaper rash makes the rash worse. Skip powder entirely.
Marketed as the 'safer' alternative to talc — cornstarch absorbs moisture without the talc concerns.
Hydrocortisone or other steroid creams
Warning: Baby skin is thin and absorbs steroids readily. Repeated or extended use in the diaper area can cause skin thinning (atrophy) and systemic absorption. Only use if a pediatrician specifically prescribes it.
OTC hydrocortisone (1%) and prescription steroid creams are sometimes reached for when a rash looks inflamed.
Essential-oil-based diaper balms (tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint)
Warning: Tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint, and camphor oils are known toxic to infants at concentrations adults tolerate fine — they've caused seizures and respiratory depression in case reports. If you want a natural cream, pick one that uses zinc oxide as the active and skips essential oils.
'Natural' diaper balms that lead with strong essential oils. The marketing leans on the 'plant-based = safer' framing.
8 Step 8: Slide the back of the new diaper under baby
Step 8: Slide the back of the new diaper under baby
Lift the legs again and tuck the back half of the diaper under baby's bottom — the side with the two tabs goes under, the printed/character side stays on the front. Tabs should sit roughly at the waistline; if they're up by the ribs the diaper is on backwards.
9 Step 9: Pull the front up and attach the tabs
Step 9: Pull the front up and attach the tabs
Bring the front of the diaper up between the legs, pull it snug, and stick each tab to the front landing zone. Two-finger gap at the waistband — tight enough to seal, loose enough that you can slip two fingers in. Check that the leg ruffles are pulled out (not tucked in) on both sides — tucked ruffles are the #1 cause of blowouts.
10 Step 10: Redress baby
Step 10: Redress baby
Snap the onesie back together or pull the pants up. If the outfit got hit during the change, this is where you swap it instead of trying to spot-clean.
11 Step 11: Take the diaper to the kitchen trash
Step 11: Take the diaper to the kitchen trash
Carry the rolled-up diaper (and any soiled wipes) out to the kitchen trash. We don't run a diaper pail — daily kitchen-trash runs keep the nursery from smelling, and you don't end up paying for proprietary refill cartridges. Wash hands.