Baby changing essentials every dad needs

Not many dads would list changing nappies at the top of their parenting ambitions. But when you’ve got a baby, a surprisingly large proportion of your day revolves around what comes out of them. Here’s how to make the messy business a little less, well, messy.

Nobody puts baby changing essentials in the corner! Turns out, the corner is exactly where you want them, but only in the literal sense. Before becoming a parent, you might have imagined teaching your child to ride a bike, building elaborate sandcastles or imparting a lifetime’s worth of wisdom. You probably spent considerably less time picturing yourself examining the contents of a nappy at three in the morning.

Yet here we are.

Babies are excellent at creating laundry, rubbish and substances. And while there’s no shortage of expensive gadgets promising to revolutionise parenthood, sometimes the most useful things are the ones that simply make everyday jobs less unpleasant.

The changing table survival guide

First, a few baby changing essentials experienced parents learn the hard way. Always have a clean nappy ready before removing the old one. Keep wipes within reach, but away from curious little hands. And never underestimate a baby’s ability to wee at precisely the wrong moment.

A changing mat with a wipe-clean surface is worth considerably more than one that looks beautiful in nursery photographs. A spare outfit isn’t excessive preparation. Neither is a second spare outfit.

And when you’ve finished the job, you’ll need somewhere to put the evidence.

Korbell Eco Nappy Bin, from £55 at Cheeky Rascals

A bin that earns its keep

You don’t strictly need a dedicated nappy bin. Plenty of parents manage with an ordinary pedal bin and frequent trips to the outside rubbish. But if you’re changing nappies several times a day, particularly in a small flat or upstairs nursery, a purpose-built bin can make life easier.

The Korbell Eco Nappy Bin has a foot pedal for hands-free disposal, a spring-loaded seal and a second lid designed to help contain smells. There’s also a childproof locking system, useful once your baby becomes a toddler with an alarming interest in opening everything.

It comes in three sizes, from the 9-litre Mini to the 26-litre Plus. Its continuous liner system allows you to cut and tie off a full section rather than replacing an entire bag each time.

One practical advantage is that it doesn’t become redundant when nappies disappear from your shopping list. Korbell says it can be used as an ordinary household waste bin afterwards, which makes the initial expense a little easier to justify.

Wipe away the day

Naty Compostable XXL Wipes, currently £2.50 for 50 (50% off)

If nappies are the main event, wipes are the supporting cast. You’ll use them for bottoms, hands, faces, highchairs and the mysterious sticky patches that seem to materialise wherever children have been sitting.

They’re also worth thinking about from an environmental perspective. Conventional wet wipes can contain plastic fibres, and even wipes marketed as biodegradable aren’t necessarily suitable for composting.

Swedish brand Naty makes plastic-free wipes from FSC-certified plant-based fibres, with a fragrance-free formulation containing aloe vera and chamomile. Its compostable range includes a particularly useful XXL version, with 50 larger wipes for tackling the sort of mess that makes you question whether a bath would be quicker.

There’s an important distinction here: compostable doesn’t mean you can throw every used wipe on the compost heap. Naty specifically advises against composting wipes contaminated with faecal matter. And whatever the packaging says, the safest default is to put used wipes in the bin rather than down the toilet.

Five rules for surviving nappy duty

Prepare before you start. Clean nappy, wipes, cream if needed and a change of clothes should all be within reach.
Never leave a baby unattended on a raised changing surface. Not even for a second.
Don’t overdo the products. Gentle cleaning and thorough drying are generally all that’s needed for healthy skin.
Keep the bin somewhere practical. A beautiful nursery layout means nothing if you have to cross the room carrying a dirty nappy.
Share the workload. Nappy changing isn’t a specialist skill, and there’s no reason one parent should become the household’s designated bottom department.

There will come a day when you no longer have to think about nappies, wipes, changing mats or the precise consistency of another human being’s poo. Until then, a little preparation, a decent disposal system and a sense of humour go a surprisingly long way.