Set Your Changing Table Up for Success

This post has been sponsored by Pampers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You think you know. I mean everyone talks about the diapers, right? But wow, oh, wow do babies go through a ton of diapers in just the first month of their lives alone (we won’t talk in years, yet). My baby could easily hit the dozen mark by the end of the day in early infanthood. Take our advice, set your changing table up for success before you get started to make your life easier. You’ll be spending a lot of time there, and you want it to be as painless for you and your baby as possible.

Pick the right changing table. Whether you plan to pop a changing pad on top of a dresser or are using a more traditional changing table like Melisa’s pictured above, be sure it’s comfortable for you. Stand next to it to make sure it’s the right height and figure out where you feel most comfortable changing baby. Bonus tips: One PN staffer opted not to put the feet on her dresser to make sure the changing topper would be at a comfortable height for her. 2. I liked having my changing pad at the end of the dresser top (not centered), so I could stand with baby’s feet/bottom facing me. Try it both ways to see which feels more natural for you.

A place for everything and everything in its place. An organized changing table will be a lifesaver during diaper changes. You want to know where everything is without even having to look. When you have one hand on baby, you don’t want to be searching for the last place you put the diaper cream. So do yourself a favor, and create a place for everything you need and ALWAYS put things back where they belong. Having everything right at your fingertips makes the job both easier and safer. We like to keep the basics right on top with extra diapers and supplies underneath in baskets or drawers. Be sure to replenish supplies before you are even close to low. You never know when your baby will, ahem, blow through ten diapers in one day, which brings us to another point about picking the right diapers. It’s worth getting a quality brand like Pampers that perform well and stay dry. Did you know, to this day, the smell of Pampers Swaddlers transports me right back to the birth of my first son when I used Pampers for the first time in the hospital. So funny.

Keep your baby entertained. You may think the newborn days of a crying baby on the changing table are the hardest, but you haven’t experienced anything until you have a rolling little one who is constantly trying to escape her diaper change. Keep a basket of goodies for your baby to distract her during the change. Teething toys and rattles work great for young babies and small board books for older babies.

Make it pretty! It’s pretty much our motto over here to try to elevate the functional whenever we can. Though the changing table might be doing a dirty job, there’s no reason it can’t look as beautiful as the rest of your nursery. Melisa used remnants of her daughter’s wallpaper to line the shelves of her changing table. Such an easy little DIY project that makes a big impact.

Be ready for changes. While using a pretty cake stand to hold your diapering must-haves looks lovely in a newborn’s pristine nursery, once you’ve got a squirmy almost-toddler, it’s time to move on to something more practical. We love open baskets, which keep things looking neat while keeping them easily accessible. Also, it’s a good habit to have a package of the next size Pampers on hand. My kids always seemed to grow into the next size overnight.

What are your best tips for surviving diaper changes with your baby? We’re all about getting the dirty business done quickly and getting back to the good stuff with your baby.