After I gave birth to my daughter, my mother-in-law came from the countryside in a great hurry. When I arrived home, my mother-in-law opened her bag, which contained not only a change of clothes, but also a stack of autumn clothes and pants, some of which were worn and some not too old, but all of which were very clean. The mother-in-law cut open the clothes one by one and said she wanted to make diapers for her daughter. I was wondering, “I already bought baby diapers, so why bother? Besides, the old clothes are so dirty, who knows if there are any germs. My mother-in-law took my daughter’s dirty diapers to be washed and dried again and again, and had to clean up the house in addition to taking care of the baby. I felt sorry for her and said to my mother-in-law, “Mom, I think it’s better to use diapers for the baby, it’s clean and less work.” My mother-in-law immediately refused: “Cotton diapers are clean and environmentally friendly, and the baby is comfortable with them. Diapers are so expensive that we can’t afford them.” One day, a friend came to visit the baby and joked with me upon entering: “On the way I was wondering which floor you live on and which door, but now I saw the ‘universal flag’ hanging on the balcony from a long distance, and I thought, “This should be the one. And I was right.” I was a little embarrassed to think of all the diapers that were killing the scenery. My friend teased the baby and the little one was very dignified and kept on playing towards my friend. When my friend was happy, he held his daughter in his arms, and not long after, she suddenly shrieked: “Oh, I peed!” It turns out that the diaper some time loose, daughter unceremoniously peed all over the friend. I rushed to pick up the child, my friend wiped while shouting: “What age is it, still use this broken diaper, no wonder to leak ‘stuffing’ it! A little later, my mother-in-law came back from grocery shopping. I told her that the baby had just wet her friend’s new dress. “Hey, what’s wrong with that? Kids’ pee doesn’t stink, just wash it.” My mother-in-law said it lightly, and looked happy and indifferent. I finally couldn’t help but say, “Thousands of dollars of clothes, and I don’t know how much people are hurting. If you had listened to me and used diapers, this would not have happened.” My mother-in-law heard the anger in my words and went into the kitchen without saying a word. During dinner, my mother-in-law said that the baby was full term and she should go back. I was shocked and understood that my mother-in-law was targeting me. After my mother-in-law left, I went to the balcony and looked at the colorful cotton diapers of different lengths, which still smelled faintly of urine. After a little hesitation, I packed them up and found a bag to put them in. As long as my daughter doesn’t poop, only one diaper is enough for half a day, and I don’t have to think about changing her diapers at night. At first my daughter was not used to it and seemed a bit unhappy and irritable, but slowly she adapted to it and did not cry much at night. However, after only two or three days, my daughter’s little bottom became red, and the talcum powder she was given did not work. My daughter kept crying, and I knew she must be feeling bad. I was distressed and anxious, wondering if she had chosen the wrong diapers or if her skin was allergic to them. It seems that diapers are a lot less hassle, but they are still not as comfortable as cotton diapers. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, how should we choose between them? Doctor’s comment: Dongmei’s daughter’s “red butt” after changing to diapers is actually diaper dermatitis. The skin of the baby’s diaper area is stimulated by urine and feces for a long time and the local resistance is reduced, while the bacteria on the skin surface and in the feces decompose the urea in the urine to produce ammonia, which stimulates the skin and makes inflammation occur. In fact, cotton diapers and diapers have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it may not always be the fault of diapers or cotton diapers that your baby has a “red butt”. Traditional cotton diapers are highly absorbent, comfortable to use, breathable and less irritating to baby’s delicate skin, and are suitable for babies who are allergic to diapers. In addition to buying finished products on the market, cotton diapers can be made from soft, absorbent and breathable light colored old cotton cloth, old bed sheets or old clothes and pants after washing. However, it is best not to use colorful fabrics like Grandma Dongmei did, so as not to irritate the baby’s skin with dyes, as well as to affect the observation of urine and stool. In addition, we should note that cotton diapers should be washed and changed regularly, do not use plastic wrapped in cotton diapers because of leakage prevention and saving, so that the heat and humidity can not be distributed in time, increasing the irritation to the baby’s skin. At the same time, rinsing dirty diapers must be timely and thorough. Soak the dirty diapers in water, then use a mild baby detergent to remove traces of urine and feces, and rinse them repeatedly with water, then use them again after they dry naturally. However, it is best not to bake them on the stove fire to avoid re-humidity; it is also not advisable to wash them with alkaline soap or washing powder because the residual detergent will irritate the baby’s skin. Newborn babies urinate more frequently, cotton diapers should be changed more frequently, especially when the weather is cold, if the baby urinates after the diaper is not replaced in time, the little buttocks will be “soaked” in urine, not only easy to catch a cold, but also easy to get diaper dermatitis. In the wet and cloudy season, drying the diapers thoroughly can be a big hassle, so it’s best to use diapers at this time. Diapers: not a foolproof solution Although diapers are highly absorbent, you can’t think that you can rest easy after using them, like Dongmei did. Even if your baby doesn’t poop, it’s not appropriate to change diapers only after half a day. When the absorbent material in the diaper expands to a certain level, not only does the absorbency decrease, but also increases the irritation of urine and feces on the baby’s skin, and may also rub the baby’s skin. Therefore, diapers generally need to be replaced with a new one in 3 to 4 hours, and if the baby poops, it should be replaced immediately. At present, there are various brands of diapers on the market, so how to choose the right diapers for your baby? First of all, you should use well-known brands, and try to buy them in big shopping malls or supermarkets to ensure that the size fits your baby’s body shape and that there is enough movement after wearing them. Secondly, you should choose soft, absorbent, non-returning, breathable diapers to provide a fully dry environment for your baby’s buttocks to reduce the number of times your baby wakes up due to wetness. In addition, consider using diapers that contain certain skin care ingredients but do not cause skin allergies. Cotton diapers and diapers can be used in combination day and night Suitable cotton diapers and high quality diapers can be used in combination day and night to reduce the occurrence of diaper dermatitis. For example, use absorbent, breathable cotton diapers during the day when your baby is being cared for, and change them as soon as they are wet or pooped. You can wash your baby’s little bottom, smear some baby lotion or talcum powder, and then change to a clean cotton diaper. At night, use diapers that are absorbent and breathable. If you don’t have a bowel movement, you don’t need to change them all night long so that both adults and babies can rest better.