This is the diaper changing pad I am using. Notice in all the reviews, it says “easy to clean?” They must have a different definition of easy to clean than I do.
The thing’s vinyl cover is embossed with a floral pattern. so there are little indentations all over it. Which, upon contact with squishy baby poo, grab and hold onto the poo for dear life. I can wipe the damn thing til the cows come home, but there’ll still be poo pellets in the indentations.
So I have to scrub scrub scrub with a washcloth and soapy water to get the poo pellets out. All while holding a squirmy naked baby in one arm. I have to get it clean before I put the clean diaper on him so that the clean diaper won’t get poo on it.
Just now, we had one of those diaper-changing disasters that happen every so often. Poo everywhere! The baby was easy to clean–wipes and a dunk in the tub took care of him. But the damn changing pad is still dirty. So, I put him on the bed to await his clean diaper, but of course he peed all over the bed.
I think I’m going to have to go in there with a toothpick to clean the poo pellets out.
Green Bean, please, for the love of all that is holy and poop-free, post a comment on Amazon. I used those comments when chosing items for my baby shower.
Okay, I just posted it on Amazon. (The site says it will take a few days to post.) I used those reviews to help me choose my baby items, too, and for the most part, I found them very helpful.
Not having had all that much experience with baby poo-pellets myself, I may be wrong… but isn’t there supposed to be some sorta cover that goes over the top of the whole thing to prevent the poo-pellets from reaching the poo friendly sanctuary of the vinyl crevices?
Yeah, mine has a terrycloth cover that you throw in the wash, like a fitted sheet. I always have a cloth diaper on top of that for poo incidents–you can whip off the poo-ey one and put a new one on right away.
Yeah, I have the terrycloth cover, but I quickly figured out that was a bad idea. When the Sprout was a newborn, every diaper change was a pooey one. And/or he’d pee everplace. I’d have to have washed the thing 10 times a day. (but I might try the diaper on top method)
Clean the diaper pad by putting it in a bucket with 10% bleach. If we can use it to sterlize work surfaces where we spill virus, it’ll work on the ecoli in your baby’s poo.
Move the baby changing station to a large counter space, and have the pad for removing nasty diapers and then have like a towel or something to put clean baby and diaper on.
Believe me, Cricket, once you start dealing with children daily, your ‘eewww!’ threshhold will rise rapidly. Once you’ve had the experience of dealing with the really icky messes the little tykes manage to make, little things like urine, feces, and vomit won’t phase you for an instant.
Oh, the cloth diaper is essential. It catches most of the poo, you take it off and put on a new one, and the new one covers up any far-flung poo on the terrycloth cover until you get done and wash everything. Layering is the key!
I can’t soak the thing in bleach as it is not sealed. The back is exposed open-cell foam. But now that you mention it, I think I’ll prepare a spray bottle with a bleach solution.
OK, here’s an idea. I used one of those, too, and had the same problem. Then I shelled out about $5 and bought one without embossed things, just a cheap vinyl-covered piece of foam, and had no problem thereafter.
I never used a changing pad when my kids were little (unless I needed an occasional towel for a leaky poo diaper) Most of the time I just changed 'em right on the floor. I’d lift there little behinds, wipe 'em clean and throw on a new diaper.Of course I had three in diapers at one time. I was a professional!
