How to Set Up Your Changing Table

Disclaimer

Everything in this blog is my opinion. I understand some people can not afford to buy all of these things and I am not saying they are absolutely necessary, they are just nice to have. My must haves is just that, what I think I need in Aryi’s diaper changing station, not necessarily everyone’s must haves. As long as you are taking care of your baby, you are doing a great job mama.  

Things to Think About

Location: 

When setting up your changing station, you need to pick a spot. This can be a difficult decision. If your baby sleeps in the bed with you, you may want to change your baby in the bed. If you have stairs, you may want a portable station or even 2, one upstairs and one downstairs. If you have a nursery that is in a great location, you may want to have your changing station there. 

For us, it was important for me to make the changing station more mobile since I knew I did not have it figured out yet and our routines would probably change as Aryi griew. That is why I got an easy to carry basket to keep all of the necessities in. At first, when Aryi was tiny, we did everything in my bed. I had the basket on a small shelf next to my bed and the diaper trash can right next to it. I had a small mat I would roll out onto the foot of our bed. It was just so easy since we changed him so much throughout the night when he would drink milk or wake up from a dirty diaper. 

Since Aryi started sleeping through the night, I decided to move the changing station over to Aryi’s room. I still have most things in the portable basket that I can bring to the bed with us when Aryi gets sick and needs his temperature checked throughout the night. However, transferring the station to Ary’s room above his dress is more convenient for us now. His diaper trash can and dirty laundry hamper are conveniently right there as well as the clean clothes in his dress. His scale/changing pad is also right there. I find too that Aryi doesn’t really roll around on the changing table like he would on the big bed, trying to play. This works for us now.  

As a side note. I do not think you need a changing table. Our little pad is on top of Aryi’s dresser. It works the same. 

Budget:

Budget is important. Maybe you can buy the cute woven basket from Amazon. If not, there are baskets for $1.25 at the dollar tree that accomplish the same goal. 

My Must Haves

Baby monitoring equipment:

We went with the Owlet dream sock. We actually loved this. I can do a review on this separately. I have tons of things to say. 

Changing pad/scale:

We got the Hatch Baby scale/changing pad. It was super important for us to have this since Aryi was a preemie. I wanted to keep a close eye on his weight and made a habit of weighing him before his baths on bathnight. We decided to keep the schedule from the NICU for Ary’s baths; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Little babies don’t get that dirty. And butts get cleaned all day long. 

Mobile basket:

Like stated above, it was very important to me for our changing station to be mobile in some way.This was the way I made that happen and it worked so well. I highly recommend some sort of portable basket or cart. 

Diapers:

Of course you need diapers in your changing station. I highly recommend the Amazon Mama Bear branded diapers. They truly are the best, and they don’t have a pattern you can see through light colored clothing. It is important to have both regular diapers and nighttime diapers once your baby is old enough to sleep through all or most of the night. They are more expensive, but they stop the leaks. 

Diaper Trash Can:

Dirty diapers stink!! It’s good to have a diaper trash can that has a closeable lid. A closeable, lockable lid is even better. When Aryi started to walk and still, he tries to get into everything, including the trash. 

Diaper cream:

Diaper cream is a must. We put it on Aryi at night before he goes to sleep as a preventable measure. We do this usually on nights he has had a bath. We use Triple Paste. This stuff is wonderful. It was suggested to us by Aryi’s night nurse when he was in the hospital. She used it on her children. We have been using it ever since and he has never had another diaper rash since coming home. If we start to see a little redness, that hasn’t become a rash yet, we are quick to just apply this, and the rash is stopped before it starts. 

Wipes:

Wipes are another must have in a diaper station. For us it was important to have more chemical free wipes. They were helping contribute to the rash Aryi was getting in the hospital. We now only use water wipes. At first we were using the expensive Water Wipes brand, but we have since found the Amazon Mama Bear ones that we use now. As a plus, since there are no harsh chemicals, we feel comfortable using it on Aryi’s face and anywhere else he might need a wipe. 

Suppositories:

Aryi had a little time when he was super constipated when starting solid foods. During this time, if we gave him prunes or apple juice, he was usually able to go. However, sometimes he couldn’t go for days and days. He was so uncomfortable. Our pediatrician told us to get these glycerin suppositories. These work so fast, in 5 minutes it all comes out. We only had to use a few of these, but I still have some in the changing basket. 

Face towels:

You never know when you will need a little towel. I just keep a few of them here. 

Bulb, Nose sucker, and saline:

Babies have such a hard time with their little noises. They don’t know how to blow them and are unable to get all the junk out themselves. These come in super handy to have and I find the changing station a great place to do something like suck a nose. 

Nail Clippers/file:

I usually cut Aryi’s nails on the bed, but I have found that I will lose his clippers if I don’t keep them tucked away in this basket. 

Hair brush/comb:

We brush Aryi’s hair and dress him in the morning after changing his diaper, so it just made sense to me to keep his brush in the changing basket. 

Thermometer:

Again, this is something I keep in the changing basket so I don’t lose it somewhere random. When Aryi is sick, I will either bring the entire basket, or just this thermometer to our bed at night so I don’t have to get up for it. 

Passy/toys:

It is good to keep a passy or toy nearby when changing a diaper. Babies tend to grab at things. When you are doing a diaper change this means diapers, wipes, poop, whatever they reach. It is nice to have something to hand them to keep the little hands busy. Sometimes Aryi doesn’t want his diaper changed because he is playing or tired, or whatever his reason might be. A passy can really help with that and it’s great to know all the extra passys are right there if you need one. 

Lanolin cream/lip balm:

I know, I know, Lanolin is for cracked nipples. It’s also amazing for cracked noses. I rub this on Aryi’s nose when he is sick to help relieve the painful cracked nose. The lip balm, obviously, is for little dry lips. 

Hand sanitizer:

This is a great thing to have on hand. I typically will wash my hands when I change Aryi’s diaper, but it’s nice to have this available for my mom or husband when they are changing Aryi’s diaper. 

Hand cream:

When changing diapers and washing/sanitizing hands 100 times a day, it is nice to have something to moisturize with. 

Lotion/oil:
We typically moisturize Aryi after his baths. He enjoys it, it smells nice, and his skin stays super smooth and hydrated. 

Neosporin/bandages:

Just another non oral medical type thing. It is nice to have a place for cleaning and bandaging a wound. Aryi hasn’t hurt himself that much, but if he does, I know exactly where to go.