dear parents,
Today, we’re going to talk about something that often surprises new parents: newborn diaper counts. If you've had a baby before, you might remember this. But if this is your first time, you may not realize that for a short period, you’ll be keeping track of how many diapers your baby is sending you. Yes, diaper counting is a thing! You might even have a little chart or table where you mark down every wet or dirty diaper, wondering if your baby is doing okay.
There are a couple of key things to keep in mind when monitoring newborn diapers, and I always share these guidelines with parents to help ease any worries:
For the first week of life, the general rule is this: your baby should have as many wet diapers as they are days old.
Day 1: 1 wet diaper.
Day 2: 2 wet diapers.
Day 3: 3 wet diapers.
This continues until about day five or six. Babies don't drink a lot in the first 24 to 48 hours because mom’s milk isn’t in yet, so they don't have much to pee out. That’s why in the first few days, the diaper count is lower. But don’t worry! As long as your baby has the correct number of wet diapers per day, everything is on track.
Once your milk comes in and your baby is no longer losing weight (and ideally starting to gain it back), you’ll notice an increase in wet diapers. It’ll feel like a lot at first – eventually, your baby will be peeing every single time you feed them. You'll hit 10-12+ diapers a day, and you might even find yourself wishing they didn’t pee so much!
Soon enough, you won’t have to count diapers anymore because there will be plenty to go around. This is all a great sign that your baby is healthy, hydrated, and thriving.
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