Nappy rash is a common worry among new parents but given new, absorbent designs and the significant impact nappy plastic waste has on the environment, consultant paediatrician Dr. Su Laurent points out there really is no need to change babies so often.

“With today's modern nappies, they're very, very absorbent and therefore the skin is kept pretty much dry. And I would say I see far less nappy rash now than we used to,” Dr. Laurent said on a recent episode of Unii Babies with Dr. Saranya. So that's a reassurance. And in fact, if you put too much cream on your baby's bottom, you will make the nappy less absorbent.”

“A massive number of nappies are going into landfill every day. And that really worries me. And there are alternatives. So reusable nappies, which you either wash yourself and you take a lining out just through the lining away, but you wash the nappies or there are nappies services that will collect and wash your nappies for you. And somehow that feels much more ecological to me.”

“And also, I think parents worry an awful lot about changing nappies. The slightest we say if a nappy is a bit wet, just leave it because it's really absorbent. I used to change my kids' nappies when I could literally see the poo about to run down their legs. And that's the point. And none of my children ever had nappy rashes.”

I think there's always a worry that if you leave your child in a nappy that's perhaps been wet for some hours or even the slightest bit wet, as you say, that you may be judged by others. And of course, there's a reason why the marketing tells you how absorbent they are and how much liquid they can take and how many hours. But I think don't be too anxious to keep changing nappies. Just just wait till it's a bit full.”

Check out Dr. Su’s Baby Health Journey with Unii for more advice on nurturing your child’s healthy development.

And don’t forget to tune in for a new episode of Unii Babies with Dr. Saranya Ravindran every Friday.

Unii Babies is created and owned by London-based family wellbeing educational platform Unii.com, which offers hundreds of episodes of expert-led video courses and a library of medically reviewed articles devoted to improving both baby and child health and your parenting journey. We can also have your parenting questions expertly answered. Contact us with what you want to know, and you may see one of our experts discuss it on our podcast or Unii.com: Because Family Matters.

This podcast is for reference and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific medical advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.

Unii Baby Health Expert Dr. Su: "Don’t Always Rush to Change a Dirty Nappy!"

Unii Baby Health Expert Dr. Su: "Don’t Always Rush to Change a Dirty Nappy!"