When it comes to your newborn’s nappies, you should expect the following:

Between eight and 12 wet nappies every 24 hours Fewer than six wet nappies could indicate dehydration.

Between zero and 12 dirty nappies every 24 hours

Urine should be almost colourless, and nappies should be heavy. Dark yellow urine can also indicate dehydration.

For the first couple of days, their poos will consist of meconium. This means they’ll be sticky, blackish-green, and thick.

As they take milk, their poo should be browner and may become explosive (good luck!).

Breastfeeding produces light brown to yellow poos that are runny and usually sweet-smelling.

Formula-fed babies produce browner and more solid poos.

As you near the end of the first week, there will probably be many more dirty nappies.

You’ll also need to give the nappy area a little wash after taking off the dirties and putting on the fresh ones.

Why is it important to give my baby a quick washdown between changes?

Babies won’t generally need a bath during their first week, but it’s important that they get a good wipe-down to prevent any infections or illnesses caused by bacteria.

So, how exactly do you wash a baby?

How do I wash my baby?

Wash and dry their faces with cotton wool and warm water. Take a bowl of boiled water that has cooled to room temperature and dab in some clean cotton wool. You don’t need to use soap or shampoo. Begin by wiping their eyes, and then wipe the rest of their face, remembering to get their neck and behind the ears. Just don’t wipe inside the ears. You should also use cotton wool to dry them gently. If you wash your baby’s scalp, make sure to dry their hair, too.

Change them every three hours and less at night. They won’t necessarily need changing after a wee, but you’ll likely want to quickly change dirty nappies for the smell. To save yourself from unwrapping a nappy each time, you can peep in the leg hole to check for a poo.

Wash and dry their bottoms and genitals with cotton wool. Make sure your baby’s face and neck are nice and dry before you begin on their bottom, or they’re sure to feel cold and uncomfortable. And now it’s time to wash their bottoms. Have a fresh bowl of boiled and cooled water at the ready, and begin by wiping away any poo with the old nappy. Then, dab some fresh and clean cotton wool into the bowl and wipe around the bottom and any skin creases. Then dab them nice and dry with some more cotton wool. With a baby boy, wipe the penis and testicles, but don’t pull back the foreskin. For a girl, wipe front to back so as not to spread any bacteria from the bowels to the bladder, and don’t pull open the labia or wipe inside.

Keep their cord stump clean and dry. Newborns will typically come home from the hospital with a small plastic clamp on their belly button, sealing what’s left of the umbilical cord. Once a few days have passed, the stump dries and eventually, between 1 and 4 weeks, falls off. During this time, fold the top of their nappy down to keep it from rubbing against the stump, and keep a close eye and nose on it. Now we say that because oozing and a really unpleasant smell could indicate that it’s infected (it will likely smell a little off anyway, but see a doctor if it’s smelling especially bad). The surrounding area will also look red and feel hot to the touch. Gently dap the stump every other day with damp cotton wool, and then make sure to dry it with some fresh tissues. Once it falls off, there may be some bleeding, and it could take a couple of weeks for it to dry out. Mention it to your doctor if it stays moist and smelly for longer.

A note on baby acne: Many babies develop baby acne at this stage in their lives, which, although it may look severe, is completely normal. It is usually caused by their mother’s hormones, which have yet to leave their systems. This type of acne will usually clear up by week 12, so simply leave it be and wash gently with cotton wool and water.

In week three, what may prove new to your baby’s washing routine this week is nail cutting, and this is actually rather important.

When your little one’s nails, which grow very quickly, get too long, there’s a good chance they may accidentally scratch themselves. So they’ll need trimming once a week. This can be rather stressful at first because their nails are just so tiny, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

So, how do you cut your little one’s nails?

How do I cut my baby’s nails?

Wait until they’re asleep and use baby nail scissors. If you don’t want to bite their nails, get hold of some baby nail scissors (they have blunt ends) and then wait until they’ve fallen asleep to cut them.

Gently pull the pad of their fingers away from the nails to reduce the chances of cutting any skin.

Get hold of some scratch mittens. It's a very good idea to have a pair of scratch mittens on hand to keep your tiny tot safe if you haven’t yet had a chance to cut their nails. These are little mittens that will keep their nails safely covered.

Try not to worry if you accidentally nick their finger. Don’t feel too guilty if you accidentally nick their finger; your baby’s skin will heal much faster than your own, so just dab a cut and leave it to heal.

What do I need to look out for with nappies and washing my newborn?

For our Newborn Journey, we share what to look out for at changing and bath times.