How many diapers you need for newborns: calculation rules for the first month of life

How many diapers you need per day for a child between 0 and 3 years old

How many diapers do you need for newborns: calculation rules for the first month of life

All parents of small children without exception thought about how many diapers they will have in a day, a week, a month.

Summing up your baby's daily diaper needs and multiplying them by the number of days in a month, many moms and dads can have a serious panic, because not everyone is ready to spend a significant part of their family budget on diapers.

In this article, we'll calculate the average diaper consumption of (in units) for babies at different ages.

Newborn diaper needs up to 6 months

Newborn babies are counted from 1 to 28 days of life.

In this short period of time, the child's body undergoes many changes: kidneys start working, stomach volume increases several times, digestion improves.

Therefore, in order to answer the question, how many diapers a newborn baby needs per day, you need to understand how the baby's intestines and genitourinary system work during this period.

First time newborn babies urinate for approximately 12 hours of their lives, but even if they do not urinate for 24 hours, this is also considered normal. The first 5 days of life, the average frequency of urination is 4-6 times a day, with an average of 20 ml of urine (see Table 1).

Table 1 – Average rates of urination and diaper needs from the first days of life to 6 months


Child's agePurity and volume of urinationDiagent absorption and need for diapers
Urine volume, mlUrine number per dayUrine volume per day, mlDipping diaper, mlDaily diaper requirement, pcs.
from 1 to 5 days of life15-204-660-120120 from 6 and more
up to 6 months20-3020-25400-750120 from 10 and more

After the kidneys have adjusted their work and the baby's stomach started to receive breast milk or baby food, he urinates on average 20-25 times a day, with a single amount of urine is about 20-30 ml. Thus, from the first days of life to 6 months of age, the average daily volume of urination in children is 400 to 750 ml.

Pediatricians draw the attention of parents to the fact that there can be no strict norms on the volume and number of urinations in children, because the amount of urine released depends on many factors (how many days after childbirth, the type of feeding, ecology, the amount of food consumed per day). Therefore, all figures given in the article are averaged and cannot be considered as reference figures.

To calculate how many diapers a newborn baby needs, you should consider these points:

  • a disposable amount of urine is 20-30 ml, with the child urinating every hour on average;

Based on the above data, you can calculate how many newborns can be in the diaper. By dividing the diaper's water absorption volume (120 g) by a single urine quantity (30 ml), it turns out that one diaper should suffice for approximately 4 urinations, i.e. 3-4 hours.

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But pediatricians recommend that newborns change diapers after every breastfeeding, i.e. every 2-3 hours.

These recommendations have good reasons, because most newborns write after every meal and it is very important to properly care for the baby's skin to prevent diaper dermatitis.

Which means that if you don't save on diapers and follow the recommendations of experts, then the average daily cost of a diaper is

up to 10 diapers.

These moms, who calculate how many diapers to bring to the hospital, must not forget that during the first 2-3 days of life babies leave meconium.

Its average volume is 60-90 grams, so it is better to stock up on diapers and patience, and count not on 10 diapers per day, and 12-13 pieces. In this case it is possible not to worry precisely that the child will not have enough means of child hygiene.

But the usual chair for the newborn baby begins to form only after the first week of life.

How long your baby can wear diapers depends not only on the amount of urination, but also on the number of excreta. A newborn baby, starting from the second week of life, can poop up to 7-10 times a day, that is, as many times as he eats. And after each diaper defecation it is necessary to change the diaper without waiting for it to be filled with urine.

to the table of contents ↑

Diaper needs from 6 months to 1 year

Parents of babies aged 6 months to one year have more opportunities to reduce diaper consumption per day.

The fact is that the average amount of urination at this stage of life is significantly reduced (about 15-16 times a day), and therefore, the child does not pee every hour.

In addition, the defecation of half-year-old babies is not as frequent – an average of two to three times, and a year the children poop once or twice a day.

: Best diapers: Overview of 8 popular brands

But to understand how many diapers children from 6 months of age need per day, you also need to know the average amount of urine released at a time. As pediatricians say, on average:

  • the amount of urine at a time in children aged 6 months to one year is 25-45 ml;
  • the amount of faeces per day in semi-annual babies is 40-50 grams, and in annual babies – 100-200 grams;
  • full moisture absorption of one diaper for children under the age of 1 year should be at least 160 g (GOST 52557-2011).

The result is that babies under one year a day will need about 5-7 diapers, and paediatricians answer the question of how many times to change a diaper, approximately every 4 hours. But if the baby pooped, the diaper needs to be changed right away. In this case, it is necessary to make 15-minute breaks during the change of diapers for the child's skin to rest.

Table 2 – Average rates of urination and diaper requirements from 6 months to 3 years

Child's agePurity and volume of urinationAbsorption and diaper needs/td>
from 6 months to a year25-4515-16375-7201605-7
1 up to 3 years60-9010-12760-820 240 from 0 to 5

Many parents are beginning to teach their children to use the pot at the age of one year. This saves a lot of money on diapers and gives the child important skills. But in this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the physiological and psychological readiness of the child.

He or she must be able to sit, climb and walk on his or her own, and not to protest against sitting on a pot.

If you wear the diaper only for the time of sleep and for a walk, you can reduce the number of diapers used to 2-4 pieces.

It is not possible to specify the exact consumption of diapers per day, because all children develop differently and have their own individual characteristics. The figures are only statistical averages and can only be used to estimate your child's diaper needs.


How many diapers a newborn baby needs per day and month

How many diapers do you need for newborns: first month of life calculation rules

The use of disposable diapers is convenient, hygienic and comfortable. Now it is a necessary attribute in care of the baby, much facilitating everyday life of young mothers.

In anticipation of the baby many parents ask a question, how many diapers a newborn needs in the first months of his life? Some people are driven by budget planning and others want to prepare for a new family member by buying everything they need in advance.

How often should a newborn baby's diaper be changed? Is it possible to reduce their number? We'll figure it out together.

How many diapers to take to the hospital

Planning how many diapers to buy in the first days of life, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the hospital – some hospitals still prohibit their use. If the use of hygiene products is allowed, the number depends on how much the woman plans to spend at the hospital.

In case of uncomplicated births, the average duration of stay of a mother with her baby is 3-4 days. A standard pack of 28 to 32 pieces is enough for this period. If necessary – the rules do not prohibit the transfer of additional packaging by relatives.

All modern maternity hospitals provide for the provision of clean diapers for newborns. Pediatricians recommend their use at least during the day, giving the child's skin a break from diapers. In the first few days of life, the infant feeds on droplets of colostrum, releasing small portions of urine, so that the diapers will remain dry for a long time.

How many diapers a newborn baby needs

For the first time, it is necessary to decide whether parents plan to use only diapers or to alternate their use with the classic diaper changing, and on this basis to count how many diapers a day the baby needs. In the first case, it will be easy to calculate the number of required hygiene items, it is enough to find out how many times a baby is in need.

Of course, the exact number is impossible to name, because it depends on the individual characteristics of the baby – the type of food, the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract. However, there are average values that pediatricians recommend to be guided by.

Feeding with liquid products, such as breast milk or a mixture, gives the baby stool a chunky consistency. This affects the frequency of defecation – the baby can defecate after each feeding up to 8-10 times a day. Urination occurs even more often, up to 20 times a day. A significant decrease in this figure is a signal of malnutrition or health problems.

Physicians recommend changing the diaper every 3 hours, as well as immediately after the defecation. Additional clean diapers are needed before a long night's sleep or after waking up.

There is no need to change clothes after each urination – quality diapers have a high degree of absorption.

This mode will help to avoid leaks and diaper spots, keeping the baby's skin soft and comfortable.

Then you can calculate how many diapers a day the baby needs. 24 hours a day, the linen is changed every 2.5-3 hours. Diaper consumption will be at least 10 diapers a day or 300 a month. Over time, the required number of diapers for the newborn baby will decrease and by the time it reaches six months it will be 5-6 pieces.

How to Reduce Diaper Use

This is a trick to reduce the number of diapers consumed without damaging the baby. Following simple recommendations will not only save the family budget, but will also help to avoid diaper dermatitis:

  • Air baths. In summer pediatricians recommend leaving your baby without clothes as often as possible. The procedure hardens, improves immunity and allows you to do without diapers for a long time. Be more careful with the boys' mothers – due to the physiology, the child can get dirty and wet around them. In this case, the baby should be placed on the tummy, practicing hardening procedure and strengthening neck muscles at the same time. In winter, air baths can be carried out at temperatures above 21 °C, controlling the duration. A local pediatrician or nurse can tell you how long it takes to complete the procedure.
  • Multiple diapers. The children's goods market offers a wide range of panties for reusable use. The most popular ones are gauze, coal-bamboo, microfiber. Purchase should be guided by the absorbability of the laundry, weight and age of the baby. Panties need to be changed after each urination, so more reusable diapers are needed than classic diapers – at least 15 pieces a day. More on reusable diapers →
  • Early planting. Experienced mothers often notice how long it takes for a newborn to empty its bladder after feeding. If you don't miss an important point, you will definitely succeed in landing over a bath or basin.
  • Swaddling. Growing a baby without wearing a diaper isn't easy, but it's possible. If a young mother has the time and energy for daily washing and ironing, the traditional swaddling will be a real salvation for the family budget. It should be remembered that the use of diapers is in many ways convenient for relatives, while the newborn is mostly warm and dry.
  • Purchase during the campaign. Leading manufacturers of children's accessories and hygiene items often sell large packages of diapers with good discounts. Buying on sale will save up to 50% of the original price of goods.

If you want to wake your baby at night to change diapers

Most parents prefer not to interrupt the sleep of a sleeping baby, making a change of clothes during the waking period.

Diapers of famous brands are able to withstand the night, absorbing the moisture released without residue.

When choosing a hygienic item to sleep on, you should start from its absorbent layer and coating – natural materials will not cause discomfort to thin skin, allowing the baby to sleep and rest well.

Extreme change of linen at night is obligatory in cases:

  • Defecation. The feces of the baby has a slightly acidic environment and is able to irritate the skin with prolonged contact. Replace the diaper regardless of the amount of excretion.
  • Awakening. Some babies are sensitive to the moisture in their laundry – even a small portion of the liquid prevents them from resting.

Don't buy a huge number of packages of diapers in advance – babies grow quickly, constantly changing the size of their clothes. By calculating how many diapers you need per day for the first time, you won't spend too much, saving money on toys, clothes or baby food.

how many diapers a day a newborn needs


How many diapers a day a newborn needs: Mom's calculations

How many diapers do you need for a newborn baby: first month's calculation rules

Hello, lovely moms! This is Alena Bortsova with you. I like to keep everything under control and even prepared for childbirth in advance.

Bought diapers, pads and baby diapers. That's when I thought about how many diapers a day a newborn needs. I was going to have the baby in the regional center. You don't want to take a huge package with you for four days, but what if it won't be enough?

How many diapers do I have to take to the hospital?

Taking care of this issue, I came up with a creative solution. First, I asked a friend who had a little baby. Literally, “We have one diaper at six o'clock. Well, it's probably less for the baby. Take 20 grand, that should be enough.”

Then I went over the Internet. The answers there are so diverse, they only confuse me even more. Somebody's got 12 diapers in 24 hours, and somebody's spending 3 grand.

Three days everything went fine, the baby almost no poop, literally three times a day. And then there was force majeure: Lisa decided to poop more often, and the fourth day flew away 10 diapers. What's even more unexpected is that we haven't been discharged. That's why I can give you a practical solution: if you need to use your own diapers at the hospital, take 20-30 pieces for the first few days. If they're not enough, it's better to ask relatives to bring more than carry bags full of diapers.

Why are diapers consumed differently?

Why are diapers spent so differently? Doesn't the “one diaper for four hours” scheme work? Doesn't work because all the kids are different. The baby should change the diaper right after he pooped. Cleanliness often depends on the way you feed.

  • If your baby is breastfed, he can poop as many times as he has been fed! Since it is normal to feed on demand, it can take up to 12-15 feeds per day. Yes, up to 12-15 diapers.
  • Kids on artificial feeding poop less often, 3-4 times a day. That's where the 6 diaper system works – 4 for the day, 2 for the night.

There is another factor that affects how long the diaper stays clean: the work of the baby's intestines. My sister's daughter may not have pooped for two days, even though she's breastfeeding. But Lisa had a chair 10 to 14 times a day. We spent 8-12 diapers until our daughter turned six months old.

We ended up, and for a month we had almost 4 huge packs of diapers, 100 each. The situation improved a little when Lisa stopped pooping at night, after she turned three months old. We only started buying three packs.

Buying diapers significantly undermined our family budget, so of course I was looking for ways to save money. First of all, we tried to normalize the baby's chair, it was too liquid, green, frequent. As it turned out, Lisa had staphylococcus, which was successfully passed after six months. The following activities helped to reduce diaper costs:

  • Holopopopoprinting on a diaper. Diapers were used both fabric and diaper-like, absorbent.
  • We used a reusable diaper with removable inserts.
  • Tried to put gauze inserts in the sliders.

Ordinary gauze inserts did not take root in our country: they were confused and all the contents of the sliders were smeared on the legs of the girl. Washing your feet was often strictly forbidden because of atopic dermatitis. The reusable diaper served us well until the baby sat down. After that, there was irritation on the butt, the reusable inserts refused.

Ready, dear mothers, the cost of diapers are significant. Diaper consumption depends on how many times a day your child poops. Don't worry, as soon as the baby can sit, his chair will be fine. Save patience.

I also recommend a free video tutorial series for mothers of children under one year old. These are very useful materials!

Subscribe, you will find useful information in our blog, get practical advice. Good afternoon and sunny moods!


How do I count urination?

How many diapers do I need for newborns: first month of life calculation rules

Urination should be counted when the mother doubts that the baby has enough breast milk (for more information on signs of shortage). This method is applicable if a child receives nothing but breast milk from eating and drinking, so it is usually suitable for babies up to 6-7 months.

If your child is older, there is no point in counting urination – it is better to focus on monthly weight gain.

If the child is younger but is fed with supplementary food, this method will not answer the question of whether you have enough milk, but it will help to determine the amount of food: it may be worth it to reduce or increase for adequate weight gain.

On the norms of “writing” and “bye” read here.

Method #1: just count.

To do this, you need to run a “wet diaper test” – that is, count how many times a day the baby has peered. The easiest way to do this is with reusable diapers – the result will be absolutely reliable.

Start counting in the morning, after waking up, and if in the evening you counted, for example, 8 urines and more at the rate of 8-20, then you can stop and calm down – all right, the baby's milk is enough. If it is less than 8, then we count for the full day.

The disadvantages of this method can be attributed to the relative inconvenience (for those who are accustomed to disposable diapers), as well as the fact that sometimes (very rarely), there are situations when the child pisses the right number of times, but still receives less food (usually due to the fact that the child writes often, but a little bit).

p>It's fine:

Child's ageUrinkingsCommentary
1-7 days1-7 (as many days as a child)Not a nutritional adequacy criterion
8-14 days8-12 on average about 10
After 2 weeks12-22Based on the calculation of supplementary feeding, the approximate number of urinations per day = 15 (girls 14-15, boys 15-16)

Method no. 2:weighing disposable diapers.

We collect all used diapers in a polyethylene bag within 24 hours, wrap them tightly every time so that the urine does not evaporate, gently clean the faeces with a spoon.

We weigh the bag with used diapers and the same bag with the same amount of clean diapers. Subtract the second value from the first one and get the urine weight per day.

2.1. Then divide it by 30 g (it is a conditionally approximate weight of one urination) – and get the amount of urination.


Weight of 6 diapers used in a day:458 grams
Weight of 6 of the same clean diapers:96 grams
Total urine weight per day:458 – 96 = 362 grams
Number of urination cases per day:362/30=12.07 “writings”

Shortened formula:

Urinkles = (Diaper weight – pure diaper weight)/30

2.2. If you are not afraid of small calculations, you can do differently: knowing the total weight of urine per day, you can determine how much milk the child sucked out and compare it with the norm. That's why we're filling out the form:

  1. Input the child's body weight in grams
  2. Input the child's age, but paying attention to the fact that only one window is marked with age (either in the field “up to 10 days” or “more than 10 days” – something single, otherwise the calculation may not be quite correct)
  3. The calculator will then give you a result on how many ml of milk your child needs per day.

Then, in order to determine how much milk the child actually receives, it is necessary to collect all the disposable diapers dirty in the last 24 hours. If the child has not only recorded them, but also downloaded them, then “poops” are either cleaned or subtracted their approximate mass – because for calculations it is necessary to know the mass of urine.

After we enter 2 values:

  1. weight in grams of all dirty diapers per day
  2. weigh as many clean diapers and enter their weight.

After, the calculator will give out the values

  1. the net urine mass that the baby wrote in a day;
  2. the number of urinations per day (taking into account that approximately 1 popis = 30 g);
  3. the volume of milk that the child has received during these days: maximum, minimum and average. (in more detail – below);
  4. If the average amount of milk sucked out is less than the minimum required, the missing milk volume will be shown.

What do you do with the results?

If you are sure that the child has sucked out more milk than necessary, I HELP! – that's exactly what we're waiting for, so we calm down and don't worry about the milk shortage.

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