baby boys and baby girls differences

[mum2A&L]

Is there much difference between baby boys and baby girls in the first few months (apart from a dangly!!). i mean things like i was told not to worry too much if there was a bit of blood in alice nappies - is there anything like that i need to consider with a little lad? i guess poo gets in all the 'creases' - are wipes or cotton wall balls best for things like that, or is it personal preference - god there was no nicer way of wording that!!


Im getting extra muslin cloths to cover areas for nappy off time which i didn't need to with alice



I feel so unprepared!!!!

 

[Noor~ul~Usman]

I've only had a boy but can answer a few of your questions.

During the first 2-3 weeks he did occassionally have a little spot of what looked like really watery blood in his nappy...but I'm sure reading my NHS baby book (that they gave me in hospital after having him) that it said it was something to do with his body changing to adapt to life out of the woomb and that it wasn't actually blood and was perfectly normal in first few weeks. He certainly didn't seem upset about it

We had about 5 'fountains' when changing his nappy This was between 2 & 7 weeks old. We haven't had one for a while now. I believe it's something they grow out of but a lot of women on the forum noticed it seems to happen as soon as the nappy comes off so think its a reaction to the different temperature of air hitting their delicates lol
You can try undoing the nappy so there is a bit of airflow but not actually taking it off straight away, placing a baby wipe over his peepee and cleaning his bum first and that last, OR they even sell things online called tee-pees It's just a triangle you put over it until you clean that area lol.

You do need to pay extra attention to cleaning under his 'sack' and if he's done an explosive nappy and it's got on his pee-pee just make sure you get it all off and there isn't any got under the skin.
You can use cotton wool and cooled boiled water OR wipes, it's up to you. Personally I found that cotton wool got rid of his tar-ish newborn poos in the first 3week better than wipes but wisps of the cotton wool kept sticking to his 'bits' So he's been on wipes since about 3 weeks old.

The rules with cleaning aren't quite as strict as girls. You can wipe the bum and sack in any direction you like as it can't get wiped into anywhere by accident (like a girl) but you should always use a seperate wipe/cotton ball for his pee-pee as this is the one area that can get infected.

Hope this helps
We don't do nappy off time over here as hubby stresses out when he has accidents (can never predict where or how far the stuff will go ) so I can't help with that.

 

[JayK2387]

I have got so much to learn....

Can you get classes on "how to be a mum"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh x

 

[mum2A&L]

I have got so much to learn....

Can you get classes on "how to be a mum"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh x

nope, im afraid it is something that you just kinda get thrown in the deep end with... But they soon let you know if you are doing it right There are always people around you who are more than willing to help out - and your HV or MW are always there for help. If not i know a great group of ladies who have always been able to answer my questions


What i will say is go with your gut - if it feels like the right way to do it, go for it!! Nothing beats a mothers instinct in my book!!!



Thanks for your reply Noor~ul~Usman. For some reason im more worried about whats 'right' to do this time around than what i was with alice!!! i think it was about 3 weeks we started using baby wipes more and more with alice

 

[lea m]

I find boys alot easier than girls! You dont have to worry so much about hurting them and making sure they are clean IYKWIM?
I always used cotton wool with all mine so cant say wipes would be easier or not! But everything Noor ul Usman said! The undo nappy and leave for a minute is the best advice anyone can give lol!

 

[kalia]

I have a girl so I may be wrong but I have heard that with a boy the direction of the willy is important when putting on a nappy - if it's not pointing down the way you can get big leaks.

 

[Manda&Thomas]

not had a girl so cant compare but, yes make sure willy is pointing down or they can and will pee out the top of the nappy,
also not all lil boys pee when having a nappy changed so dont panic if he doesnt thomas never has but i always put a wipe over his willy just incase
boys have really hard boobs for about a week after they are born and huge balls but i think girls have the boobs thing aswell
xx

 

[Mildly]

Yep my LO had big boobies for the first couple of weeks, it is your hormones in his body (I think it lasts longer if your breastfeed). My midwife called the reddish wee 'brickdust' and it really does look like that. You do need to mention it to your HV if your LO continues to wee out the brickdust after a few weeks.

I prefer cotton wool balls at home but have recently started taking wipes out with us for speed whilst out and about.

Oscar still pees on me occasionally You can spot it is about to happen though as often their willy stands up a bit. Oh and also don't worry if it looks like he is getting a bit excited during a nappy change either, it is totally normal!

 

[mum2A&L]

thanks for the replies girls

oh so much fun to come!!

 

[cloud9]

i prefereed to use cotton wool when Dylan was first born but then wipes graually crept in firstly when out. THey aren't that different the wee and poop just as much as little girls.

 

[MrsBrightside]

ive never had a girl and im due a boy so have found this a great read.. thanks girls!!! all advice helps!

 

[scones]

I can only speak from having a boy....I agree with the others, if doing nappy off time, lay down an old cloth/move baby up the mat so their head is at the top, then the wee is less likely to go on the carpet/floor. We did nappy off loads and he never once had nappy rash.Again, we used the cotton wool and water for at least 6 weeks, I hated the thought of using wipes on my newborn!

Make sure willy is poking down, but then this is what you will do naturally from day one, it stands to reason that wee will come out if its poking up! Oh, and sometimes the willy might,er, stand to attention, even from a very young age, I used to wait until it had gone down before doing the nappy up as I didnt want to hurt 'it' lol. I did find that the runny poos would get all in the creases of his testes, sometimes it was easier to give him a bath if he had done one of these, then I knoew it was totally clean and didnt have to rub and rub!

 

[Bee]

We've only had one or two peeing incidents. Finlay doesn't pee when the nappy is off. We used wipes from about 1 month old as they got the poo off better imo.

Apparently boys are easier to clean as there are less creases than girls - or so OHs mum was telling me

Willy pointing down is a must!

 

[OverTheMoon]

EEEEEK i'd forgotten all this stuff!!
Having a boy and a girl i'd say it really isn't that different apart from the obvious! I think once you've had one, you're more confident with the second anyway and tend to just do what comes naturally instead of worrying about every little thing like you do with the first!
The only difference with my two now is that my boy (who is three) is finally coming round to being a mummy's boy after always being for daddy, and my little girl is most definitely a daddys girl, from day 1!!!
He is a terror but a lot more affectionate with me.
The only practical advice i can offer is what i was told about the foreskin and that is not to pull it back you should not need to do this in order to be able to clean the area properly. I've never had to do it (even with the messiest poos) and the advice i was given was that you can hurt them or cause damage if you do this. I've always found cotton wool or wipes does the trick just wiping the extremeties if that makes sense, no digging around type of thing!! sorry that sounds awful!!

 

[Xena]

Don't worry. I was so nervous just before Alex was born that I wouldn't have a clue how to wipe him properly lol.

I needn't have worried. In fact it's easier to wipe a boy than a girl, because it's all on the surface. No vagina for it to get into and be awkward.

Although Alex has little creases on his balls so when poo goes on them it's a pain because you've got to wipe it out of the creases.

And yes sometimes you get sprayed but it's not much different to when a girl pees when she's without a nappy. Only difference is that it shoots more upwards. The end result is similar - pee everywhere lol.

I use wipes on Alex the same as I did for Lydia. And vaseline for when he's sore. Same thing really.

In other ways, Lydia is way way more independent than Alex. Alex has always been a very clingy mummy's boy. I don't know if that has to do with the fact that Lydia stopped breastfeeding at 3 months old, whereas Alex is still breastfeeding at 16 months. It might not be a gender difference.