Rubber Changing Pads: Are They Worth It?

I will tell you right off the bat what my conclusion is here: they're not worth it.

BABYHOME

Something you will inevitably purchase when preparing for baby and nesting is a changing pad. These days, there are some pretty trendy changing pads being pushed on social media and I am no exception to the purchase of an influenced item. We own two changing pads: A soft padded one in our playroom, and a rubber one in our daughter's room. As a survivor of the first year of the first kid, I have some thoughts on both and whether the trendy rubber ones are worth it. Let's get into it:

This or...

That?

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The Details

When I was pregnant there were so many new moms on my for you page purchasing the Keekaroo Peanut Changer. This changing pad is $150 and to be honest, I could not bring myself to spend (or ask someone to spend on my registry) that kind of money on a changing pad. This is marketed as easy to clean, shell over foam, and impermeable to fluid. So, ok, still $150, I couldn't do it.

I loved the look though. It was sleek and minimal. So naturally I bought a cheaper middle-of-the-road option that boasted similar qualities - enter the Skip Hop Changing Pad. It boasted of a wipeable surface that doesn't absorb liquids or smells, a contoured, cushioned foam, a safety belt, and it came with a cute lil mobile. This one ran about $90, which I was more ok with than the $150.

I can't even tell you how often I used it. It did look super cute on my daughter's dresser in her nursery, but she never even looked at the mobile and honestly she just seemed uncomfortable. I also noticed that if she did pee on it, I had no control of where the pee went, and it would just go all over the pad, inevitbly creating more of a situation than just a diaper change. I found myself deciding to go downstairs to our playroom changing table instead of sticking her on the cold rubber one.

To stick one positive in here (other than the cute, minimal appearance), I would say that you don't need a changing table or changing pad attachment for a dresser to have one of these. Both of these models have adhesives on the bottom to stick to the top of a dresser. Those dresser attachments and changing tables can be pricey, so what you spend on a changing table or attachment may cancel out on the cost of the changing pad.

So, ultimately, I would say if you are into trendy over practical, this is the one for you. If you are into practical over trendy, let's talk about why a simple padded changing pad is the right option.

First perk is the price. These are available everywhere because it's a classic. We got ours online and it came with a waterproof cover and safety belt attached. We paid about $30 for this changing pad and it was money well spent. We still have it over a year later and it's in perfect condition.

The second perk is that it's still cute! You can find all kinds of patterns and colors for covers, and even the waterproof cover that came with the changing pad had a cute cover.

The first obvious downside to a soft fabric changing pad is that if your little one pees on it, you have to wash the cover. This is why I ended up buying multiple changing pad covers and pee pads. The way the changing pad would be layered would be: changing pad, waterproof cover with straps, pee pad, interchangeable washable cover, pee pad on top. The first pee pad would only be changed if my daughter peed through the other layers, and the top pee pad would be changed daily. This whole setup might seem a little bulky but my daughter was clearly comfortable and clean up was easy if she had an accident on the pad. I can also confidently say, now that she is over 1 year, we don't even buy the pee pads anymore.

The second downside is that you will need a changing table or dresser attachment, which can be an added cost if you're buying those items new. I still think it's worth it to have the padded changing pad simply for the comfort.

The old saying is if it ain't broke don't fix it and I think that is so true in this situation. You do you if trendy is your thing, but if practicality is what you're after, I would highly recommend a soft padded changing pad.

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