Nappy issue and night feeds.

[Thistledew]

I'd appreciate any advice for improving DS's sleep.

He was a dream baby until about 3 1/2 months as he would fall asleep at about 8 pm, have a dream feed when I went to bed between 10-11pm, then wake only once before being up for the day at around 7am. However, once he got to that age his sleep has really changed, and he consistently wakes about every 2 hrs through the night. He is now 5 1/2 months.

He has recently got his first two teeth and was sometimes waking every hour when they were coming through.

He is ebf and won't take a bottle. We have just (today!) started weaning. I don't begrudge him the two hourly feeds as I think he needs the calories: he is a very active baby and is only on the 25th centile for weight despite being on the 90th for length.

One issue I am having at the moment is that he keeps soaking through his nappies. We change him when we go to bed but often by 3am or so his nappy is so wet it has leaked through to his vest and grow. This is the case whether I put him in a disposable Naty Baby nappy or the washable Milovia with two inserts.

I am reluctant to change him at every feed because it wakes him up too much. If I don't change him I can give him a 10 min feed and put him back in his cot within about 10 mins and he barely wakes. This has obvious advantages for both of us.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Do I have a nappy problem or a sleep problem? Any suggestions gratefully received!

[Cakescakescakes]

Is he wearing the correct size nappies? Try the + sizes e.g. 4+ is the same size wise as a 4 but is more absorbent. I found pampers babydry or Tesco ultradry were good at night. The Naty ones are maybe just not absorbent enough?

[fizzicles]

Bigger nappies?

[Thistledew]

Sorry, I was falling asleep when I posted that and put loads of info in without getting to the real point of a question.

My question is whether I can realistically expect a nappy to last all night, particularly in light of how often DS is feeding, or whether I just need to suck it up that I will have to change him and so lose more sleep?

He is in size 3 nappies at present as he is a skinny little thing and the tabs are still meeting at that size. Is it worth me trying a bigger size? He has soaked through a size 3 pampers when I used one. Or any recommendations of a reusable nappy strategy?

[SortAllTheThings]

Yep, definitely bigger nappies, even if the tabs overlap, it's fine. Try a different brand too. Lidl, Sainsburys, Etc. All fine.

[SortAllTheThings]

I think I changed DS when I went up to bed too. He'd stir for the dream feed, so I'd quickly change him before he woke up too much, then feed back to sleep

[LauraPalmersBodybag]

My dd used to feed all night long. We've been using pampers babydry since she was about 3/4 months and we've never been so full that they've leaked. One lasts her all night...a good 12 hours or so.

[MilkAndFenty]

Try a tots bots bambozle stretch or an easy fit star (both bamboo) and boost a lot! We had to boost so much at night for ages! Bamboo boosters are good, and I've heard charcoal ones are too. Also, have you checked the fit of the nappy is correct or done a strip wash recently as build up can affect absorbency. Other than that pampers baby dry are the best disposable I found for night time

[JaxingJump]

Yes nappies last all night as long as they are the right size. 3 kids and I've never had s night leak. I use this Waco and often go bigger than I think they need.

[JaxingJump]

This Waco = Tesco

[sycamore54321]

Another vote for Pampers Baby Dry as excellent. However if he is talking in a large amount of liquid overnight then I don't think you can escape a corresponding quantity of pee. But do try one size larger as long as it isn't gaping around the legs.

[sycamore54321]

Another idea - can you change what he wears to sleep so instead of a babygro, put him in one of those old-fashioned long nightgown type onesies that have a sort of elastic but at the end of the 'skirt'. This might mean nappy changes involve less fumbling and activity so he doesn't wake completely.

Forgive me if this is obvious but changing him before rather than after his feed will allow him to get drowsy again while taking his milk.

[sycamore54321]

Oh and I know nothing about cloth nappies but would a Pampers plus an insert from your cloth nappies be an option? It is that daft?

[SeasickCrocodile]

Naty always leak overnight for us. I find Libero are fab and far more ecofriendly than pampers

[MumOfTwoMasterOfNone]

You use need to keep trying different brands. I thought Sainsbury's were awful but liked pampers, Aldi and Asda nappies at different stages.
Make sure you're buying a + as others have said as they're more absorbent. If this doesn't work, you can place a larger nappy on top of a smaller one to catch the leak.
We use disposable and reusable with DC2 and don't bother with reusable anymore. They just don't cut a long sleep and I don't want to wake them up to change when a disposable does the job. DD is a very hungry breastfed baby on 99.6th centile for weight and off the chart for height and still wakes for night feeds.

[LooksBetterWithAFilter]

Tbh with Dd I gave up and used a normal disposable overnight. There wasn't a cloth nappy or eco disposable up to the job. She was a heavy night wetter and still fed at least once a night until about a year old. It saved disturbing her changing her because obviously when she leaked everything needed changed. I used to use a supermarket own brand.

[kel12345]

A nappy should last all night yes

[seven201]

Although a nappy should last all night I don't think that is necessarily true if they're feeding through the night. I use pampers baby dry and change my dd once in the middle of the night. Obviously only if she's woken up.

[PostTruthEra]

DS goes through phases of wetting through in the night (5months). I've temporarily given up on reusables overnight (miosolos and wonderoos) and using disposables (boots own brand seem to fit him best, he's around 30th centile for weight). I change into disposable when I got to be at 11pm and change again when he wakes properly at 6ish.

[Artandco]

Tots bots bamboozle nappy with waterproof wrap. They last 12 hrs.

Yes washable. But £65 ish would buy you a pack of 5 plus wrap and they last until potty trained. Night training can take longer so 2-3 years worth of night nappies. 5 allows you to wash every other day, hang indoors to dry, plus have spare to carry on wearing whilst drying others.

www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/collections/nappy-packs-kits/products/totsbots-bamboozle-stretch-size-2-5-pack - £69.99 but 10% of everything on that site

[Lenny1980]

We've had same problem. Couldn't find a 3+ disposable anywhere so used 4 at night and they were fine. Too big for the day when wriggling around but fine for nighttime. Boots or Ocado were fine for a month or so but have now had to switch to pampers as he started wetting through those this last week.

[PotatoWaffleCob]

I have a 3mo (DD2) and use Aldi size 3 which are the 12hr ones. I change her ready for bed at 8pm then I change her in the morning. I don't change her through the night unless she poos (which she rarely does at night). I used to change DD1 every couple of hours through the night and I'm not doing it this time. Change your brand.

[useroftea]

We've been using Tickle Tots 2's reusable nappies for a while now overnight and have found they will last a good 12 hours, they are incredibly absorbent and haven't leaked for us. It would probably be worth doing a nappy change before you go to bed and give a feed to get him back to sleep.