Or is DS2? Wants not-very wet nappies changed several times per night, the toad

[CinnabarRed]

I have also posted this in the Sleep and Chat topics, but wanted to throw it open to a wider audience in the hope someone can help.

DS2 has just turned 4 months. For the past couple of weeks he has started waking several times per night to have wet nappies changed. I don't mean leaking nappies (which would be fair dos) just ordinarily wet ones. I know he's not waking to feed because if I try to feed him he yells at me and turns his head away. But if I change him then all is well in his world again.

I have no issue with getting up to change dirty nappies, but it's frustrating to be woken three or four times per night to change not particularly wet ones. A big part of the frustration is that there's no end in sight - it's not as if weaning or teeth coming through will make any difference if he's just overly sensitive to the sensation of wet against his skin.

Changing nappy brands hasn't made any difference; neither has ever increasing thicknesses of barrier cream...

He has a dream feed at 11 and a dream nappy change at the same time, but will wake me at around 1, 3 and 5 to be changed. I change him in his cot, no wipes or anything, and can then leave him wide awake to settle himself back to sleep.

The HV was at a loss to suggest anything, and in fact said she hadn't come across the problem before. Has anyone else had this issue? Is there anything I can do to improve things?

BTW, I do know that a 4mo can't possibly be unreasonable, and I love him to bits despite affectionately referring to him as a toad in the OP (I like toads anyhow). But I'm desperate!

TIA

Are you using disposables? My son used to wake for a nappy change if he leaked and if nappy was really full or dirty but not for slightly wet. Sorry not sure what to suggest, it's definitely nappy not that he's chilly? Sometimes if they yet cold the nappy can feel cold to them.
Oh and yabu, you know you have to sort him out and he's only a young baby so his needs come first even if he is a toad ;-)

Don't think he's chilly, his room was 24 degrees all last night.

I have no beef with leaky or dirty nappies, just the one-wee-only-before-he-whinges ones. He's darn lucky we worship the ground he doesn't yet walk on

I'm being thick, but how do you know it's about the nappies?

Four months is a classic sleep regression time, of course. And he's not talking, so - is it that you can't settle him again without changing him?

I'm quite envious that you can leave him wide awake. I know that's not helpful, and I'm certainly not being a competitive martyr! i just mean, well, once this phase is over at least he's got that skill.

I had a friend who's 5 month old was very "precious" (her words not mine) about being wet.

I said she could try desensitising him by giving him some perspective - so I lent her my son's old set of bamboo nappies (i.e. reusables which really do feel wet)

2 days of using them and he never "complained" in a dispicable disposable again.

Worth a try? During the day, then put him down in a disposable? He'll be so damn grateful at the difference he might sleep for 12 hours!

I'm sure that might be good advice slaony - but LOL at trying to give a 4 month old some perspective!

Are you sure it's the nappy? Could it be hurting him to pee and that's waking him up?

Worked at 5 months!

I was going to say what RJ said - if he has a UTI then it might hurt to wee and that'll be what wakes him up.
What's he like during the day with wet nappies? Is he just enjoying the attention he gets (however minimal)? And did DC1 sleep through earlier?

I have to say I do wonder whether it is that. A barely weed in nappy doesn't even touch the skin...they are kind of billowy and have room to "fill" as the gel expands (unless you need to go up a size?)

I guess you could do an experiment (who wants to experiment in the middle of the night but here goes anyway) where you go through the motions of changing the nappy but put the "barely wet" one back on him. If he settles with it on, then there is something about seeing you in the night or something that he wants. If he bawls then I guess you know it is the wetness of the nappy.

I would buy a pack of the biggest sized nappies that will fit him, though, just for night time. You can't go too big or they wont be snug enough round the upper legs but if he's in a midi, put him in a maxi, etc, just to see. More surface area, more "space" between him and the nappy, etc.

YABU. He is barely past new born and probably does feel uncomfortable as he settles with a dry nappy. You never know, he might potty train really easily .

Have you tried pretending to change him to see if that settles him? Taking the nappy off and putting the same one back again. Not normal practice I know but it will tell if it is sensation or routine that is at the heart of it.

Thanks all. To answer some questions:

I'm pretty sure it's his nappies bothering him because nothing else will settle him - not feeding, rocking, cuddles, he's the right temperature, etc etc.

I wondered about a UTI but he's showing no signs of discomfort during the day. Will take him to the doctor if no improvement after the weekend.

He's already in the largest size of nappies he can have for his weight.

DS1 slept through not long after he weaned, so around 6 months. He's completely indifferent to the state of his nappies and would walk around with nappies bagged to his knees if left to his own devices! Actually, I wonder if weaning might improve things for DS2 as he'll presumably take in less liquid once on solids.

Yes, the self-settling is the silver lining to an otherwise annoying cloud!

I don't know anyone using real nappies - might buy a couple on line if nothing else works.

Will try the 'fake' change tonight and report back.

Good luck, Cinnabar. I'm quite intrigued now. And I'm a cloth nappy fan, i don't know if they'll solve your problem but they're brilliant, everyone I know who does cloth is a total convert.

Does he get rashes or anything? Any indication that he's got really sensitive skin?

Have you thought about putting a fleece liner in the nappy. We used reusables but I know my friend did this with disposables too. The fleece stays dry on the top and the wee goes through to the nappy underneath. You can buy them but they are just long rectangles of fleece so I cut up a well washed fleece blanket (new blankets have a coating on them which needs washing off apparently)

Amazon sell them here. Just bung them in the wash and they dry really really quickly.

No rashes, excema or any other skin irritation - in fact his skin is much better than DS1's.

Fleece liners have also been added to the list of things to try. Presumably you use a fresh one for each new nappy?

Could the barrier cream be clogging the nappy so that the wee doesn't get absorbed into the nappy quickly enough?

CinnabarRed: Yes a new one with each nappy. I had a bucket and slung them in there and washed every second day, think I had 15 or so. They dried very quickly so I occasionally handwashed a few when we were running out.

makes a note to shove a fleece inside ds' nappy when he wakes...

I woosed out of trying the fake change last night . DS2 didn't wake until 5, and his nappy was reasonably full by then so I felt too mean putting it back on. I can hear him chuntering away happily in his new nappy as I type.

Will try again tonight.

Isn't it amazing how babies turn you into the most outrageous inadvertent liar? You say hand on heart that your baby unfailingly does X, because he has done for bloody weeks, and that very night he fails to do it.....

Just wanted to give you all a quick update. DS2 is still having his nappy changed two or three times per night - once when he has a dream feed at midnight, once at about 5, and occasionally at about 2:30. We've decided that we're OK with it, not least because he seems to get napoy rash if we leave him longer. Hopefully, he'll grow out of it in the next few months, and we're grateful that he's skilled at self-settling!

And thanks to everyone who posted.