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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wake a sleeping baby to change their nappy?

58 replies

MoveYourArmsLikeHenry · 02/11/2013 20:53

Friend thinks I am. I always change ds soild nappy even if it is at a late hour and he is asleep. I would definitely not like to be lying in my own waste all night if it could be helped and dont expect my son to either.

Said friend said she just leaves it til the morning to change her dd. I have looked after her dd many times and this would explain her awful nappy rashes I guess. I know obviously sometimes it happens when mum and dad are asleep and of course dont know their child needs changed so thats not included here.

Whats the verdict? What do/did you do in this situation?

OP posts:

ImperialBlether · 02/11/2013 20:54

Always, always change a dirty nappy as soon as you can.

CailinDana · 02/11/2013 20:54

Poo yes wee no.
Most babies eventually stop pooing at night anyway.

SteamWisher · 02/11/2013 20:55

Change them! I also slap a load of nappy cream because sometimes I didn't realise and didn't want them to have a dreadful rashes.

soupmaker · 02/11/2013 20:55

I always change a nappy with poo in it. But I always try and keep baby sleepy!

Tee2072 · 02/11/2013 20:55

Change a poo, leave a wee.

Eventually you'll be able to do it without waking the baby.

LaTrucha · 02/11/2013 20:56

I thought you were going to say at nap time! When I wouldn't. At night time though, if I was awake and noticced it, I would certainly. Nappy rash is awful. I'll never forget poor Ds wailing, 'Don't hurt my bottom!' at every nappy change. We potty trained early.

JollyStoutGiant · 02/11/2013 20:56

Agree with only changing poopy nappies at night.

stowsettler · 02/11/2013 20:57

Huh? No need to wake them, just do it. DD will rarely wake. Although as has been said, she hardly ever poos at night now.

littlepeas · 02/11/2013 20:57

Yanbu! I would do my best to change my dc in the cot, keeping them asleep, rather than wake them to do it though.

Heathcliff27 · 02/11/2013 20:57

Always change it, half the time they kept on sleeping, i became dab hand at the 30 second nappy change

FaithTheVampireSlayer · 02/11/2013 20:57

Poo yes, wee no. Not since DD moved into size 2 nappies and I could put her in dry nights nappies. She's 6 months, no nappy rash as yet.

Longfufu · 02/11/2013 20:58

I would alway change if my baby had done a poo, if it's just wee I wouldn't until the morning.

sheldor · 02/11/2013 20:58

Yanbu My dd used to have awful rashes due to her wees.I could not let my baby have nappy rash if i could help it.Not changing a baby pooey bum is lazy imo

misspontypine · 02/11/2013 20:58

Do babies poo when they are asleep? My ds only poos when awake, even as a tiny baby.

MrsBungleScare · 02/11/2013 20:58

Totally agree with the chAnge it if it's poo.

SeaSickSal · 02/11/2013 20:58

Poo yes, wee no. My baby won't sleep in poop anyway.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 02/11/2013 20:59

Always change a nappy with a poo in it at night, never a wee one.

It rarely happened with our ds's and we had very little nappy rash with either of them but it wasn't something that I would risk.

If I did wake them (which it usually did) then they settled back to sleep easily enough.

Finola1step · 02/11/2013 21:00

For poo nappies, definitely change as soon as you notice no matter what time of night. But try to keep baby as sleepy as possible. I was vv lucky that my two stopped pooing at night very quickly.

starfishmummy · 02/11/2013 21:01

We used to change pooey nappies if we realised. DH was excellent at doing it without waking ds! He always woke if I did it!!

Jan49 · 02/11/2013 21:04

No, I wouldn't wake a sleeping baby. How would you even know the nappy needed changing if you just look at the baby in the cot and it's asleep? If it's uncomfortable it will wake up.

Only exception I think is if the baby has a problem with nappy rash or sore skin that obviously you want to avoid making worse.

Tee2072 · 02/11/2013 21:07

Um, you can smell it? And my son would never wake due to poo.

But it's very bad for their skin.

TortillasAndChocolate · 02/11/2013 21:10

If I knew my DS had done a poo I would definitely change his nappy straight away. Usually when he was tiny he would sleep through this anyway if he was tired enough. The very odd occasion where he has pooed in the night and I haven't changed him (because I didn't know), he has got really sore.

Bumpsadaisie · 02/11/2013 21:14

If poo would change because you only need to leave it an hour or so for it to chafe badly. If wee definitely not!

Oriunda · 02/11/2013 21:14

I would change or (sorry if grosses anyone out) insert hand covered in nappy bag and extract poo if it was a solid lump and quickly clean without needing to take nappy off. DS has very rarely pooed at night and doesn't wake when I've needed to change him.

FreeWee · 02/11/2013 21:20

Always change a pooey nappy. This might sound harsh but the only reason I can see not to is in case it wakes the baby and then you have to spend time in the middle of the night resettling. And that is selfish. I'd rather be awake for a while knowing that when my DD finally resettled it's in a clean nappy. She never has nappy rash so I guess I must be doing something right. Fortunately whilst she was a really new born she hardly ever pooed in the middle of the night. But when she did I changed in as low light as possible. Now as an 8 month old she has this annoying habit of me putting her down for her morning nap and she does a poo in her bed. So of course I change her and resettle every, single, time or to be honest she won't go to sleep. As the OP says, I wouldn't want to snooze with a poo in my pants so why would she?

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