Is this normal - or am I a neurotic first-time mum?!

[pudding25]

DD is nearly 16 wks. Is it normal to be able to smell wee if her nappy needs changing? I always thought that wee wouldnt smell unless there was tons of it but she smells of wee even if probably only done one as nappy has been recently changed.

Also, we dreamfeed her about 11pm and don't change her nappy. (we used to wake her up about 10.30pm, change her and then feed her but she was getting really grumpy about being woken so we decided to dreamfeed). This means her nappy isnt changed from bathtime (around 6pm) until morning around 7/7.30am.
The past 2 mornings, she has soaked through her babygrow, sleeping bag and onto the sheet. I know I can change her at dream feed but I am just wondering if this is normal. Surely, when babies eventually sleep through from 7-7 (in my dreams!), then they are not getting their nappies changed?

Please feel free to tell me if I am just being totally neurotic as I would rather that than there was a problem but also let me know if you are concerned.

DD is mainly bf but has 1, sometimes 2 bottle of formula a day. Her wee is clear and she seems very healthy.

I find it can depend on which nappies you are using - some smell more of wee than others.

Also some nappies are more absorbent than others - the smaller sizes are less absorbent I find. What size is she? Could you go up a size for overnight? I don't think it's a problem that she's wet through in the morning, but you might want to try different nappies and if that makes no difference then change her at her dreamfeed.

If she is healthy and happy and her wee isn't strong, discoloured or causing her pain or discomfort I wouldn't worry

Thanks. She is using pampers size 2. She is 12lb 10oz. We did start using pampers size 3 the other week but poo kept leaking out! we went back to no 2 as they were more snug. Can't win really!

Which nappies are you using? when ds was tiny (he's a very big boy now), I found that huggies would leak but pampers didn't. If they are terry nappies check that the plastic cover fits.

My friend found the opposite. I'd try a different brand or three. Boots own brand are supposto be very good, and cheaper.

I think Boots are the only ones we havent tried - been through all the supermarket ones plus huggies and they have all been rubbish! Will try to get to Boots. Thanks

I found when they were small and moving up from one nappy size to the next, things used to get a bit leaky - when they're too big for one size and not big enough for the other. If it gets really bad you could just try buying a plastic cover for a terry nappy and putting it over for a few nights.

pudding I seem to remember having a bit of a phase around that age/weight where the nappies were leaking a lot and it was havoc! I think it was only about 2 or 3 weeks then the bigger ones fitted well and all was good again.

The good thing is that your DD is sleeping through the leakages so obviously isn't uncomfortable, so on that basis try not to worry/feel guilty about it.

Trying other brands is a good suggestion. Although I think I tried Pampers and Huggies (regular brand was Nature) and they all leaked!

I promise that once the next size up fit properly all will be dry again.

Oh forgot to say, the Nature ones don't have a wee smell at all. When I tried Pampers I was surprised and really put off by the smell. I find it nasty and chemically too.

Definitely not all brands have the wee smell thing.

yes we went through phases whre nappies leakde onto bedding i found sains own to be bad for this.
doesnt seem to happen any more

I find Pampers stink to high heaven the moment they get wet. Nature don't seem to smell at all, and I don't mind Huggies either.

the pampers baby dry i found were best for all night comfort and no soggy sheets in the morning, not sure what size they start at though.

Agree that lots of disposables smell strange when wet; DS wore cloth in the day but a naturebabies at night and was and remains, a champion widdler. Our only solution was the disposable with a muslin and a cloth nappy wrap over the top (he went through from 8pm to 5am at this stage and no nappy could cope with it....) He's 2.5 now and out of nappies in the day, but still has one at night. It was dry the other morning and the potty nearly overflowed......

I find tesco own brand better than pampers.

Does anyone find the nature nappies are too small? I bought the right size based on DDs weight but they really dig into her skin at the sides where they fasten up

Oh yes, I judge when to go up based on when they stop fitting rather than by weight but as a rule of thumb always need a size bigger in Nature than in other brands.

(In principle am a cloth nappy user, but machine has been either on its last legs or completely broken since DD arrived)

Yes, we've always been up a size by weight in naturebabies, although that's been for absorbency. DS is quite slim, so we don't generally have a problem getting them done up.

Pudding25 I usually use Tesco's own brand for my 2 in nappies, with no problems but DD2 is a mega-wee-producer overnight and swamps her bed most mornings.

I have just trialled Huggies Super-Dry for market research (sshh don't tell!) and was very impressed - incredibly absorbent overnight. They start at size 3, 5-9 kg, 11-20 pounds. Might be worth a try?

Yes I have that too, my DS2 gets soaked through nearly every night, especially if he lies on his side feeding.

Its pretty normal your not neurotic

Oh thanks everyone, going to go nappy shopping! 2 nights ago was a big poo leakage in the morning and this morning, no leakage but I could actually see the wee pooling in the nappy when I took it off - pampers extra dry ones too!
Will try boots and huggies super dry. I have tried tesco before and not liked them. At least I can stop worrying there is something wrong!