Nappy

[Husbandno4]

My wife and I are disagreeing about when is appropriate to change our new baby’s nappy.
Is it normal to change it every time they have a wee?
Or AIBU for us to change it only when they have a poo. (Currently like every 3 hours, sometimes more frequently than that)
I don’t like the idea of the kid sitting in its own wee? But there is quite absorbent stuff in there so I don’t imagine it’s all that bad.

Change after every wee?? I don't know anyone who does that. I remember when my son was little the HV would ask me how many wet 'heavy' nappies he had a day. If I was changing him after every dribble of wee, his nappies were pretty much bone dry even though the strip had started to change colour. I went for around every 2/3 hours and immediately after a poo. If I had found problems with nappy rash etc then I would have adjusted accordingly.

I changed DS when he had a poo straight away but not a wee.

I did it before every feed and at one point he was feeding every 2 hours so did it then or if I was going out and he had a wee/poo I'd change him then.

The night feeds I always changed him before he had his bottle.

Depending on how sensitive the skin is I just go by how the nappy feels. Ignore the lines and the clock to an extent and just use my common sense. If it feels wet then change it, if it doesn't then don't change it. Change immediately after a poo though.

I would follow this routine myself with DS at 18months

Well, I think it’s quite clear this isn’t a stupid question after all as everyone seems to have quite different opinions.
Lots for the wife and I to think about
Thanks for the advice everyone.

You don't need to change a disposable nappy after every tiny newborn wee any more than you change a disposable sanitary towel after every drop of blood.

I changed DD at feeds and if there was a poo. If anything I think I probably overdid it. She never had nappy rash.

2-3 hours is fine generally, mine only pooed every 5 days until 6 months, yes exactly that

This may sound like an equally stupid question, but out of curiosity…
If you develop stress incontinence as an ‘older lady’. Say you are out for the day and you sneeze and a little wee comes out, not loads, just a dribble. Enough that your incontinence pad would comfortably soak up.
Would most people presume they would go to the loo and change it straight away? Or just wait till they were going to the loo next time to change it?
I

@Husbandno4

This may sound like an equally stupid question, but out of curiosity… If you develop stress incontinence as an ‘older lady’. Say you are out for the day and you sneeze and a little wee comes out, not loads, just a dribble. Enough that your incontinence pad would comfortably soak up. Would most people presume they would go to the loo and change it straight away? Or just wait till they were going to the loo next time to change it? I

The only similar experience I’ve had with this is laughing too much and a little wee coming out, but yes, I changed it immediately because I didn’t like the feeling.

So on that basis I would absolutely change after every wee/whenever the line was blue 🤷‍♀️

It’s not a stupid question/thread, OP. Parents don’t automatically know how to beat care for their child once they’ve had one.

*best not beat

@Crimblecrumble1990 I don’t think people who say change the nappy after every wee are checking every 5 minutes for a dribble of wee. It’s more if you’re doing a nappy check and it’s wet, rather then doing the nappy back up again you just change it. Some people would do it back up again because the nappy can hold more wee.

I get that some people rely on the indicator strip though, so for them it’s more about are you changing a nappy every time that indicator strip changes colour. I personally never took notice of that indicator strip or relied on it to be honest.

It’s a personal choice that parents make.

I personally don’t think that babies need to be in nappies 24/7. At home on a playmat with their toys is a good time to have nappy free time. There will be parents who wouldn’t want to do that. Which is fine. Each to their own.

I've been changing our 5-w-o after every wee, didn't realise it was an option not to! And yes, we're practically bankrupting ourselves. The problem is, she cries every time she wets herself. I'm going to see if we can hold out a bit longer between changes today. Thanks for the enlightenment!