Do you change a newborn's nappy at every night-time feed?

[fruitful]

I'm just trying to remember all the stuff about looking after a newborn (no 2 due in March).

With dd I religiously changed her nappy at every night-time feed (every 2.5 hours or so) - because the books say change them when they've poo'd, and newborns just poo all the time, don't they?

But I'm wondering if this was overkill. People who co-sleep presumably don't get up and change the nappy every 3 hours, for a start.

I would always change a poo-ey nappy as soon as I became aware of it, but I wouldn't change a night-time nappy if it was just wet. I remember changing ds1's nappy every feed because the books tell you to, but with my other children, I tried not to change a nappy in the middle of the night unless it was very full. Also, I used barrier cream with my fist three, but with No4, I only use a bit if he has nappy rash (virtually never) and it makes me wonder why I wasted my money on the stuff with the other three!

I only changed them if they poo'd straight away, as I was so desperate for sleep.

Nah - only if they poo! I did it every feed with ds1, as instructed by the midwives at the hospital. They also told me to change him before a feed which is sheer insanity: firstly, because they are starving hungry and therefore yell a lot and, secondly, 'cos they then invariably do a poo in the nice clean nappy. Took me ages to be brave enough to do what felt right to me!

With ds2 I only changed him after a night-feed if he pooed (which initially is practically every time but it quickly improves). I found if I did that he woke up less fully, was less disturbed, and we both got back to sleep faster.

HTH.

No, no, no!!! It was the best discovery ever finding out that I didn't need to! They do not pooh with every nappy and each time you open their nappies to the fresh air they completely wake up and it takes forever getting them back to sleep! I put plenty of cream on them between changes (vaseline was fab) and they were fine. Ofcourse, possibly I am out of date with nappy-changing etiquette and some will be horrified but if you can feed them then let them sleep straight away, all the better for you and baby!

I did at 1st and then only if she'd done a poo.

Definately try to change as little as possible! Obviously change a poo-nappy but otherwise do not risk over-waking them.

Only if she pooed or it was extremely full. My dd was such an awful sleeper, i used to leave it so she didnt wake up too much.

not unless its essential!

No way!! Only if absolutely necessary! Don't want to wake them! I only changed it if they were wide awake anyway, extremely full or dirty.

changed dd at everynight feed -as she went 4/5 hrs at time.

Oh good .

Of course this is not going to be an issue as this baby is going to sleep through from day one .

My ds DID poo after every feed during the night (which were legion) for months and months and months....it's all very well 'the books' saying don't change your baby during the night, but if they've got poo up their backs, you tend to feel you have to. And yes, it does wake them up completely, doesn't it

i change the nappy only once in the night, and only if baby is awake properly. unless she has a poo. dont punish myself by waking up baby by changing the napppy if she is half asleep, and will only then not go back to sleep easily.

on the other hand, if she was falling asleep after only taking a small feed, i change her nappy to wake her up a bit so she will take more feed, and therefore sleep longer

i try to live by self preservation, as well as rash-free bums

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