When to start toilet training your toddler
How to introduce the toilet training process with your little one, and signs that might indicate they're ready to start learning.
Read MoreKnowing when and how to change your baby’s nappy during the night can be confusing. Especially when you’ve finally gotten them to sleep, the last thing you want to do is to disturb them in the middle of the night.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- When to change your baby’s nappy at night, depending on their age
- A recommendation for a night time nappy, made with super absorbent materials, innovative features and overnight leak protection
- How to change their nappy without disturbing their sleep
- How finding the right nappy size and fit can help prevent overnight nappy leaks
How often should you change your baby’s nappy at night?
As a general rule of thumb, night time nappy changes are necessary if your baby has soiled the nappy, or it is completely full. A little bit of urine in the nappy is fine, and you can usually wait a bit longer before changing them again. You may like to time nappy checks/changes with your night time feeds, as you’ll already be up at these points of the night.
That’s why choosing a nappy with super absorbent materials and leak protection is so important. Because if you’re waiting until the morning or til their next feed to change them, you want to make sure the nappy keeps all sneaky leaks contained!
To help you understand when their nappy should be changed, Rascal + Friends premium nappies have a wetness indicator in sizes 1 and 2. This can be found on the centre of the nappy, and will change from a yellow to purple colour when the nappy is full and should be changed. On our larger sizes it’s easier to see when the nappy should be changed, as older babies will urinate more and the nappy will look swollen. Use our nappy calculator to find the right size for your baby, based on their weight.
Choose super absorbent night time nappies
While the number of night time nappy changes varies with age, we’d recommend always choosing a nappy made with super absorbent materials and designed to last all night. Our unique 3D Core Technology means Rascal + Friends premium nappy can absorb 15x their weight in liquid*. Paired with our innovative absorbency features, our nappies can both:
So no matter how long your baby sleeps through the night, they wake up comfy and dry, and all sneaky leaks stay in the nappy. Save yourself a load of washing!
*Based on nappy weight and total absorbing capacity.
Our innovative absorbency nappy features include:
- Double leak guards
- Dual-tissue wrapped core
- Liquid dispersion layer
- Breathable outer-layer
How often should you change a newborn’s nappy?
Because they feed more frequently, you can expect to change a newborn’s nappy every 3 or so hours, almost as often as they need feeding.
You may like to use your baby’s feeding time as a rule of thumb for when to change, or at least check their nappy. Of course, this is dependant on your baby’s urine and bowel movements. As mentioned, soiled nappies should be changed as soon as possible, while nappies with just urine don’t need to be changed as quickly. This is where our wetness indicator* comes in handy, to help you know when the nappy is full and should be changed.
A common concern for newborn parents is the frequency of changes if their baby has sensitive skin or nappy rash. Some choose to change their nappy more frequently than suggested to help keep skin clean and dry. While we encourage you to continue with a change-routine that works for you and your baby, you can rest assured that Rascal + Friends premium nappies are made with sensitive skin in mind. Features like our breathable outer-layer and liquid dispersion layer, absorbs liquid in seconds and draws moisture away from your baby’s skin. This keeps skin cool, dry and helps prevent skin irritation.
*On sizes 1 and 2 of our premium nappies (made for the newborn stage).
How to change your baby’s nappy without disturbing their sleep
When the time comes to changing their nappy at night, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ll disturb their sleep – especially if it’s taken a while to get them down!
Here’s a few tips to making night time nappy changes easier:
- Prepare the nappy changing area before you sleep
- Keep it calm: Keep lighting very low, sounds below a peep and scents at a minimum
- Change your baby’s nappy when they are awake to feed, either before or during the feed
- Change soiled nappies right away and delay changing wet nappies until full
- Use warm wipes when cleaning their skin
Should you wake your baby for a nappy change?
While we suggest changing a dirty nappy as soon as possible, you should avoid waking up your sleeping baby just to do so. This will disturb their sleep cycle and you may struggle to settle them again. Especially for babies 6 months and younger, they never go too long before needing another feed, which is a better opportunity to change their nappy. This is also why we recommend timing nappy changes with their night time feeds.
We’d also suggest making a habit of changing their nappy at night:
- Just before going to bed
- Before a night time feed, or halfway through feeding when you change sides
- And putting baby back to bed straight after their night feed
Prevent overnight leaks with the right nappy size and fit
Choosing the right nappy size and understanding how it should properly fit can go a long in preventing leaks. Our premium nappies are made with a unique design and fit, which is why recommend choosing a nappy size based on their weight. You can learn more about this on our nappy size guide.
With a few simple questions answered, we can help you get to the bottom of leaking nappies. Read more of our tips in this article, or reach out to our Customer Love team for their expert advice on finding the right Rascal + Friends fit. Contact us on Instagram or Facebook.
