Being a new parent, you will find yourself changing the diaper of your little one more than often. If you have been a parent for a couple of months, you must have understood that changing your baby’s diapers during the day is not a big issue but at night, it is a challenging task.
It is because changing diapers at night often leads to waking up the baby and it is very hard to get the baby to settle again and go back to sleep once he is awake.
That is why parents ask the question “can a baby sleep with a dirty diaper?” If you also have the same question, you have come to the right place. Read on to know more about changing a dirty diaper at night and how often to change a baby’s diapers at night.
Table of Contents
Can a baby sleep with a dirty diaper?
You should not let your baby sleep with a dirty or poopy diaper. While it is fine to leave a lightly wet diaper at night, a poopy or dirty diaper must be changed immediately. Not changing dirty diapers can lead to infections. If your baby has a bowel movement right before sleeping you should change the diaper right away. Never let your baby sleep through the night with a dirty diaper. When poop and pee mix, it can lead to diaper rash. It is unwise to let your little one go to sleep with a poopy or dirty diaper on. If the baby is already asleep and you noticed that the diaper is dirty, you can wait a little longer until the baby wakes up.
Should you change your baby’s diaper at night?
Not changing a soiled or soaking wet diaper at night means that both you and your baby can get uninterrupted sleep at night. When the baby’s skin comes in contact with poop and urine all night long, it can also cause diaper rash. The diaper rash causes the skin on your little one’s bottom to become itchy, painful, and red.
In contrast, changing the little one’s diaper at night will lower the chances of getting a diaper rash.
One drawback of this is that both your and your baby’s sleep gets interrupted. Thus, you should decide when to change a diaper at night to avoid disturbing your baby’s sleep.
Generally, you should not let your baby sleep in a sopping wet or soiled diaper to prevent diaper rash.
Should you change a poopy diaper at night?
As poop can fairly rapidly lead to severe diaper rash, you should definitely change the diaper if your baby has pooped at night particularly if bowel movement happens early at night and your little one is likely to sleep with a poopy diaper for several hours.
The type of poop and the age of your baby also matter.
Breastfed, young babies often poop after every feeding and do feed often. In such situations, you may probably wait until the next feeding at night if your little one happens to fall asleep while nursing. It will just take a couple of hours and breast milk poop is often not very irritating.
On the other hand, a one-year-old baby has started with solid foods and the stools will be much more irritating for the skin.
While changing poopy diapers at night, try not to play or interact with the little one as you would during the day. Change the diaper quickly and turn off the light again so that both you and your baby can go back to sleep straight away.
How often should you change your baby’s diaper at night?
When the diaper is fully soaked with urine or if the baby has pooped, you should change your baby’s diaper at night.
The frequency of changing the diaper depends on the kind of diaper you are using.
It is a great idea to use a super-absorbent overnight diaper instead of a regular one as these don’t need to be changed unless completely wet or soiled.
Conclusion
Can a baby sleep with a dirty diaper? No! You should not let your baby go to sleep with a soiled diaper. Always change the diaper before your baby goes to sleep. A fresh diaper will ensure a peaceful and comfortable night for your baby.
If you leave a dirty diaper on overnight and let your baby sleep in a poopy diaper, it will cause diaper rash and disturb your little one’s sleep cycle.
Always ensure that your baby has a clean diaper before sleeping.