Regardless of the kind of diapers you use (reusables or disposables), it should be every 3 hours (more or less). This means 6 or 7 diapers a day which is average for a bigger baby, newborns might need slightly more (before their digestion fully develops at approx. 2 months, newborns usually poop after every feeding).
While every baby is different, research shows that the average American baby goes through six to 10 diapers a day.
You Don't Have to Change Every Wet Diaper
Newborns poop lots, and you don't want to have your baby's cute little tushy sitting in that. But for pee diapers, you don't have to change the baby every time they go.
At night? If your baby is sleeping, there's no need to wake them unless their diaper situation looks really dire or you're noticing leaks (and if you find you're dealing with frequent leaks, you may want to size up or consider using overnight diapers, which are designed to hold up to 12 hours worth of liquid).
Keep that in mind that babies often urinate more than 20 times a day. Hence, it is important to understand that you may need to change the diaper every 2 to 3 hours. While it may get taxing at times, remember that not changing the diaper on time may cause rashes and irritate the skin of your baby's bums.
“There are very few circumstances where I'd recommend waking a sleeping baby to change their diaper,” says Mochoruk. Unless your baby has an open sore or serious diaper rash that requires monitoring, let them sleep, she says. You really needn't worry about a bit of pee in the diaper.
Experts recommend that you change your newborn's diaper every two to three hours, or as often as needed. Why? Your little one may urinate as often as every one to three hours, and have between two and five bowel movements a day.
You know your baby best, so always trust your instincts when it comes to your baby's need for diaper changes during the night. Most parents are able to transition away from nighttime diaper changes at around 6 months of age with the use of extra absorbent diapers and a good diaper cream.
We found out that It is not necessary to use wipes to wipe your baby down during every nappy change. Urine rarely irritates the skin and disposable nappies are very absorbent limiting the amount of urine that comes into contact with your baby's skin.
Designed to keep your baby dry for up to 12 hours, overnight diapers are extra absorbent, often with around 20 to 25 percent more capacity than regular diapers.
How often you should change your baby depends on how frequently they soil the diaper with urine and bowel movements. Typically, a baby needs a diaper change every two to three hours.
Also, avoid changing the diaper too often and rubbing the baby's behind. This can also cause chafing and irritation.
One way to find out whether a diaper is full, without having to actually feel inside of it, is to hold your hand over the front of your baby's diaper and jiggle it a teensy bit to see if it moves.
Diapers are considered safe for babies, even babies less than a day old. In fact, some diapers are made specifically for babies. Wearing diapers all day is not recommended. Wearing diapers 24/7, including at night increases the risk of skin irritation, rash, skin rash.
You've used baby wipes with every diaper change because they are moist, so there's less irritation and friction against the skin. They provide a more thorough cleaning experience. And you need fewer wet wipes to complete the job than regular toilet paper—without leaving paper bits or other residue behind.
What should I use to wipe my butt instead? According to Dr. Goldstein, wet wipes should never, ever be used. Instead, your options are toilet paper and bidets.
Wiping your baby after pee is not necessary unless you want to freshen up your baby's bottom after a soaking wet diaper, and not doing it might in fact save your baby's skin from getting irritated from excessive wiping.
Change Before You Feed
This usually wakes babies up enough to get them to take a full feeding. If that wakes your baby too much, change their diaper first, and then feed them. If you change the diaper after you feed your baby, you risk completely waking them again.
Yes, you should burp your baby even after a dream feed, which is a late-night feeding you wake your little one up for before you head to bed. The reason? Any feeding, including a dream feed, can create gas and/or cause your baby to spit up. So do your best to alleviate that pressure.
If your baby is often dirty after a feed, to avoid the disturbance of having to change their nappy twice, it would be better to change the nappy after the feed. If your baby has reflux, they may vomit if they are moved too much with a full tummy, so you might like to change them before a feed.
Hence, it is important to understand that you may need to change the diaper every 2 to 3 hours. While it may get taxing at times, remember that not changing the diaper on time may cause rashes and irritate the skin of your baby's bums.
Make sure that the diaper fits snugly around the waist and thighs by running your fingers around the edges and checking that there are no gaps. If you prefer to have a diaper that is loose-fitting, you may experience leakage as urine and poop comes out through the gaps before it can be absorbed.
Your newborn pees all day and night because his bladder is very small, even a small accumulation of pee can cause his body to expel it as a reflex action. However, as your baby grows, his bladder capacity will increase, and his body will start to produce a hormone that prevents him from peeing at night.
How often does my newborn need a bath? There's no need to give your newborn baby a bath every day. Three times a week might be enough until your baby becomes more mobile. Bathing your baby too much can dry out your baby's skin.
Hiccups are normal and usually don't hurt your baby. In younger babies, hiccups are usually a sign that they need to be seated upright during or after feeding, that feeding needs to be slower for them, or that they need more time before or after feeding to relax.