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.
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.
Nappies need changing after every poo. You don't need to change your baby's nappy after every wee – rather, change the nappy just before or after a feed (but keep an eye out for nappy rash or skin irritation). There's no need to wake your baby at night for a nappy change.
Because newborns eat frequently throughout the day and night, their schedule of peeing and pooping will also occur frequently throughout the day and night. Therefore, we typically recommend changing your baby's diaper with each feeding, as well as in between feedings when Baby poops.
If your baby is sleeping, you do not need to change their diaper. A dirty diaper isn't bothering them, so it shouldn't bother you either! If your baby wakes overnight, whether it be to eat or just a typical overnight waking, try to limit stimulation and skip a diaper change when possible.
Avoid diaper rash by changing your baby's diaper every three to four hours or when it's wet or soiled (has a bowel movement (poo) in it).
If you do hear—or smell—a poop, you'll want to change them soon, but not necessarily immediately. A breastfed baby's poop isn't very irritating to the skin, so if they are sleeping soundly and you think they're going to be up soon anyway, you can safely put it off for a little while, says Mochoruk.
Do you need to wipe a baby girl after peeing? No. Even with a baby girl, you don't need to worry about wiping after they pee. This is because urine doesn't normally irritate the skin and most nappies easily absorb it anyway .
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.
When a breastfed newborn poops after every feeding during the first few weeks, take it as a good sign – it means they're getting plenty of milk. Even though formula-fed babies may have less frequent bowel movements than breastfed babies, it's normal for them to poop after every feeding as well.
There's no need to clean the breast or nipples before breastfeeding. In fact, bacteria from the surface of your breast can help develop your baby's gut microbiome. Fresh breast milk can help heal damaged nipples,8 so try massaging a few drops into them before and after feeds.
From day 5 onwards, wet nappies should start to become more frequent, with at least 6 heavy, wet nappies every 24 hours. In the first 48 hours, your baby is likely to have only 2 or 3 wet nappies.
You can start getting your baby used to going to sleep without you comforting them by putting them down before they fall asleep or when they've just finished a feed. It may be easier to do this once your baby starts to stay alert more frequently or for longer.
Some babies may be more prone to gas and discomfort if they go to sleep without being burped, while others may not have any issues. However, if a baby is already asleep and showing no signs of discomfort, it is generally safe to let them sleep without burping.
With a moist cotton pad, a clean dampened cloth, or a suitable baby wipe (unperfumed and sensitive), wipe the area from top to bottom, or front to back, down the middle. Then, clean each side within her labia with a fresh damp cloth, a moist cotton pad or wipe.
Vernix caseosa is a white, creamy, naturally occurring biofilm covering the skin of the fetus during the last trimester of pregnancy. Vernix coating on the neonatal skin protects the newborn skin and facilitates extra-uterine adaptation of skin in the first postnatal week if not washed away after birth.
Should you wipe your baby after every nappy change? 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.
Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.
Changing your baby's nappy as soon as possible after they've done a wee or poo will help prevent nappy rash. Young babies may need changing as many as 10 or 12 times a day, while older babies need to be changed around 6 to 8 times.
Wipe And Clean
It's important to get your baby's bottom squeaky clean when you change a poopy diaper. Letting them sit in a dirty diaper too long or leaving them with a dirty bottom can set them up for skin irritation and diaper rash. This is why wiping and cleaning their skin thoroughly is so important!
There's no need to unswaddle—or change your baby's diaper—if they'll take the feed that way and their diaper isn't soiled. (If your baby is super sleepy, you may need to rouse them a bit by gently tickling their toes.)
What is dream feeding? A dream feed is a late-night feeding technique where you give your baby before you go to bed. It is usually around 3-4 hours after your little one has gone down for the night, so if your baby has gone to bed at 7pm (like suggested in our Program) then you'll give the dream feed between 10-11pm.