Some parents are not sure if it is a good idea to wake their child to change the diaper. They may wonder about this daily.
Children’s skin is very sensitive to irritating substances such as urine, feces, and cosmetic products. Children’s diapers need to be changed often to avoid rashes and dermatitis.
If you are going to wake your baby to change a diaper depends on many different circumstances. A mother who has difficulty getting her baby to sleep will certainly not wake her baby. No one wants to deal with an upset infant when he or she has been awakened from a good night’s sleep.
If, on the other hand, the baby easily gets rashes from diapers, it may be a good idea to wake him up at night to avoid dermatitis.
Should you wake your baby to change the diaper?
As mentioned in other articles on the subject, each child is unique. What works for one child may not work for the next. This also means that you can not rely too much on the tactics you used on your other children.
It is up to the parent to decide what the child’s needs are. Let us go into detail on the factors that influence the decision of whether to wake your baby to change the diaper or not.
What do you prioritize: rest or hygiene?
Without a doubt, wearing a dirty diaper for a long time is detrimental to the sensitive skin of a newborn baby. However, it is also important for the child’s development that his sleep is not disturbed.
While the baby is awake, it is free to change the diaper. The problem is when it sleeps. To make the right decision, you should decide if rest or hygiene is the most important thing for your child right now.
The baby’s stools usually come when the food reaches the stomach. This is known as the gastrocolic reflex, which means it’s time to change your baby’s diaper. A baby fed with gruel wakes up every three hours: the baby wakes up to be fed and have the diaper changed. This means that you do not have to wake your baby to change the diaper.
If the baby is breastfed, it will probably urinate and poop more often, in the same way, that it must also be fed more often. Thus, the baby will wake up more often, and then it is the right time to change the diaper without having to wake it up.
But my baby sleeps for six hours or more! What should I do?
Parents struggle with this decision more when the child sleeps for six or seven hours straight. Waking the baby for a diaper change becomes a concern for parents, and therefore many mothers turn to their pediatricians for help.
Disposable diapers have become increasingly better at absorbing. Night diapers are designed just to let your baby get a full night of undisturbed sleep. You should not wake a child who sleeps six or seven hours straight for a diaper change. The diaper should absorb the liquid and be kept fairly dry until the baby wakes up the next morning.
However, you must change the diaper just before bedtime, and then also make sure that the skin is clean and dry. You can also apply an ointment that prevents rashes from the diaper. Ask your pediatrician about what is the best ointment for your child.
If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night to breastfeed, it is easy for him to fall asleep in the meantime. This will counteract your purpose if you were to wake your baby to change his diaper. The diaper should stay dry until the next morning. Just be sure to change it immediately when your baby wakes up again.
When should you wake your baby for a diaper change?
If the only option for your infant is to use cloth diapers because disposable diapers cause allergic reactions. The best thing you can do is to change the diaper when it has feces in the diaper or if the diaper has become too wet. Unfortunately, you will have to wake the baby up for a diaper change, or the baby will wake up while you change the diaper.
Using a cover between the mattress and the bed sheet helps keep your baby insulated from moisture. You can also put a blanket or an extra towel between the mattress and the sheets. The most important thing is that the child is kept dry as best he can.
If the child has diarrhea, the diaper should be changed immediately as the stool can become acidified and then more aggressive towards the baby’s sensitive skin. Even if you use disposable diapers that are very absorbent, you will need to change your baby’s diaper often. The baby will likely wake up during the diaper change and you will need to make an effort again to get the baby to fall asleep again.