This is a guest post by Sarah Cummings.

Night-time Diaper Changes: 6 Things to Do Without Disrupting Baby's Sleep

Parents, pretty much regardless of how old their child is, will often see sleep as an absolute luxury if they receive enough of it!

Once you’ve successfully put baby off to sleep, the weight is lifted off of your shoulders and you can unwind for a bit… Well, that’s after you’ve caught up on all the other bits and pieces you need to do. But, during the night, when you’re in bed, what’s the protocol in terms of night-time diaper changes?

The last thing you want to do is wake your little one up, right? After all, you’ve spent hours trying to get to settle and slip off to the Land of Nod, so, this calls for some stealth-like parenting that you will have to master to pull this night-time diaper business off!

We’ve got some handy things you can do through to safeguard against waking the baby while still achieving the task at hand; changing them into a fresh diaper. Follow these pointers and you’re on the right path to success.

What’s the magic needed for changing my baby’s diaper in stealth mode?

As a rule, the whole changing process that leaves out the waking of the baby part requires you to try to complete the procedure as smoothly as humanly possible. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But, the thing is, you might not always think of things that can help you out, such as:

1. Be keen for a routine

Oh, we all love routines! Humans love them naturally, so if you get one established as soon as possible, you’ll benefit and so will your little cherub.

Essentially, routine allows your baby to feel comforted. And parents like them because routines help set the basis for what is to follow on a consistent level. If you let the routine slip and become inconsistent, it can end up with you enduring increased numbers of sleepless nights for all concerned.

2. Lights out!

First things first, do not go turning the light on! You need to work in the dark here. Let your other senses come alive and trust your instincts. You’ve been doing this in the daylight for a while now, so you should know how the drill goes.

If you want to ease things a little, house a handy nightlight in a place that is close-by to the floor and to the crib too. By doing this, you will be able to see everything you need and allow your baby to sleep in their crib as soundly as possible.

3. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Next up, as the saying goes, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. This rings true with the ninja-like diaper changes needed because if you wake your child, you could well be in for some unsettled time together until they’re down again.

Remove the excess noise that you’ll make by scratching about wipes or even the fresh diaper by getting it all prepped up beforehand. By having a handy night-time changing kit all ready to go, your nightly changes will mimic an F1 tyre change!

Oh, and you might want to use a wipe warmer as cold wipes are pretty good at waking sleeping babies due to their temperature.

4. Dress to reduce stress

You can help the night-time diaper changes to be as seamlessly silent as they could be by being sure to dress your baby for bed in a convenient way that suits you when it comes to the change.

Put them to bed in open-bottom style pyjamas that will allow you some nice, easy access. You can get hold of a good variety of comfy, functional options and it will let you change the baby with as little fuss as possible.

5. Change the number twos, but leave the number ones

While you might not be too keen on it, you can leave a wet diaper alone through the night, and simply change it in the morning. The only need to do otherwise is if your baby’s diaper is soaked right through their PJs.

If they have had the ‘full’ toilet experience in the night, you must change it. Be as gentle as you can, and if their eyes are open, do not look into them as they’ll become stimulated. This is no time for excitement, so get in and out as quickly and covertly as you can!

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that while you might think it’s more advisable to use disposable diapers at night, you can actually use a night time cloth diaper that is more absorbent, so your baby doesn’t wake during the night with leaks, or feel wet with the use of quality night-time diapers. What’s more, it won’t cost you any extra because you only have to wash the diaper and then reuse it once it’s clean and dry.

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Sarah Cummings has dedicated herself to writing informative and helpful guides for more than five years. Originally, her main passion to help others and drive them forward in life was the focal point of becoming a writer.

Her love of exercise and fitness has always been a big part of how she leads her life and finds it helps with a range of things, including sleep. She’s a firm advocator of promoting sleep it’s amazing benefits.

She’s had the good fortune to have a long background in yoga too, and Sarah feels as though this pairs perfectly with her passion for healthy eating and leading an active lifestyle.

Sarah enjoys learning and coming up with new ways to develop her writing so that it can help others to develop themselves. When she’s got some spare mornings, she heads for the woods to ride her mountain bike while the sun’s coming up.