# Co-sleeping and diaper changing



## Amber Lion (Sep 22, 2006)

Mods - I put this in family bed b/c I thought it related to co-sleeping more than diapers, sorry if it needed to be in diapering!

We've finally just gotten the hang of side-lying nursing (yeah!) and I'm trying to figure out logistics here. Before, I used to get up, go changer her diaper, nurse on the couch, then bring her back to bed b/c sitting up and turning on a light would wake up my Dh and he has to get up early for work. Now that I don't have to go anywhere to nurse I find my sleep brain is reluctant to get up and change her diaper... hence the puddle of pee we both woke up in this morning.









So, co-sleepers, do you get up and change diapers at night? Do you have diaper changing supplies right by your bed? Do you have some fantastically thick diaper that your DC can pee in numerous times without it soaking through?


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## flower01 (Aug 1, 2007)

The way we had our Master bedroom set up, the changing table was next to my side of the bed with a small lamp. So when she was still pooping at every diaper change, I would get up and change her and roll back into bed. It didn't wake my husband. Once she stopped pooping at night, I did not change her diaper anymore. We just made sure we had good absorbant diapers and changed her in the morning. We never had leaks with prefolds and PUL covers...then when we got some pockets we still didn't have leaks until she was close to a year...and then we started double stuffing and using fleece covers.


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## calebsmommy25 (Aug 23, 2008)

I don't get up anymore to change him, but did probably for the first 5 months. I only do now if he is poopy or super soaked. We have occasionally found ourselves lying in his pee







:, not very fun.


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## Altair (May 1, 2005)

I plan to have my crib side-carred and have the bottom half of it set up as a quick changing place... just a changing mat and a few quick diapers and some wipes I wet before going to bed in a little wipe case.


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## paulamc (Jun 25, 2008)

We figured out the joys of side lying nursing about 2 weeks ago, when he was 2 months - yay!!

--Initially I'd turn on the light and check his diaper and if he wasn't wet, try to cue him to pee (we do elimination communication) and if he did pee, I'd change his diaper real quick on the bed. He wouldn't tolerate going to the potty when just woken up. Then I'd nurse him to sleep and not worry about a diaper change after that.
--Then I decided to start doing the diaper changes more quickly and in the dark. I stopped wiping since that meant going to the bathroom to wet a wipe, and I'd heard other mamas here say they sometimes don't wipe when it's just pee. I'd keep the light off and do it fast.
--Eventually I realized that if I didn't cue him to pee, he'd stay dry all night! So now I check the diaper and if it's dry, which it is the vast majority of the time, we just nurse and go back to sleep. You might find when your little one gets just a bit older that he stays dry anyway. I've started having him sleep in just a fitted diaper without a cover so I can easily tell if he's wet - but I wouldn't do that if he wasn't staying dry most of the time anyway.

Anytime he's wet, I'll change him - I don't want him to get used to staying in a wet diaper, since we EC.

I always wonder if people burp their little ones when they nurse lying down at night - I don't, but wonder if I should. That would ruin everything though as he'd totally wake up!


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## Code Name Mama (Oct 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *calebsmommy25* 
I don't get up anymore to change him, but did probably for the first 5 months. I only do now if he is poopy or super soaked. We have occasionally found ourselves lying in his pee







:, not very fun.









: we also use the "changing table" as a diaper/brp rag/etc. station, and it's butted up against our bed. so if i changed him, i never had to get up. if dh did, he just had to walk around the bed.


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## megan sacha (Oct 24, 2005)

Once they stop pooping overnight you don't need to change their diapers anymore, just make sure you have a nice absorbent diaper. Wool covers are great for night time because they absorb any excess that escapes the diaper.

And, once they are a few weeks old and begin burping on their own, you don't need to burp, which indeed can wake them up!


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I only changed diapers at night when my kids pooped- which was almost every feeding in the newborn phase. By the time they could go overnight without pooping (or at least didn't poop at night EVERY night) I'd leave the same diaper on all night.

Disposable diapers seemed to hold enough liquid without any special accomodations. When I used cloth diapers (flats and prefolds) I'd use extras for overnight- sometimes needing to size up on the covers for nighttime. I used to use 2-3 diapers during the day (thin cheap diapers) and 5 for overnights. I didn't put DS into cloth diapers until he was a toddler, and I made him fitteds with snap-in doublers that held plenty of pee. I used wool covers overnight, or wool pajama pants in place of covers.


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

We haven't changed a diaper at night since DD was a few weeks old. She stopped pooping at night then. Now I just change before we go to bed and in the morning. No leaks here.


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## Amber Lion (Sep 22, 2006)

Ok, is my Addie just a super soaker or something? We use cloth (prefolds and kissaluvs) and wool covers exclusively, but after a few pees it's completely soaked through (even when freshly lanolized). The night we ended up in a puddle of pee I had her in a growing green onesize with the insert b/c it's much thicker than her normal diapers. It did hold a couple pees, but obviously it did not, nor the wool, contain my little niagra falls.

For those who don't change diapers at night, are your LO just not peeing at night or they're peeing multiple times and the diaper is containing it all?

I'd really like to keep using wool, but I guess if I have to I can get some PLU covers. I got up every time she woke up last night to change her diaper, then crawled back in bed and nursed her. Neither one of us was very happy about it; we both woke up completely and then had to get back to sleep - not the sleepy-pop-a-boob-in-the-half-awake-mouth experience I was starting to love.


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## megan sacha (Oct 24, 2005)

just add some more absorbency to your dipe. PUL won't help if the cloth is getting soaked...you'll just bet a bigger puddle of pee.







:


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## Juniperberry (Apr 2, 2008)

I keep a box of wipes and 2-3 diapers on my side table. I also have a towel draped over my side table light so when I need to change his diaper in the middle of the night I can put the light on but it isnt bright at all and I just sit up and lay ds on the bed in front of me. I never get up to change him


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## paulamc (Jun 25, 2008)

Oh - forgot to mention, I recently installed a night-light so I'd be able to do changes in the night and get him latched on without turning on the light. I have receiving blankets draped over my lamp shades - that works great for winding down in a dimly lit room in the evening, but it's too bright for middle of the night diaper changes.


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## Burnindinner (Mar 11, 2008)

We have an arm's reach co-sleeper. I use that as a change table at night, not usually for him to sleep in! I second whoever has a nightlight so they can see to change the baby, wipes and extra diapers in the co-sleeper, and I have a wet bag.

Btw, the BumGenius does the best for us at absorbing all the pee (and there is a LOT). I go ahead and change after each feed, not just the poos. He has a diaper rash and sleeps through post-feed changes anyway.


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## shanahan (Jan 16, 2008)

my son rarely pooped at night for some reason... At first, I ALWAYS changed him, but then realized it was just waking us both up more, and he didn't really need it. I probably stopped around 2 months?!

but I don't cloth diaper him at night - I can barely cd him during naps!! He is a super soaker!! We used Pamper's Swaddlers for a long time, and when he grew out of those, we use the Huggies overnights. Even the "eco-friendly" disposable diapers (7th gen, and Nature Baby from Target) can't hold his night time pee - but he gets more upset by diaper changes than full diapers, so I let him (and me) sleep in peace....


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## Amber Lion (Sep 22, 2006)

A nightlight is out - neither Dh nor I could sleep with one unfortunately. And diaper changes always wake her up.

I tried putting a kissaluv on her then folding up a prefold and wrapping that around her bum under her wool cover and we made it from 10:30 till 6 without a leak and I finally got up and changed it b/c it felt pretty damp. I'm not sure how I feel about her sitting in a wet diaper all night, but we both got better sleep. Until I find a better solution I guess this is what we'll be doing!

Thanks Mommas!


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## claddaghmom (May 30, 2008)

DH said I handle the intake he handles the outake.









But she's done with pooping at nght.


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## emmaegbert (Sep 14, 2004)

I used to do something like what you describe you just figured out- just LOTS of absorbancy. Looks kind of funny but it doesn't seem to bother the baby. I got some kissaluvs doublers and they were great. I also, at that time, used PUL covers and they didn't leak IF there was plenty of diaper in there and IF the cover was big enough to completely cover everything. We discovered wool later and only have leaks if it needs lanolizing or if the pjs are tight and I think they actually press and wick the liquid out.

Disposible diapers always had leaky problems for my son at night. Always. Many different brands.

If you don't already, I'd also recommend just putting an old towel and/or a wool blanket under your sheet on the part of the bed where baby sleeps.

And yes, I kept an extra diaper and cover right there at the bedside if I needed it. I got so I'd just sleep through the side-lying nursing, and just didn't change his dipe. If it was poo, or I woke up enough and could feel it was wet, sure, I'd change it (and just drop the dirty one over the side of the bed...). But honestly, if its not waking the baby up, how uncomfortable can it be?? Make sure to have some good "naked-time" the next morning, sort of balance things out...


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## cloverd (Dec 12, 2008)

I change at night at any age. I just keep a few extra diapers on the top corner of the bed and throw the wet ones in the general direction of the laundry basket or diaper pail.


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## Down2Earth (Jan 23, 2008)

I tried doing a double diaper but my lo didn't like it. So if I see her fussing in her sleep I just change her. I keep a basket with dipes and wipes and just change her on the bed. I also have a baby brite light that is a life saver. It is bright enough to see by but doesn't affect my night vision. I use it for changes or if we are having trouble latching on.


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## Dahlea (May 15, 2008)

I extra stuff his pockets at night. Our baby actually won't go to sleep in the dark so we always have a small lamp on. I've found it's enough to change him by. I just keep everything by the bed, get up, use the bathroom myself and get his wipe wet, come back, change him on the bed, and attempt to go back to sleep.


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## Breeder (May 28, 2006)

I second the Bum Genius dipes, with the doubler they are pretty much the hoover dam of diapers. I don't change through the night, the dipes feel pretty dry in the morning even though the insert is soaked.


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## funkymamajoy (May 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amber Lion* 
Do you have diaper changing supplies right by your bed?









:


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## To-Fu (May 23, 2007)

We value sleep too much to do diaper changes at night when the baby is asleep; he is a light sleeper and has always woken up for diaper changes at night the few times we've had to do them (it's been a while since he outgrew the newborn phase).

Of course, if he were to poop or if I thought he had a rash, I would do the changing thing. We just use a nighttime diaper (super stuffed BGs) and the baby and I lie on an extra blanket in case of leaks (which rarely happen).


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## Eben'sMama (Jun 29, 2006)

We use a crazy combo of VBSNs, extra hemp doublers, CPFs, and Imse Vimse PUL covers under Aristocrats soakers for our super-soaker boys. We have never had a leak since we figured out our nighttime diaper system. If they absolutely need to be changed, or if they just can't/won't sleep, DH gets up with them. He always has. I do the round the clock nursing and he does that, so it evens out.


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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amber Lion* 
So, co-sleepers, do you get up and change diapers at night? Do you have diaper changing supplies right by your bed? Do you have some fantastically thick diaper that your DC can pee in numerous times without it soaking through?

Normally I wait till morning now that she's older (8mos) but tonight I could have sworn she poo'd, so here I go changing her in the middle of the freaking night and nooooooooooooooooo she's just wet. And awake.

ARGH!


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## butterfly_mommy (Oct 22, 2007)

For us once he stopped pooping at night it took months of trial and error to get a good overnight diaper solution.

We now use a fleece lined Happy Hempy fitted pocket diaper stuffed with a Happy heiny hemp stuffing with one oval in it and a HH microfiber insert. Then an Aristocrat soaker or Babyology longies over that (in the a bigger size to accomidate the diaper) Then jammies over that. It is rare that we get a leak and DS can go about 11-12 hours in that and he is a big soaker.

Last week I was at my mom's and didn't get a chance to wash his night time diaper and had to use something else. I used a TT fitted with a doubler in it (during the day I use this for naps or long car trips with wool and it rarley leaks) and a prefold under an Aristocrat soaker and after 5 hours at 1 in the morning went to nurse him and was woken by liquid hitting my hip







: I had to do a late night in bed change and forgot what a hassle it was, luckily DS slept threw it and I had his sheep skin that I just threw on top of the wet spot









Anyway I suggest developing a good night time diaper solution and then keeping a small basket with diapering supplies near the bed in case of a leak.


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## pixiepunk (Mar 11, 2003)

our co-sleeper has always been a night time changing station - stacked with a couple of diapers and cloth wipes and with a bucket on the floor next to it for dirties. i'm doing night time EC with this one, though, so mostly it just held the little potty.

for seeing in the dark without waking everyone up, i use a little headlamp (like the kind you might use when camping, that goes around your head with elastic). then i can see what i'm doing without making it really bright in the bedroom. or if you have a book lamp you could probably clip that onto the bed or something.

a wool army blanket or a lambskin or a nekkie blankie underneath baby in the bed will help keep the sheets from getting soaked, so you might want to consider that.


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