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How Often Should I Change My Baby’s Diaper?

by ANB Baby Sales 29 Mar 2022

When you think of becoming a parent you picture sofa snuggles, squishy cheeks and gummy smiles, and you’re not wrong; there’s plenty of those and they’re the best! There are also plenty of other things that are less cute, like sleepless nights, crying and diapers, LOTS of diapers!

In fact, “how often should I change my baby’s diaper?” is a question lots of parents ask themselves. The answer to the question will depend on your baby, their age and their particular needs, but this guide should give you some quick and easy advice to get you started.

How often should a baby’s diaper be changed?

A general rule is that a baby’s diaper should be changed frequently - every two to three hours, or when it is needed. By that we mean if your baby’s diaper is feeling full or heavy, even if it was only changed an hour ago, it would be a good idea to change it again. If your baby poops they also need changing right away, even if it’s only a small one and even if it’s in a clean diaper. If your baby seems unsettled or grizzly, a diaper change can help. After all, sitting in a full diaper can't be nice. Changing often will reduce the chance of your baby getting a sore bottom too.

How often should you change a newborn’s diaper?

A newborn baby's diaper will need changing every two to three hours too, and again, poops or full diapers need changing right away. This applies to the night too. Your newborn will be feeding lots in the night, and more than likely awake lots too, so use these small (or big!) wake periods to change them into a fresh diaper every couple of hours.

How often should I change my baby’s diaper at night?

As your baby gets older, they may begin sleeping for longer stretches at night. You may then wonder if you should disturb their sleep to change their diaper. General advice is that a good, absorbent nappy can be left while your baby is sleeping at night. If your baby poops in the night, their diaper will need changing right away. Some babies sleep through a diaper change if you keep the lights dim and the noise low. Good tips for nighttime diapering include changing your baby’s diaper right before they go to bed for the night, size up on diapers for nighttime (so they’re bigger and absorb more), and change your baby’s diaper as soon as they wake in the morning.

How often should I change cloth diapers?

Many cloth diapers have good absorbency and should also be changed every two to three hours. You should also look to do this through the night while your baby is a newborn. As your baby gets older extra inserts and boosters can be used to reduce the number of times your baby needs changing in the night, so as not to disturb those precious, longer sleep stretches.

Should I change my baby’s diaper before or after a feed?

This is a personal choice and varies from baby to baby. You may know that your baby will wake up hungry from a nap and poop right after a feed. In this case you may choose to feed them as soon as they wake knowing they’ll poop and be changed right away. An older baby may wake from a longer nap raring to play. If this is the case, you may choose to change their diaper as soon as they wake as it may have been a couple of hours since their last change. Or, perhaps after a feed you know your baby will drift off to sleep, in which case a fresh diaper will be good to have on before a feed.

Given you may be changing over 10 diapers a day, good diapering gear is a must. Shop the full ANB Baby diapering collection, which includes changing tables, cloth diapers, diaper caddies and more.


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