Should you change baby before or after feeding

One of the worst moments for a parent with a new baby is when your baby is screaming and it only gets more stressful when it’s the middle of the night. They’re wet and hungry and you have to figure out what to do first. Do you change them or feed them? 

There are some cases, such as a very wet, pooped, or leaking diaper that necessitates changing it first; otherwise, it’s really up to the situation. If you want your baby to fall asleep after feeding – especially if it’s the middle of the night – you should change their diaper first or try a feeding sandwich so they are relaxed and ready for sleep.

Read on to learn more about different situations where you might feed or change a diaper first.

• Should you change baby’s diaper before or after feeding?
• Should I change baby’s diaper at every feeding
• Changing diaper before or after feeding
  • Changing baby’s diaper first
  • Feeding baby first
  • Feeding sandwich
• Change diaper before or after a night feed

Should you change baby’s diaper before or after feeding?

There is not a single, straightforward answer as to whether you should change your baby’s diaper before or after feeding them, but there are some clear scenarios where one may be a better choice.

If it’s daytime, you should check to see if the diaper is soiled or overly wet; if not, feel free to go ahead and feed your hungry baby. If, however, it’s nighttime and you want your little one to go back to sleep easily, you should change the diaper first (or before switching sides if you’re breastfeeding) so your baby can relax and fall asleep while feeding.

There are of course situations where an immediate diaper change is necessary. If a diaper is full, or your baby has a blow out then of course you would change it before feeding them. 

Another situation where a diaper change may need to be first is if your baby has sensitive skin. Diaper changes were done always first to prevent irritation.

Should I change baby’s diaper at every feeding

With a newborn, you will most likely change your baby at every feeding but an older infant will need less frequent diaper changes. This means that as your baby gets older, they will not need a change at every feeding. 

In the newborn days, your baby will usually need a diaper change every two to three hours. This will change as your baby gets older since as they get older and their digestive systems mature, babies will start pooping and peeing less often.

To be on the safe side, I would check the diaper before feeding then after to see if a change was needed. You will also learn your baby’s patterns and will be able to more accurately predict when they’ll need that change.

Changing diaper before or after feeding

From talking to other parents, reading various parenting forums, and from personal experience, most seem to agree with changing a diaper before feeding, especially with younger infants.

There are definitely situations where diaper changes are needed after feeding, but most people seem to feel that changing a diaper beforehand is the best way. One reason many parents prefer this is because it tends to make the baby more comfortable. Many babies will not settle down to eat until that diaper is changed. 

There is no “wrong” way to do this, however. It varies by baby, parent, and situation. Most parents will have a preference but specific situations will occur where they may decide to change the order of things. 

Changing baby’s diaper first

When a baby needs both at the same time, there are situations where changing a diaper first would be absolutely necessary.

Always change your baby’s diaper before feeding if:

• the diaper is full
• there is poop
• there is leakage.

Leaving a baby in a full diaper for too long, even if it’s just pee, could also be harmful since that gives bacteria a place and chance to grow. This could lead to urinary tract infections as well as diaper rashes. 

For babies with sensitive skin or those who are prone to diaper rashes, it would be especially important to change poop diapers first before feeding. Babies who have a current rash would also need to be changed to prevent bacteria from causing a bigger infection. 

In these situations, your baby might feel highly uncomfortable and would want their diaper changed immediately. Also, there is the mess factor or the parent as well. Trying to feed a baby with a diaper or outfit that’s soaked with pee would create a bigger mess. 

Feeding baby first

There are also times when it’s important to feed the baby first. 

Situations where you may want to feed your baby first include:

• Your baby is super hungry and the diaper is not in dire condition.
• If your baby doesn’t have a soaking diaper and you want to keep them up for longer periods of time
• If your baby tends to poop at the end of a feeding
• When it’s more convenient overall

Often sleepy babies may stay up longer if they get a diaper change second. Many parents do this when they want to try to keep a baby awake longer and it is mostly done during the day. 

Feeding sandwich

For many babies, changing their diaper tends to wake them up more. In that case, you might want to consider a “feeding sandwich.”

The feeding sandwich is when you feed your baby, pause halfway through to change their diaper, then continue the feeding. Nursing mothers will usually use this technique and change the baby before switching sides. For bottle-fed babies, parents just watch the bottle to be half-finished before pausing to do a quick diaper change then let the baby finish the bottle.

Here is when many parents would opt for this:

• In the middle of the night if a baby needs to be changed
• If the baby is about to go down for a nap

Both these options center around sleep. By sandwiching the change in between feeds the baby is able to drift back to sleep without the jostling of the diaper change before being placed back in the crib.

Change diaper before or after a night feed

When it comes to night changes, many parents opt for either changing a baby’s diaper first or doing the sandwich feed (feed, change, feed). There are very good reasons for both techniques.

When a parent changes the baby’s diaper first the baby is jostled awake and is more alert, making feeding them easier. This is especially important during the newborn days when it is recommended that the baby eat every 2 to 3 hours. According to the Mayo Clinic, waking a newborn to eat is important until they are back up to birth weight and establish a specific weight gain pattern. 

When a baby is super hungry in the middle of the night, the sandwich feed is highly recommended. This way, the baby can eat and calm down before a diaper change then finish eating once clean. The second portion of the feeding can help put the back baby to sleep.

The consensus among many of the parents is to try to avoid changing diapers in the middle of the night if possible. This may cause your baby to become more awake and alert, leading them to play instead of going back to sleep. 

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