POOP
It is typically not a big issue if a baby poops while he is sleeping. Your baby is still little, producing baby poop, and is slightly unaware of what is happening down there in the diaper while snoozing. However, when your older baby begins to eat solid food and has different types of food to digest, pooping in the night or during a nap can be a regular occurrence that derails your child’s sleep.
Is your child pooping at five o’clock in the morning and cannot go back to sleep?
Kids love fruit! Fruit is a very healthy part of your child’s diet. However, it is important to choose when they eat fiber fruits. Eating fiber fruits or fiber foods for dinner can produce a 5:00 am poop. Try doing fiber for breakfast instead of dinner.
Is your child a bit constipated by the new foods they are trying?
Bearing down to poop while asleep will most definitely wake your baby up from a good sleep. Keeping your child hydrated is very important to make sure they do not get constipated. Remember that a lot of first foods are constipating like rice and banana.
Is poop sitting in your baby’s diaper too long and causing a diaper rash?
Diaper rash hurts and that is never comfortable, especially when your child pees as urine burns. Try lathering Original Boudreaux's Butt Paste all over your child’s bottom before you put on the nighttime diaper.
I love a white Butt paste because it creates a great barrier. Most use it sparingly, but I advise you to really go for it! If your child has a diaper rash, the paste - applied in a thick coat can really help protect her.
If you are concerned that your child has pooped and you still have hours left before wake-up time, I suggest sneaking in and doing a fast “butt sniff” through the diaper.
If your child has pooped it is time for you to do a Ninja diaper change. This has to be a quiet and stealthy operation. Get the job done and put your baby back into the crib. It is always a good idea to have an extra set of jammies, a sleep sack, and a diaper out and ready on the changing table.
Is your child waking up an hour into his nap with poop and cannot fall back to sleep.
A poop during a nap can be very derailing. It typically happens when your baby goes to one nap a day. The one nap schedule starts at 11:30 am and at 12:30 pm your child has very likely digested the lunch you gave them right before the nap!
Try doing a healthy snack or lunch “part #1” at 10:30 am and milk before nap. When your baby wakes at 1:30 pm they can have lunch “part #2”.
PEE
Your child may be a big milk drinker and produce a lot of urine while sleeping. his is not a problem unless the urine is leaking from his diaper.
Is your child leaking pee through her diaper, P.J.’s, and sleep sack?
Leaking pee sleep makes PJ and sleep sack material wet and cold, and makes it very uncomfortable for your child to sleep. Try using a nighttime diaper for an older child. You may need to go up a size at night to contain pee. Try a Sposie absorbent booster pad and go up a size in the diaper at night.
The Sposie is a pad that can help soak up the extra urine. Remember that boys urinate up the side of their bodies and girls' leakage is typically down! Some double up a diaper but I find that to be very restrictive and prefer the booster pad and trying different sizes and brands first.
TEETH
Teeth are one of life’s greatest mysteries. Your child will be in and out of teething for two years! We don’t want teeth to be a reason for your child not sleeping through the night.
Is your baby or toddler sleep trained, a great sleeper but is now waking up in the early morning or struggling during naps and having difficulty going back to sleep? If you suspect your child is teething because they have started to have wakings that are noticeable at night, you may want to try some of these solutions.
Call your pediatrician and ask about pain medication such as Tylenol or Motrin. Motrin lasts longer and is good to cover longer stretches at nighttime but can only be given to babies six months or older.
The biggest issue with giving pain medication is that you may find yourself guessing and not fully knowing that the issue is teething because you cannot see a tooth yet.
Not knowing for sure makes those choices harder but remember that teething pain is present the days and weeks before a tooth pops through. Try soaking a baby washcloth with water and placing it in your freezer. Babies love to chew on the cold wet fabric.
If your older baby is teething and has already had solids, I suggest getting a Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. Stuff the feeder with organic chunks of mango - you need to pack it very tight to look like a popsicle.
Put your baby in her high chair and let her chew on the juicy yummy frozen fruit. She will be so happy! If you and your baby are experiencing any of these issues, these sleep tweaks will help your baby get back on track to enjoying a good night's sleep!
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