Book light lets baby sleep through nighttime diaper changes

Scott's lighting solution for when he needs to change diapers in the dark:

Get a book light!  A simple off-the-shelf book light produces just enough light so you can see what you're doing, but still keeps the room dark so your child can sleep through the process.

You can clip the book light to the table, to a changing pad cover, a bed sheet, or just about anything.   The flexible part also helps in positioning the light just right.

Newer book lights use LED bulbs which are safer and produce no heat.

Great idea, although once the baby gets grabby, the light will be the prime target. Here's where a head-mounted flashlight might come in handy. Seriously! We own one and I can't tell you how many times we use it!

Does your kid sleep through diaper changes? How do you manage it?

Related: Baseball cap + a clip-on light = a better bedtime reading lamp

Also: Hacking nighttime diapers (literally!) to reduce leakage

Comments

[Debi]

I loved using the booklight for trimming finger & toe nails. I was always freaked out in fear of cutting my little one with the clippers and it was just sooo much easier to handle that job while she was sleeping.

[Amanda]

Hold on, how does the baby stay asleep during a diaper change? And why are you changing the diaper in the middle of the night if it is not waking up the child?

[Asha Dornfest]

Lots of folks on Twitter/Facebook are asking the same thing: why change diapers at night?

[Kate]

We installed a dimmer switch in the baby's bedroom. So much easier than trying to find a light. And when the baby is older, we can leave the light on "low" to scare the monsters away.

[Wilson Family Adventure]

What a great idea. I wish I would have know this little tip 2 years ago.

[Jennifer L.]

I use Huggies overnight diapers. They are awesome!

[CraezieLady]

Eh, I guess it's just personal preference. If baby's still doing overnight feedings, he or she might have a pretty saturated diaper overnight. Sometimes this bothers parents more than babies. Then there are the night-poopers and the side-leakers. If you have one of those, you have to get to it before it becomes chaos.
My oldest liked to have a blow-out every time he nursed and if it was a night feed, he didn't necessarily wake up for the feeding or the blow-out.
Happy changing, folks!

[Lorraine]

We always used a red light bulb in a small lamp when our kids were babies and needed nighttime diaper changes. The red light provided just the right amount of light for the task but preserved our night vision without triggering the awakening response of white light for the baby. By far my favorite tip for new parents.

[Rebecca]

We used the red light bulb trick, too. Works like a voodoo charm. Highly recommended.

[Nicole]

As soon as my son could fit into the size 3 Huggies Overnights I stopped doing overnight diaper changes. There's no reason to change a baby who is over 3 months old in the middle of the night unless they're poopy. If you're worried about diaper rash just slather on some Desitin or Balmex before bed. The light is a great idea for the first few months. Our nursery has a dimmer switch for the main light so I just turned it on the lowest setting and it worked great for me.

[Cheryl]

We used the dimmer switches, too. They were GREAT--easy to control and no fumbling for a switch in the dark. I changed diapers when I was up to feed during the night if it was needed, and I always used clothe diapers.

[maternity tee girl]

I LOVE this idea!!! Brilliant. I'm going to pass this on to my sister!

[Daniel]

It's been shown that nighttime light is distuptive to melatonin production and one's circadian rhythm. It is actually the blue light that causes this disruption. LowBlueLights.com has developed lights and other products that block blue light. They have a two-armed booklight which has amber (no-blue) LEDs which would be very helpful in promoting excellent sleep habits for both parents and babies.

[sleep]

This product is brilliant. It is hard to keep a baby sleeping through a nighttime diaper change. Hopefully, this works for moms. Sleep is crucial for kids especially babies.

[cindy crawford bedding]

This tiny book light is really helpful to moms who is burning their midnight candle to change diapers of their babies. But sometimes lighting would have negative effect on babies eyes especially if it is still in infancy. So it's better to take this on if the baby is asleep.