Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece – my opinion. This is not advice, this is not medically proven, this is not even a recommendation. It is just that – my opinion.
How often to change a diaper? When they have pooped, as quickly as possible. Poop will irritate the skin much more quickly than pee, it carries the risk of fecal infection and obviously, it smells!
But for a pee nappy, my answer is very controversial. Almost all the articles out there says that you need to change a nappy often, even just for pee. Obviously, in the case of vintage cloth nappies, this is the case, purely because the cloth can only absorb so much and pretty soon the clothes are wet, and the couch or carpet the baby sat on, etc. But, in the case of disposable nappies, and even modern cloth nappies, it is not the case.
I have not been able to afford to change my babies’ nappies that often. So I didn’t. I raised 5 kids with an average of 3 nappies a day (first 2 months not included). I would let them walk with that nappy until it started to drag on the floor… well, I may be exaggerating a little. But I changed the nappies when they were hanging low or started to disintegrate, and jelly fluff formed a trail behind them.
I was financially challenged, so you probably don’t need to go that far. But, if you have to, you could. I don’t see why you need to change a diaper every 90 minutes or 2 hours. At the nursery school they asked for 8 nappies a day. I couldn’t afford that.
However, there are disclaimers. I used decent amounts of barrier creams on their bums, whether it be pure Vaseline, Fissan Paste, some pharmacy blend of zinc and castor oil or then my own Baby Bum Cream, I always made sure their bums were well protected.
And, when they did develop a rash, I treated it quickly and changed the nappies often until the rash healed. I also increased water intake to dilute the intensity of the pee. I was privileged, my kids didn’t develop a lot of rashes. Except baby #4, but he suffered from allergies and eczema, which made his case unique.
So, if your baby has a healthy skin, there is no need to change pee diapers that often. At night, let your baby sleep, unless it is a poo diaper, or unless the diaper leaks.
Use your own discretion, and no matter what anyone else says: the health of your baby comes first.