10 "Who Knew?" Baby How-Tos

Your baby has just finished his late-night feeding and is happily dozing off when you suddenly hear a tiny explosion -- and get a whiff of that telltale sour smell wafting out of his crib. If you turn on the lights to change him, he'll think, "Whee, it's time to play!" But with a little prep and practice, you can swap out his diaper without flipping the switch -- and disturbing his peaceful slumber. First, stock up on sleepwear that doesn't require twisting baby into a pretzel to undress him, says Carrie Kennison, R.N., a pediatric nurse and mom of two who blogs at OurTipsAndTales.com. She recommends you skip the footed sleepers entirely. Just put a zip-up sleep sack, like a Carter's sleep bag, directly over his all-in-one. There's no need to fly completely blind; plug in a dim night-light near the crib so you don't accidentally diaper your honeybun's head. "Don't even bother to take the baby out of the crib," Kennison advises. Just unzip the sleep sack and all-in-one, slide the fresh diaper under his bottom, remove the dirty one, swipe with a wipe (warm it up by rubbing it in your hands for a moment so the cold doesn't startle your munchkin awake), and fasten the new diaper. With any luck, he'll be dreaming about Elmo and kitty cats through the whole presto chango.