Could my baby's nappy be stopping her from settling?

What actually happened

She was crying because she was tired and wouldn't sleep. We'd fed her fifteen minutes earlier. We tried everything suggested and none of it worked.

Then: her crying stopped as soon as I took off her nappy.

And the follow-up question, which was the right one — is it possible the nappies are too small?

They were.

Why this is worth its own guide

Because the entire internet sends you towards technique. Dark room, white noise, swaddle, rocking, wake windows.

All of that is useful and none of it will work on a baby who is physically uncomfortable. We spent an hour applying sleep advice to a problem that was solved by a different sized nappy.

So the order is wrong in most of what you'll read. Physical first, technique second.

The checklist we now run first

Nappy — not just wet or dirty, but the fit. Too tight at the waist or legs, red marks, or a size she's outgrown. Babies move up sizes faster than you'd think and the packet weight ranges are generous.

Temperature — feel her chest or the back of her neck, not her hands. Too warm is more common than too cold.

Clothing — a label scratching, a seam under her back, a sleeve twisted, a popper done up wrong.

A hair or thread wrapped around a finger or toe. It sounds far-fetched and it genuinely happens, and it's painful.

And trapped air, which is worth checking by burping her before trying another sleep trick.

If none of those, undress her completely and look at all of her. It takes two minutes and it has ended more evenings than any technique we know.

A baby who can't tell you what's wrong will use the same cry for all of it.

The cry cannot tell you exactly what is wrong, but the order of your checks can help. Start with what you can see and feel, then try the settling routine.

We've lost whole evenings to this. It is the single most practical thing in this batch.