After a feed, record the start and end times first. Add the feeding method, breast side, or a measured amount when that detail matters to your family. After a diaper or nappy change, the time and a clear type, such as wet or dirty, are usually enough. Do not guess a duration or amount later. A short, accurate entry is more useful than a detailed note nobody reads.
Save the event first
At 2:10 a.m., the time feels impossible to forget. After the next wake-up, two similar feeds can blur together. The first step should take a few seconds: start or stop the feed, or mark the diaper or nappy change.
You can add details after the baby settles or check the entry in the morning. This matters most for timed events. An app cannot recover the real start time of an event that was never saved.
After breastfeeding
For a breastfeed, you may want to record:
- the start and end times;
- left, right, or both breasts when your family uses that detail;
- a short note when you have a specific question for your partner or doctor.
Do not turn the duration into an estimated amount. If the amount was not measured, leave it blank. A log should preserve what happened rather than invent precision.
After a bottle or pumping
After a bottle, record the time, what was in the bottle, and a measured amount when you use that information. In a baby log, the feeding method might be expressed breast milk or formula. For pumping, you can record the breast side and amount.
If the amount prepared and the amount taken both matter, agree on one rule. For example, the amount field can always mean the amount taken, while the prepared amount goes in the note. Without a shared rule, two parents may read the same number differently.
Keep the unit explicit too. "60" without ml or g only looks clear at the moment you enter it.
After a diaper or nappy change
For an ordinary entry, the time and type are enough. Mark wet or dirty using the same words your partner uses.
A note is not required after every change. Add one when there is a specific observation you want to discuss later. Do not use the note field to make your own medical assessment.
The University Hospital Southampton NHS breastfeeding diary has separate fields for the time, left or right breast, wet nappies, and dirty nappies. This article uses only that record structure, not the document's medical thresholds.
A short sequence is enough
A few entries might look like this:
- 1:40 a.m., breastfeeding started, right breast.
- 2:05 a.m., feed ended.
- 2:15 a.m., wet diaper or nappy.
- 4:30 a.m., 60 ml formula bottle.
That sequence shows the time and type of each event. If an entry is wrong, correct it. Do not add a second entry that explains the first one.
If you need to bring the data to an appointment, read how to prepare a baby feeding and sleep log for a doctor. It covers checking the history and choosing PDF or CSV.
How Closeby helps
In Closeby, you can start and stop a feed in one tap. An entry can include the feeding method, breast side, an amount in ml or g, and a note. Wet and dirty diaper or nappy changes have separate quick actions.
If you forget an event, add it manually with the actual time. You can edit or delete an incorrect entry. Your partner sees the updated history through your shared iCloud log.
Closeby stores facts. It does not decide whether a baby is feeding normally or how many diaper or nappy changes there should be each day. Discuss those questions with a qualified clinician.
Today, agree on one rule for amounts and one set of names for diaper or nappy changes. The next entry will make sense to both parents without another message.