18 Month Old Keeps Putting Hand in Diaper

Put a onsie on underneath his clothes. If he's to big for a onsie, put him in one piece pj's that zip up instead of button.

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hi A., can you please send me any advice you get on this, I'm going threw the same thing with my 2 1/2 so right now. Yesterday while he was in the babysitting room at the Y, I got the call that he pooped , I went down there and he tells me he pooped then stuck his hands down the back of his pants and dragged it up all over his back. Of course thats the day i dont pack spare clothes so he walked out of the Y in his sneakers and a diaper. So pleasssse send any advise to ____@____.com. Thanks! B. H

I have a two year old daughter and she does this also; she thinks it is funny and laughs. I try to discourage her from doing it by telling her ieww that is disgusting. She then says "disgusting" [in her own funny way], and i say yes, disgusting. She laughs more. I check her diaper and wash her hands. At these young ages babies/toddlers tend to do funny/unusual things.

Maybe putting him in a onesie for his size or a little jumper until he breaks the habit? Just a guess. I hope this helps!

Well the onesie will definately work

but you could try G diapers , they fasten at the back and will give a little and not rip or tear

http://www.gdiapers.com/

they are cloth diapers

I use a cloth prefold instead of the flushable

the way I look at it your already cleaning pee and poop
at least this way its all contained.

with cloth diapers you smell the poop right away so it would lessen the chance of getting poop on his hands.

and helps to transition to the potty.

better for the enviornment aswell LOL

cheaper.

this is a phase, like all others it will stop but I find that putting onesies on under all clothes helps(or using these as pj's...of course the next phase is the ripping off of the onesie.... :) but hopefully this will help...they also sell crib savers...that you put on top of your sheets for spit up and overflow situations...they are waterproof, soft, flat, almost like a mat...a toddler may just pick it up and play with it but it's worth a shot...changing sheets daily is a real pain! Good luck!

At 18 months he needs to learn it's not okay. Try keeping him in overalls or one-piece stuff so he can't reach it, and when he does, take his hand out, tell him 'no', and re-direct him.

My son did the same thing at night when he was about the same age, so I put him in a onesie. It worked like a charm...no more wet sheets. He has outgrown this stage now and the onsies helped us get through it! Good luck! :-)

It's a phase, but a very gross one. We started potty training early (23 months) because of it, and once he was fully potty trained (2 yrs, 2 months), the "poop playing" stopped.
Good luck, and hang in there...as they say, "Boys will be Boys".

HI! I just read the other responses first because my daughter does the same thing. She is now 22 months old! However, she can do it even WITH THE ONESIE! I try to redirect her hands but my husband says she is keeping her hands warm! I think it is just a phase like teeth grinding! I HOPE!!! Anyway try the onesies it did work briefly for me until she learned how to get in those too! A.

HI

How about overalls or clothing that makes his diaper less accessible.

I keep my 19 month old in onsie t-shirts so she can't play with her diaper.

Oh boy does this bring back memories! My middle child did this, she is 6 1/2 now. The only thing that worked was to put on those zip up PJ's but put them on backwards and zip it up the back. Worked like a charm. Hope this helps.

My son was taking his off so I started putting him in onesies. He was annoyed at first, but got used to it.

My son did this too. Like others I tired putting him in a onsie during naps, but after I changed him and he was clean I gave him time to "play" with himself while naked, before I put his diaper back on. It's a normal phase of exploring his body.

Hi A., It is normal for a child to put his hand in his diaper and yes it is very gross when it is dirty. You could tell him to let you know when he is dirty and change him right away and maybe when he goes in for a nap make the diaper a little tighter or put on a onsie. Grandma Mary

you could also consider potty training him. keep him in the onesies during naps/nighttime, but during the day give him the "responsibility" of a t-shirt, and place him on the potty when you notice his hands there (and after meals, when they're most likely to need to go anyway). or switch him directly into training pants (+ potty of course, with diapers for nights/naptimes). you'll have a few days of a mess, but it sounds like you have that anyway. the messes should subside quickly as he realizes he can have control (with your help/guidance). again, being "allowed" to wear a t-shirt becomes a big responsibility, so you can make a big deal out of it. but by all means, explain in simple language why he's has to wear onesies.

I agree, it's about creative dressing. Keep him in a snap crotch onsie all the time. At bedtime, use one piece pj's that zip or snap and do them backwards. For naps, dress him in overalls. Make it hard or impossible for him to get at his diaper.