Changing Diaper, a NIGHTMARE

My daughter is 7 months old and is also twisting all over the place when I change her. Try to remember that your son is not TRYING to drive you crazy with the diaper changing. Rather than dreding the experience, try to embrace it!! Give him a focus....Give him a toy when you are changing him. Sing to him. Tell nursery rhymes. Give eskimo kisses. Play patty cake with his feet. My little one loves things with strings. Try giving a little shoe to hold!

This sounds like my diaper changing experience with my 14-month-old son. My son will not lay still and he carries on like I’m torturing him. I actually started changing him on the floor in fear he would catapult himself off the changing table. I also try to divert his attention with a toy, or by singing to him. Or I tickle his belly to make him start laughing and take his mind off what’s going on :) I have become a really fast diaper changer! Good luck, hopefully it’s all just a "phase".

I'm not sure how old your son is? Mine would roll, kick, and fight me, and this was right around 16 months. I implemented "diaper treats." We had been to a party and had a roll of Smarties handy, so I waited until a diaper change had gone without incident, and rewarded my son, calling it a diaper treat, and telling him that when he's good for a changing, he'll get one. It didn't sink in until he WASN'T good for a change, and I wouldn't give him one. He REALLY wants his Smartie, so he learned to be cooperative. I slowly "upped the anty" and he is expected to come into his room, lie on his back, behave from start until being redressed - and without complaining or my needing to prod. It's worked for me. My plan is to roll it into potty training. Now he gets a treat for sitting on the toilet, and soon we'll stop the diaper treats, and they'll be reserved for using the toilet.

Hello A. L,
I have a daughter that doesn't like to be still during diaper changing or sit for long in the bathtub. She is now 15 months. She has been this way for many months. My family and I give her toys to play with during those times. A sippy cup can work also. I know sometimes I also give her a gerber graduate snack - cookie or cracker. It does work however we do have to work fast. For someone younger maybe a bottle could work or singing and maybe a soft cloth to put in his mouth.

I hope these ideas help.

Hi A.

My daughter is 1, and she has been the exact same way since she started gaining some mobility too. I switched to a towel on the floor, with an arm over her pelvis so she couldn't roll. Now it's a leg over her legs because she is STRONG and really fights. Some things that help are new distractions. I gave her a balloon from her b-day party to play with while changing and that helped for a change or 2. Sippy cup to drink, a wipe to play with or an extra diaper. When my husband is home, we tag team change. It's really just because they are sooo busy with their environment that they don't want to be stopped and don't understand that fighting just prolongs the ordeal for everybody. It is soo frustrating and I wish I had a surefire solution, if you come up with one be sure to let us know!

I also had strong willed children that went through phases of not liking diapering routines.
I too transitioned to changing on the floor to keep the fussy time safer.

I used to have that problem with my twin nieces. What finally worked for us was a cookie to suck on and a mobile or toy to entertain right side up. Different solution for each, but the cookie only if baby is aloud them. I hope these tips help you out.

I know exactly what you mean. Now that my son is crawling and starting to cruise around the furniture, he wants nothing to do with lying still to get his diaper changed. I've found that it is sometimes helpful to give him something to occupy him while I am working on the diaper. A toy that he likes or a small board book. Just anything that won't hurt him and might keep his attention for the minute or two that I need to get the job done (or at least get the dirty one off).

Anyhow, like I said it SOMETIMES helps, not always. I hope you find it helpful. Good luck.

You have probably heard this multiple times already or already tried it yourself, but..... The only thing that I have found that works for my son is to give him somthing interesting to look at and play with when you are changing the diaper. This seems to distract my son so he is less interested in rolling over.

Both my sons did this. I got real good at changing a diaper when they were standing up. If that doesn't work for you, I also tried giving them something that they never played with before to keep their interest, for example my car keys or a bottle of vitamins. They would shake it to hear the noise and I was right there in case the lid opened. And at last resort sometimes I had to put my leg around their chest to keep them pinned down while I changed their diapers. Which isn't fun, but I had to change them some how. Hope one of these things work for you.

hey sweetie, i have 3 kids and they all went through those stages and while changing him try playing with him for instance make noise blow on his tummy and make the putting noise lol say whos mommis man and just try to make him laugh and keep his attention until the diaper is on may god bless and i hope this works

Ah yes, you should've seen my husband trying to change my 13 month old in the backseat this evening! She was all over the place and driving him nuts.

I find it VERY helpful to have things for her to play with, even if it's the diaper I'm about to put on her. A book is always helpful. I give that to her when I'm laying her down to change her and most of the time it helps her forget about rolling over or sitting up.

Try not to get too frustrated. One day you'll look back on these days and smile... as your little one runs to the bathroom to go potty all by himself! :-)

Changing diapers will never be a sweet dream but hopefully it'll be less of a nightmare sooner than later.
R.~

Try giving your son something that he finds interesting to hold and look at while you quickly change his diaper.

I would like to add to the fine list of suggestions a Mobile. Most people have them over their cribs but in my business I have found it a wonderful tool for the changing table. Wind it up and sing the words to the tune. If you don't know the song make up a special one for you and him. Keeping a Hanging basket with some small toys so that you can give it to him and if he isn't fond of one you can quickly give him another. I had one of the 3 tier baskets and each child had their own group of toys or small board books. Diaper time is a great time to encourage language development. Tell him a story or talk to him about what you are going to do that day. Using a soft voice as suggested by one of the others.
Hang in there! :)

first of all, do not stress yourself out. If he has a poopy then you need to have a towel under him so it does not get everywhere. you should have something on the changing pad on the changing table. if the poopy is really bad have a washcloth ready also it will probably clean quicker than the wipes. give him a toy or something to play with to distract him it will help.toys that light up do help distract the baby. i give my son the closest thing around near the changing table and most of the time he will pay attention to that instead of having his diaper changed. sometimes, it is easier to sit the baby in your lap when putting clothes on it sometimes is easier than laying them down. I am not saying that they will not have their moments and giggle around but it does help. remember,you are the mom and you are in charge and the baby needs to know that also. be firm but fair,there is no need to yell because you will fustrate the baby and yourself.

Have you tried giving him a small toy or rattle, something to keep him occupied while you change him? Maybe even sing a song to keep his eyes focused up at you till your done. Good Luck

try giving him some toys to play with (small ones) or make funny noises so he pays attention to you.

Hi A.! Give the boy a small toy when you change him. You can also use the belts that are on just about every changing table and use your voice. Be firm. Use his middle name and let him know you mean business! You can also change him on the floor...sit on a low chair and put your feet on either side of him under his arms close to his body to keep him from rolling. Good luck and best wishes!

Something to play with is always ideal -- but finding the RIGHT thing can be hard. Babies can have such short attention spans. Another idea - hang a ball or other toy from a baseball cap, and wear the baseball cap while doing the changing. Easier than carrying a mobile around! The novelty will eventually wear off, but ... it may work for a while.

Also - try your best NOT to stress out and NOT to fear the diaper changes. Your mood really can affect his. Take a deep breath, and try to giggle and laugh and make the diaper change a quick, easy experience.

My 9 mo. old son does this too! I found that playing the "boo" game with him works very well. I drag his pants off and toss them on his face, then when he pulls them off his face I happily say "boo!" We do that over and over while I'm changing his diaper. He's having fun and giggling up a storm!

Another thing I do is put his clean diaper where he can reach it and encourage him to get it for me. The way our changing table is set up allows him to reach it while laying down. Depending on his mood at the time we either play "boo" with the clean diaper or I just praise him for getting the diaper.

Hope these give you some ideas of your own. Good luck!

My son went through a similar phase. I would take off my shoes, sit down with him on the floor and literally pin him down, toes on shoulders to change his diaper. Of course he didn't like that at all and diaper changing was a screaming/crying fest, but the phase was short lived. Now every time he tries to roll over I remind him that if he doesn't stop I will have to pin him down on the floor again. (I don't know if he really understands that, he is only 11 months old. But it does seem to work.) Good Luck!

I give my 11 month old son something he isn't normally allowed to play with...only at changing time. He will play with the TV remote or the phone. He is usually thrilled long enough to let me change him.
Good luck!

Have you tried distracting your son? Give him a favorite toy. Sing a silly song. Put a mirror beside the changing table. They love to look at themselves! These things have helped me tremedously. W.

My little wiggle worm just started doing the same thing about two weeks ago. What I started doing was handing him something to play with that he usually doesn't get to that is still safe (my cell phone or the remote). It is novel enough to hold his attention because he doesn't see it often and safe enough to play with while supervised because I am right there changing him at the time. The other thing that works is tag teaming. Have someone else (daddy, grandma) distract and talk to him while you change him. If he is busy focusing on someone talking to him he won't roll over. Hope this helps. I have managed to only have 2 poopy messes to clean so far.

A., It is tough. I understand. My son did the same thing and he was strong even at that age. I started changing him on a blanket on the floor where I could put my legs over his. I didn't apply force or pressure, just enough restraint to be noticed, eventually he got the idea. I also tried to talk calmly about what I was doing and how good he was being. I hope that helps.

A.,

I hate to break it to you but that's completely normal and unfortunately lasts a long time! That phase lasted almost a year with my oldest and I am still currently in it with my youngest. She started fighting me at 5 months and is now 16 months. Distraction is the best advice - anything they normally can't have (like a remote or a cell phone) that can be special just for diaper changes...that works for me. Good luck! It's the worst - I know!

I scanned your responses & didn't see this one...I play NEAR/FAR with my son while changing his diaper. It works well for us & I have fun seeing the surprise & excitement on his face. It does make diaper changes a little longer though. What I do...I lean away from him & say FAR in a deep voice, then I quickly lean in until my nose is touching his & I say NEAR is a high voice. I repeat this during the whole diaper change. Sometimes I move really slowly & he will start giggling before I get halfway to his face. Other times i will move quickly. Sometimes I will lean as far to the side as I can before I move forward. Sometimes I will stare at him the whole time I'm moving forward, other times I will look every where except at him.
The other thing I do is I will hold his socks up in the air above his head & then release them. He laughs when they hit him. Then he'll play with them for a little bit. Just as he starts to get squirmy again I will take the socks from him. Dance them in the air & then drop them again.

I know a couple people have already suggested this one..but I want to agree that this was the only thing that work with my daughter. I began changing her on the floor and would put my leg over her torso just snug enough that she couldn't turn or roll over and worked real quick. After a couple weeks she got over it and was more cooperative because she knew I was going to change her whether she wanted to or not. I hope these tips help..try not to stress too much.. it's just a phase and should hopefully be short lived. Good luck!

This a normal thing for babies when they learn to roll over. I had the same thing happen with all three of my kids (ages 8, 3, and 1). I would give them something to play with while I do the diaper changes. Sometimes singing to them would also do the trick. The trick is to find something that your son would want that would be more interesting than rolling over. At least long enough for you to do the diaper change.

How about making a big deal about letting him hold something he normally is not allowed to have. An example might be the remote from your t.v. You can remove the batteries first if you want. Or perhaps, your cel phone, turned off of course. Little fingers love to press buttons. They also make pretend remotes, car key holders that make sounds when they press different buttons. If this is a changing time only treat it may not wear off for a while. Good luck!

The only thing that worked for my 5 was rough housing. I'd just lay my legs across the arms and pin them down. They didn't like it cuz they're in the "freedom" phase but tough noogies, lol! When it's diaper changing time, I don't have time to play.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

i totally know where you are coming from! It sounds just like my little guy. I just recently got him to be calm during diaper changes and he is 22 months! lol. Any way the way we got him to "co-operate" during diaper changes was to lay him down and throw a leg across his tummy (like a belt on the changing table). It held him down long enough to get him cleaned up and it kept my sanity because I knew there was one way at least to do it. If it were to happen in public and my husband was not around to help out then I had to put my fore arm across his belly in the same fashion and hurry it up. Kids are all so different and soon you will find the way to help him through the changes.
Good Luck
p.s. toys, singing, distractions, etc. never worked with him only the "half nelson" worked!

Did you try giving him a toy or something to play with to keep his attention on ?? My 9 month old son does the same thing .. Rolls everywhere .... That usually works for me !!

Hey A....my son is almost 9 months old and he has always been a squirmer...hates being forced to lay still on his back. The only way I can get his diapers changed is to just give him a small toy to hold to distract him while doing it. Anything will do really...actually I usually just give him one of his little booties to gnaw on and he's content...just make sure that its colorful. YOu can also try singing to him or talking to him very intently (You really have to make a spectacle of yourself for it to work though). Sometimes that focuses their attention...that works for us after his bath when I have to put his lotion on, diaper and dress him for bed. Good luck!

Hey A.,

I have a feeling it's a fairly normal thing -- he's learned to roll over, and it's fun, and he's also learning how you respond when you get frustrated with him, and it's great experimentation. He doesn't see it at frustration, however, he simply sees that his behavior brings a reaction. and that's very interesting.

What I would do ? Hold his legs by the ankles, and up in the air with one hand, and clean him with the other. Be prepared with everything you need in advance so you don't have to reach too far to get anything. I think once he doesn't win, he'll discover that it is more fun to get the job over with. It may still take muscle, but you can consider it part of your daily work-out. (yeah, right :-)

In the tub ? Well, keep the water level low enough that he can enjoy his new found ability and be sure to stay close by. I thought staying right there was "normal" but today on the news there's a story about a 7 month old who almost drowned in the tub, so I wonder who thought a child that young was safe without an adult right there all the time?

Good luck. I think you'll find that this is temporary, at least to some extent. When he becomes more mobile in other eways, he'll do different things. But right now, he has this new skill and he wants to do it -- EVERYWHERE !! As well as give Mom a little challenge to her life.