Diaper Change Crisis....

Updated on November 25, 2010
N.L. asks from Asheville, NC
16 answers

Every time I lay down my 9 month old baby to change his diaper he starts to cry... I tried to give him toys, something to play with but the only thing he wants to do is to run away.... Is that normal?? Any ideas?? Thanks and happy thanksgiving....N.

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M.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Wow, probably the most unanimous panel I've read by far. All moms are saying it's normal.

I would enlist my kid's help, like asking them to pull out a baby wipe, open the A&D cap, but be very careful b/c those tasks can backfire when you find the entire baby wipe container emptied and the entire tube of A&D squeezed out on top.

A piece of tape is very distracting and time consuming. It just goes back and forth and back and forth from hand to hand.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.J.

answers from Portland on

My 9 month old does the same thing sometimes! Oye. I tried toys...no luck. I tried singing...sometimes works. I recite his favorite books....sometimes works. I let him play with the tube of petroleum jelly that is off limits at all other times...works every time. Or I let him play with a travel wipes in crinkly plastic while still sealed...works every time. I think it's because he can't ever have those things otherwise. So maybe the trick is to find something he normally can't have? Seems to have worked for me over the past few weeks at least so we'll see if it lasts:)

1 mom found this helpful

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Normal. Just asserting himself!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

Pain. I'm there too. Just keep laying him down and saying "please lay down so I can change my diaper." It does pass!

1 mom found this helpful

T.M.

answers from Modesto on

It's a normal phase. You just have to get "firm" with him. let him know he's not supposed to do it. Try giving him a special toy that he can hold and play with while you are changing him as a distraction.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.Z.

answers from Cleveland on

Oh, yes, definitely normal! you will feel you gave birth to a wiggle-worm instead of a baby!

Aside from being super-fast, and distracting him, the only other suggestion I have would be to enlist help from another person during diaper changes. Tag-team the little houdini! ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

K. Z.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

It's normal...and annoying. Just do it as fast as you can and have everything ready to go. My 11 month old STILL does this. You'd think we were trying to snap off his limbs or something.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.P.

answers from Seattle on

Dont worry, my little guy is the exact same way, every time. Toys are a split second distraction and then back to trying to run off.

I sing to him to get him to sit still for the minute it takes to change it. It works quite well actually. I sing all kinds of songs, sometimes I just sing what I am doing lol. In weird voices even sometimes, and with funny faces, and he just laughs and before he knows it he is done.

1 mom found this helpful
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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

Talk to him, sing to him, involve him in the process (do you want to hold the wipes?, etc). I think they'd just rather be doing anything else :)

1 mom found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Providence on

Normal went through the same thing!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Yep.
it is a phase.
I used to have to... straddle my kids as babies, and with my arms to hold them down...and do 1 handed diaper changing in 10 seconds flat.

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

Just wait until he can actually get up and really get away from you! Distraction is the name of the game, and speed on your part. Have everything you need ready to go, diaper unfolded, wipes pulled out of the box, etc. When you lay him down give him something "forbidden" to hold onto, like the baby lotion bottle, or the wipes container, or another clean diaper, a crinkly piece of paper, you get the idea. Most of the time with my son, I'll lay him down on the changing table and tickle him a bit to get him laughing and relaxed laying down, then I hand him a "toy" and do a quick change. Good luck!

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B.P.

answers from Detroit on

I also have a little guy, 13 months old who cries every time he has his diaper changed. I do think this is normal for some children. My strategy has been to give him toys in order to occupy his hands while I change him. However, sometimes that's not enough. One suggestion would be to change your baby standing up. I have 3 other children, and did it with a few of them as well when they got to be around 9-10 mos. old. My son responds very well to getting changed standing up. For messy diapers, I just make sure that I change over a tile or wood floor and have wipes on hand.
Good luck!
B.

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M.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

Extremely normal! Sometimes turning it into a game works or singing a song. Sometimes nothing and you will just need to get super fast at diaper changes. Dont worry, your doing nothing wrong!

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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

My 7 month old does the same thing. He cries and pushes my hand away. I try giving him something to distract him, if this doesn't work, I just change him really fast. ;)

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

Normal/Typical....make sure you are giving him tons of crawling time to explore and then tell him it's "diaper time" he will start to understand. The diapers are very absorbant and you don't need to change him as often as you think (unless poop). So relax and let him be a 9 month old.

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