Fussy Infant During Diaper Changing

I had that problem also. What worked for me was to keep an interesting item or two on the changing table for my daughter to hold and to hold her attention. The only time I let her see these items were when I was changing her. Some things that I used were a large prism, an old cell phone, a remote, or a new toy. If I was away from the house I'd use my keys. The trick is it has to be something novel that he can't play with any other time. This trick usually distracted my daughter long enough for a change.
Good Luck,
S.

I have been going through this same thing for such a long time. My son is 28 months and what my mother-in-law suggested is putting a basket of toys where he is being changed. I use a desk for a changing table because it has all kinds of compartments but most changing tables have some compartments that you can put a little basket of toys. What I like about the desk is behind where the computer goes; I have one of those picture boards and I put tons of pictures up so that he can look at them. It's great conversation during diaper changes.

My son is very active and has always fussed; he fusses while he is changing clothes or diapers; it doesn't matter.

Some kids are very independent; In the beginning, they are learning what those appendages are for and they intend on using them. My son even has do being doing something when he is on the potty.

Reggie A said what I say: SING!
be silly!
use the same song each time so he will anticipate that a diaper change is coming!

You need to keep certain toys near changing table for diaper changes only.........some suggestions (baby phone so baby can press buttons, etc) Remember mommy, this too shall pass! ;-)

Check to be sure nothing is hurting him,like a pin or burr in his clothes or chsanging area.

It won't stop unless you stop it! Do you plan to allow him to make all his decisions this early in his life? You are the mother, so you will have to take steps to teach him what 'no' means. No one else will teach him, but you. And if you don't, then he will grow up a very unpleasant fellow. When you begin to diaper him and he starts with the wiggling and twisting, just take hold of his legs, look him in the eye and tell him 'no'. You won't need to hurt him, just hold him still and get his attention. It will take a while, depending on how strong his will is and how strong your will is. The parent has to be the one to teach the child. If you fail at this job, your child will not become a gentleman, or a person that others will want to be around. It starts when they are small like this. I am a 73 year old grandmother.

My daughter is 9 mos. and she just started doing the same thing. If I set her down and she starts to try to turn over, I distract her by blowing a raspberry on her tummy. Once or twice and she giggles and is distracted enough for a quick change.

I kept a basket of toys on the changer that my son only got to play with during diaper changes. Once he got older and bears and such weren't doing the trick, I used photo corners and stuck pictures of him or the family on the underside of the shelf above him. I change out the picture every now and again to keep his attention. He actually ended up practicing names and identifying objects in the picture so it became a learning tool.

My son is 20 months old and he has been difficult for at least one year. I put on his favorite show and make sure it's on before I start to change his diaper. I used to sing his favorite mickey mouse song or any other song, but he quickly got bored of that. I realize your son is young for tv, but if singing or toys don't work, one minute of tv as a distraction isn't a horrible thing. Don't worry, this problem will go away when he's out of diapers!:)

sing to him while you change his diaper. Get him giggling. I sang "head, shoulders, knees and toes"
It usually works.

I have two boys 11 and 8 years old.

You might try giving him a toy or something to play with while he is being changed. Maybe change him where there is a mobile or something above him to look at or play with. I'm sure it's just a faze that he is going through.

Something else to think about...has he fallen or possibly hurt his back or lower body (hips)? If so, maybe the lifting of his legs is hurting him...possibly check in to seeing a chiropractor to have him evaluated and maybe adjusted.

Hope this helps...good luck and Merry Christmas.

Most babies start to 'fight' diaper changes at about 8 months. They have so much to do and learn that they can't stand the idea of being 'stuck' on the changing table.

All a mom can do is try to distract him and make the process as quick as possible. Make sure the changing table is set up for efficient fast diaper changes. And keeping a special toy, something he hasn't seen in awhile, just for the changing table.

Some children will behave differently if they are changed in a different location. I kept an old diaper bag stocked with all the supplies in the play area. When it was time for a change, we didn't need to switch rooms and completely disrupt his play. I just put the changing pad down and made the switch as quickly as possible.
If all else fails, I could always take the wet diaper off as he ran/crawled by. Then within 20mins or so, put a fresh diaper on him when the moment was right ... sometimes while he was standing, occupied with some toy.

K.

N.,

As a mom to 3 boys I went through this with my youngest 2. With my oldest son I did have this problem. What I tried with my 2 youngest was singing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This is a stage they go through. They are at a stage where they want to explore and being kept down for even a moment to get their diapers changed is like a life time to them. I would sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and at that point I stopped using the changing table and starting changing my boys on the floor. I know that sounds odd, but that seemed to calm them down alot. For whatever reason being on the floor on a level where they could see a lot of their toys and on a level where they normally are at playing seemed to calm them instantly.

Hope this helps.

S.

Hi, N.. Well, there could be a number of reasons. The first that comes to mind is that maybe it's too cold in the room for him. If he's 8 months old here in December, then he was born in April and has been used to the Spring/Summer weather of the first few months of his life. Now the air is colder. Maybe he just doesn't want his little bottom to hit the cold air.

Does he have diaper rash? When air hits diaper rash, OUCH! Babies will cry for that reason, too, and not want you to touch them for diaper changes.

He could also be an active baby and not want to stop what he is doing for diaper changes, which are boring to him. Try putting some kind of distraction above him while you change him. I used to change my son on a padded dresser, and I would hang toys on strings above his head so he could play with them while I changed him. I also changed him on his bed sometimes where I had put a similar mobile type thing.

Make sure your hands are warm every time you change him. Running your hands under warm water before touching him will do the trick nicely. Also, make sure the room is warm, and make sure there is no cold draft like the air conditioner vent or a fan blowing on him. My son hated to be touched with cold hands, which was a problem while we were living in New York!

What surface are you changing him on? It is possible that he has a boo-boo or a sunburn on his back, and if you are putting him on a fairly hard surface, that could be hurting him.

I hope you figure out what the problem is, and that things return to peaceful diaper changes.

Peace,
Syl

I have my own patented method (and hope to make a children's book with it soon) that works everytime. What I do is PLAY and SING -- make up a little song, or use an old favorite. The KEY is DISTRACTION, and this is good practice for all the fussy moments (hours, days, weeks, you get the picture) to come.

Favorite nursery rhymes were probably invented to get kids through their fussy times. Hang in there!

L. D., mom of three