Tips on how to battle the nappy change.

[kylza]

I have a daily battle on my hands changing my ds 14 months old nappy, there is kicking, screaming, crying and thats just me;).
No honestly I dread nappy change time he puts up such a fight its ridiculous. I have tried giving him things like the TV remote, telephone, keys etc but nothing helps. I have tried pull up nappies but they are very $$$$.
How do you manage to change your bubs bum without working up a sweat? :hair:

[workin'mumof2]

ruby went through this and so i thought of saying after each nappy change something positive.

even though he is crying why dont you after each and every nappy change say something like

good boy, that wasnt so bad was it. and carry on with something else.
do you tell him before he gets changed that you want to give him a nappy change?
i know he is only 14months but i always got into the habbit of telling my kids that im going to change there nappy soon.:)

although there some that dont grow out of it like my nephew who at 3 still crys through a nappy change.:(

[mummy2mimi]

my dd who is 12months old is exactley the same,trys 2 rool over and get away,kicking and screamin and tring 2 hit my face or pull my hair,its so embarrasing when u are in a public parents room aswell:o

the only thing that wokrs for me is 2 make her a bottle and lie her down with that whilst i change her :laughing: which is really not a good habbit 2 get in2

sorry i couldnt have helped but it is a phase and ur not the only 1!

[em1984]

Its crazy isnt it! Anyone would think they actually enjoy sitting in their own waste! At work when we had kids like this and all distraction techniques had been worn out, like pp said, telling them what you are doing helped and assuring them that yes, they will be able to go back to what they were doing after and we will make it as quick an painless as possible :D talking to them about it as opposed to just yanking them from what they are doing, and also giving a 2 minutes warning like 'in 2 minutes I'm going to change your nappy, we will do it nice and quick and then you can return to playing with your trucks'. And then rewarding when he is good with lots of praise.
It is harder with a little one that doesnt quite have that understanding yet though, i know. I have a special nappy time toy for Noah and that works a treat for us, at this stage. Do you change him up on a change table? WHat about even changing him on the floor if you are. Or singing to him, putting a fun poster or something on the roof he can look at ummm I'll keep thinking....

[JackzMumma]

I love that nappy change time between the ages of 1 & 2!!! Not.:( I just did my best to distract or wrestle whichever was best at the time.:o

I've hit transition now though.......one minute it's "you need a nappy change", "no" *runs away*....and the next it's "mum...poo's" (really wee's:rolleyes:), "do you want a nappy change?" "yes".

I don't know if I'm Arthur or Martha!!:laughing:

[cindye]

My DD went through a stage of hating nappy changes, and something that worked was attaching half a dozen or so pegs to her clothes which she would try and get off. By the time she got them all off, the nappy change was done.

She's actually really good now and lays perfectly still, even lifting up her legs so I can wipe her easily!

Maybe something you could try...

[Cheerio]

I have had the same problem with DD. I noticed with her it was for a reaction so I ignored her and firmly (not to hurt her obviously) just kept changing and didn't look at her. She HATED not getting attention so now lies there perfectly still. I also did what others suggested and telling her I was going to change her nappy and praising her afterward for being such a good girl. It was horrible when we were going through it because I was also pregnant and terrified she was going to hurt bub.

Goodluck its amazing how strong these little ones are!

[presley]

My DD went through a stage of hating nappy changes, and something that worked was attaching half a dozen or so pegs to her clothes which she would try and get off. By the time she got them all off, the nappy change was done.

:laughing: that's a great idea!! Will try that one.

I've just had a breakthough with my wriggly one - I use my left hand to hold his left leg (as in his leg on my right) just below the knee and with the back of my left arm I keep his other leg bent back - it's surprisingly much easier to stop him rolling around and twisting away and keeps my RH free to wipe. Does that make sense? It's revolutionised my nappy times!!

Also now that he's talking a bit more I use the time to teach him new noises (like rasberries, moo-ing etc). I find being really animated and engaging keeps him entertained - just slap on that fake giant smile and happy voice and sing your heart out!!

[mim1]

It is a phase and it does get better.

Get everything ready before hand - nappy out and ready to put on, wipes on hand (not still in the box), clean clothes on hand and keep the clothes easy to put on & off. And then as others have suggested try distraction. Sing songs, make funny faces, touch body parts (tummy, nose, toes) and tell bubs what they are, play peak-a-boo (can put clothes over bubs face to get them to use for peak-a-boo - gives you somewhere to place them during a change too!) ... and play with shadows on the wall.

[MummyStar]

It's insane isn't it! You'd think after 19mths (DS) of changing nappies that they would know the drill & be used to it but NO.

I have started resorting to changing DS while he's having his bottle 1st thing in the morning, the next one is usually a poo which is a bit tricky as he's not due for a bottle until 11.30am. I'll say to him let's go change your nappy & he'll walk down to his room & when I pick him up he struggles - I'm 6mths PG so I don't have the energy to be wrestling him to change his nappy, it's very frustrating.
His 1st morning nappy is so wet that he needs a change of clothes including his singlet/top half & I can do the bottom half while he's having his bottle but then he wants to run around without a top on so I have to pin him down to get his singlet, shirt & jumper on!:hair:
Sorry I'm not much help but I totally understand where you're coming from cos I dread it too. The pegs do sound like a good idea - I've also read to put stickers on the back of their hands to try & keep them occupied.

[squiglet]

We went though this stage about then too.
For us goofing around and stickers helped.
I would put a fun sticker on my nose and chase her to the change table, then she could take the sticker of my nose to play with when I was changing her.
Or I would put a couple of stickers on her (like her hands or her nose too) for her to find and play with.

It worked most of the time:)

[Ollibot]

Well I seem to have a scrappy little dude too, he's been putting up a fight since he figured
how to roll over, but at 10mths now he's really defiant.
I find putting him on the poof in front of the tv works, I think looking at it upside down distracts him for them few seconds....I don't have a problem when we are out because every thing is new around him...
Though...that will probably change now as I find every time I say something lately...the oppostite happens...sheesh..:sleeping:

[flyawayfree]

Jake has been like that for atleast the last six months, just yesterday I found something that works. I lay him on the floor and tell him to look up at the roof and use silly questions to entertain him. Like "are there any trucks on the roof?" etc. He actually stares intently at the roof like he's trying to see a truck. LOL

[peanutbutter&jelly]

I too have a screamer, though most of his nappy changes since he had reflux have been this way.
I have no solutions, just plenty of sympathy - I dread every nappy change too, it just seems cruel to do to myself :laughing:

[DreamBelieveAchieve]

Haven't read the other posts so sorry if repeating.

I used to use a torch/clashlight with DS1. He loved turning it off and on and shining it around the room. While he was occupied i got to change him without any dramas.

Also a stash of gold stars in your bag works well for when your out, put one on their hand at the start of the change to keep them amused and if they behave they can have one for he other had once your finished.

THT

[LuvMy4Babes]

I used to give my kids a little hand-held mirror so they could look at themselves. They were only ever allowed to hold the mirror at nappy change times.

They loved looking at themselves and it gave me just enough time to change their nappy without feeling like I was wrestling a crocodile!

HTH.

[Teegzie]

It's kind of nice to read threads like this and realise I'm not alone in the horror nappy change antics!

I have tried stickers, phones (my very expensive mobile ended up with water/saliva damage!), toys, mirrors, books, the tv... nothing will stop a massive tantrum from DD during change time! All I can hope for is that she'll grow out of it and calm down a bit.

To get her night nappy on (we use cloth nappies) it takes DP holding her shoulders down and gripping her legs while I stuff the nappy under here and desperately try to get it between her legs and done up before she manages to wriggle out of DP's grasp! :hair:

[Kayangel]

U r sooo not alone, my 14 mth old DS is a nightmare aswell, rolls ova, screams, cries, pulls his self up, GRRRR!! and yep sooo embarrasing when we go out and in the parents rooms.

Sorry i dont have any tips for you just wanted u to no u werent alone and hopefully someone comes along with helpful tips.

[BabelFish]

A small mirror is good for younger ones, at least for a few changes until they get bored of it!

My DD has been screaming through nappy changes for about six months with no sign of it getting any better. I DREAD having to change her in public, anywhere that I can't strap her in, really. I hope it passes. We've tried everything. Usually I just bring something completely new in that she's never seen before and hope that her interest will last until the change is over. I'm definitely going to try the pegs on her clothes though, that's a great idea.

[JabberJaw]

I put a balloon in my mouth and blow it up slowly while i change bub. I have a great one at the moment with a whistle attached so i do a few puffs and let the balloon go, it whistles all round the room...bub is changes by the time it lands :yes: