Nappy changing NIGHTMARE

[notasausage]

My DD 10.5 months has learned to crawl and pull up in the last month and a half. The result is she's not keen to lie on her back to have her nappy changed. She's also teething so have had a few days of exploding poos plus rolling over and running off while I'm trying to sort it!!

I have tried distraction and have now run out of safe/unusual objects in my cupboards to entertain her. I've tried letting her run off for a while once she's poo free and then puting the new nappy on in a few minutes. Puting the nappy on sitting up, and finally pinning her between my legs which works but we have (understandably) hysterical screaming which stops as soon as she's released. Only use this when all else has failed.

I'm worried about the forcing route but sometimes needs must - will this make nappy changing a long term headache or will it be one anyway??

Any thoughts on how best to tackle this??

[bumpybecky]

I've gone for the pinning down techinque and done it as quickly as possible. Not ideal, but needs must.

Have you tried singing? it'll either distract her or drown out the yelling....

[OmicronPersei8yourbrain]

We sing the wheels on the bus - it seems to distract DS sufficiently. Also, if you don't use them already, pull-ups can cut out some of the hassle.

[missmama]

No help whatsoever here, just letting you know you are not alone
Changing a nappy is a 2 man job somedays.
Whan it is just me I am nearly sitting on him to keep him down. And no it doesnt always work.

Keeping an eye on this thread to see if their are any magic moves I shouls know.

[puppie]

It can be risky I know but try changing her wherever she is at the time. I remember DS being the same because I was interrupting what he was doing and dragging him off to his changing mat and he didnt like it. Just pop a pillow under her head on the spot where she is.

Also tell her that you are going to change her before hand so it is not a suprise.

[daisy71]

My DD was exactly the same. I ended up changing her standing up, as I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of pin down. It got a few strange looks from other people, but I couldn't care really. She would stand holding onto something and watch tv for a couple of minutes. She is still a stubborn little minx at 3! She was v v easy to toilet train though if that's of any comfort!

[daisy71]

Oh and we used pull ups from a v early age, probably about 1 year old. That made the standing up changing thing even easier.

[ilovemydogandmrobama]

seen this???

[AnnVan]

I have exactly the same prob. DS is 1 now and boy does he throw a strop at being changed. If DP is at home, he distracts/entertains while I do the changing. But as he works long hours I generally try changing on my lap, and if this doesn't work the last resort of pinning him with my feet while changing him. Downsides to this: the screaming abdabs; he now tries to suck my toes while I change him eurgh.

[AvrilH]

ilovemydog

how do you change a nappy while the baby is in that wriggle wrapper?

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

Pin her down..

Pulling faces always worked with DS, or silly songs with silly voices. Would generally distract him enough so I could get on with changing him.

Failing that, change her with trousers on - can't crawl away then - just push them down to the ankles and wip the nappy off (obv this doesn't work with exploding poos!!)

[BertieBotts]

use pull ups definitely

[BertieBotts]

use pull ups definitely

[WonderBundlesMommy]

I don't know what they're called, but we got a box of chunky little (about 1" square) really thick board books - one with each letter of the alphabet with colourful mostly animal photos. I keep the box beside the changing area and the only time he gets to pick one out and look through these is at change time, and I do the animal sounds at the same time. We use cloth so it can be a slow process sometimes, he will usually go through two books in a change. Made all the difference. Good luck!

[princessdaisyboo]

my ds is 11 months old and i wait for him to whip himself over into the crawl position then i quickly as i can get the nappy on him and get one side fastened and then stand him up and get my arms round him and get the other side done, not easy and my partner cant do it but ive just about mastered it!!

[13lucky]

This mat completely saved my life with nappy changing:

www.rabbitts.com/

My little boy is so strong and turns over all the time that it's pretty much impossible to change him unless he's strapped down. Well worth the money!

[starkadder]

Books by the changing mat here, too. Also we started explaining the nappy changing process in minute detail as we were doing it ("now I'm going to unfold this nappy, like this, etc etc"), which, slightly weirdly, kind of hypnotises him...

[inthesticks]

I had to pin down both my DSs. The technique was as follows;
Put baby on mat, then quickly put left leg across his middle. He would thrash about but I could get the business done in seconds without him escaping.
I thought all babies were like this until I saw a friend change her DD who lay patiently and cooperatively while she did the nappy.

[Twinsmommy]

I know it sounds awful, but I always used to do nappy change in front of the TV with cartoons on. Not great, but with two to do each time, it was "whatever works"!!! Also, my boys don't watch too much TV, so it's still a treat for them!

[bran]

I used the Rabbitts mat for DS as he was a wriggly as an eel and would screech if I tried to hold on to him. I thought he would throw a super-tantrum when he was strapped down but he was actually ok(ish) with it. I suppose because he was used to being strapped into his car seat and pushchair. After a few weeks I didn't even need to strap him in any more, he got the message that he was supposed to lie still and it wasn't a game.

I still use the mat for DD, although I don't need to use the straps on her. She prefers the Rabbitts mat to the ordinary one, I think it's more comfortable to lie on.

[ZeeMum]

If it helps any - mine is the exact same at the moment.

I have now bought the smallest size pull ups for day time as they are easier to put on while wriggling.

Also, I distract with all the things DS is NOT supposed to have - ie. mobile and portable phones, remote, digital camera, mummies best necklace etc etc. Give just enough time to get explosions cleaned up before they're off...

Good luck

[LaTruchaaaaaaaaaargh]

Someone on here once told me hairclips.

Put them in and change nappy while baby takes them out.

[ElenorRigby]

Another vote for the Rabbits mat. DD has had one since around 10 months

[Sariska]

My ds got like this at about the same age. What worked for us - eventually - was reciting his favourite books. (I'd read them so often I knew them by heart.) Most of them were animal related so we gradually moved on to me asking, "What noise does a lion make?", to which he'd answer "Rahhhh". Etc. Kept him occupied and mostly compliant.

[nouveaupauvre]

if it helps this is a fairly transient stage, before they are old enough to be bribed encouraged to stay still with favourite toy used during nappy changing. singing, makig him laugh or letting him have a bit of sudocrem to play with (usually daubed on me) helped, also an absolutely favourite book of trucks which was rationed and only used during nappy changing.

[iwascyteenagewerewolf]

My DS is 13mo and believe me, I have considered starting this thread many times over the past few months...distraction techniques have run their course and I now resort to changing him while he's standing up, or else holding him across my lap while he wails and shrieks like I'm trying to murder him (this stops the minute he's released, of course).

The only thing that makes a lying-on-his-back nappy change possible these days is if he's cleaning his teeth. Otherwise I resign myself to chasing a naked boy round the bathroom and thank my lucky stars that we have wooden floors!