What do you do during nappy changing?

[happychange]

I try to distract my DS while changing him.. usually with a toy or wet wipes packet. I try to do it as quickly as possible before he crawls off with poo everywhere

Though lately I’ve been reading that it’s not good to do this and that you should be using the time as bonding time, so sing, talk and play with the baby.

I’m just curious.. do people really do this?

[TeddyIsaHe]

Err no. I generally pin dd down as she’s gone from placidly laying to being able to roll and crawl away in the blink of an eye, and I’m sick to death of clearing up pooey streaks when she’s escaped.

I could sing at dd till my voice stopped working, she wouldn’t view it as bonding time, merely that I was distracted and so she could escape. (I hate changing nappies!)

[pastabest]

Well it’s just an out and out wrestling match with DD. At night after her bath it’s a two person job, one to pin her down the other to get the nappy on faster than the speed of light. Distraction doesn’t work for us.

She’s also figured out in the last few days that mummy makes funny noises if she reaches between her legs to try and grab the poo before I can wipe it off.

Maybe that’s her way of bonding. That and trying out her new teeth on my big toe.

[BoffinMum]

You do not need to use the time for bonding unless you feel you want to. It is perfectly acceptable to crack on (excuse the pun), and wipe up in a pleasant but efficient manner, and then get on with your day.
It's polite to chat to someone in a friendly way while you wipe their bottom, though. That's only good manners.

[slapmyarseandcallmemary]

I give ds wipes or his brush or something to play with so he doesn't put his hands in the dirty nappy lol

[happychange]

Ok glad it’s not just me then! I was starting to feel a bit guilty of always giving him a toy while changing..

I can’t help but think that the people who write these articles must not have kids!

It’s so annoying that now that I’ve read it , that’s all I think about during nappy time so I try to sing to him.. then there’s poo everywhere

[Twofishfingers]

Talk to him maybe? Sing? Giving him a toy shouldn't stop you from 'bonding' as it speaking to him!

[BoffinMum]

Developmentally, as long as you are not actually sneering or shouting or being scary or looking at him impassively like something out a horror film it is absolutely fine. Honestly.

[BoffinMum]

The bonding bit is getting your bum wiped by someone who seems happy to do it, and does it fairly promptly. It does not need embellishment.

[AnnaT45]

Pin them down and pray I don't get covered in poo! It's not a time to bond, it's a time for speed!

[FartnissEverbeans]

Oh my god what utter bollocks

It's like a wrestling match on our house

[happychange]

Ok thank you all
Will chill out a bit
Pfb and all that

[Evelynismyspyname]

I think people who write those articles are a comfortable temporal distance from their last nappy change and of the personality type that looks back in their own actions through rose tinted history-rewriting glasses. My mum was a master of rewriting her parenting history in her head and retelling a much edited idealised version pointedly to show me what I should be doing/ to criticise the parenting of anyone she wants to put down.

Luckily I have younger siblings and although I obviously don't remember her parenting of me as a baby/ toddler I do remember her not doing things the way she talks about with my youngest sibling...

[FireflyGirl]

DS was cruising at 9 months, and didn't stay still for a nappy change after that - they were all done stood up and even on the move. Any games played or songs sung have been in a vain attempt to save my furniture! To preserve my sanity, I put away my beautiful cloth nappies and bought disposable pull-ups.

If you didn't otherwise interact with them, then the 2-3 minutes to change would be bonding time. If you spend the rest of your day playing with them, singing to them, pulling faces at them, talking to them, it will make no difference if you don't launch into Wheels on the Bus whenever you whip off their nappy!

[happychange]

Yes I’ve had to switch to pull ups as well even though it’s so expensive! I hear you on the changing standing up always so hard to wipe

That’s true, I spend my whole day playing with him so I guess nappy changing time can be done quickly

[BellyBean]

'Bonding' vom is possible, before they start rolling/moving. DD2 is 4mo and I'm enjoying the leisurely changes while they last, when I can smile and her and chat away with her lying there placidly.

[Soubriquet]

I actually did sing with my Ds (second born). Not for "bonding" but because of actually worked in keeping him still and quiet. Still do it occasionally now but it's not as effective as it used to be. More like "ouch..Ds stop kicking me. Noooooo put your legs down! No you can't get up I haven't put your nappy on yet"

[Sparrowlegs248]

I do sing to mine, something requiring a few actions. It mostly works, they start to join in and importantly LAY STILL . Although I have been known to bellow LAY STILL! !!! At the toddler.

So we do twinkle twinkle, I had a little turtle, incy wincy.
I don't do it as a bon ding thing though, it just works.

[Sparrowlegs248]

I relynn really can't work out how you change standing? Especially a poo! A wee and a pull up I can see but otherwise I'm incapable.

[Evelynismyspyname]

Kneel to the side of the toddler to change a poo/ potential poo nappy standing up Notalota

[UnicornRainbowColours]

I just tell my charge in a firm voice to lay sitll and behave. lol

[DesignedForLife]

No, it's a race to clear up before they crawl off!

Though I did discover blowing elaborate raspberries on their tummies can help entertain them long enough to stick a new nappy on. Sometimes.

[FireflyGirl]

Nottalotta pull ups rip off at the side, so are pretty easy to take off. I actually found wiping easier with him stood, particularly for poos as he wasn't laid on half of it! He was also much more likely to stand still than lay still.

We're potty training now, and still wipe stood up.

[silkpyjamasallday]

I just get on with doing the actual nappy change. Dd was cruising and pulling up on furniture from 5 months and rolling from birth, extending the time it took to do a nappy would have resulted in more mess that I didn't want to deal with. Do your bonding when it isn't going to end up with extra time needing to be spent cleaning up unnecessary stinky mess! Thankfully at 15 months she will lie still for most changes now, it's made my life a hell of a lot easier!

[Evelynismyspyname]

Actually isn't that advice probably meant for nursery settings where the children are usually in a group and nappy changing is a rare 1:1 opportunity to bond with the key worker (who will be key worker for more than one baby)?

In a home setting it could at a stretch be applied to multiples with only one parent/ caregiver involved, but if the second parent and/or grandparents etc. are involved and take siblings out/ into another room sometimes, or if the baby/ toddler is an only or first born or siblings are different ages and at nursery/ preschool/ school/ napping at different times then 1:1 bonding time is not really a pressing enough issue to have to use nappy change time as 1:1 bonding/ interaction/ play time.