5 wk old hates nappy changes / outfit changes

[rosebetweentwothorns]

I'm new to Mumsnet and this is my first post so might not be completely up to speed with the abbreviations etc but have already found other posts really helpul so hoping to get and contribute good advice! :)

I am a first time Mum and my DD is 5 weeks. She has never enjoyed nappy changes, being dressed / undressed or baths and I know this is pretty typical for a newborn but she seems to be disliking it more rather than less as time goes on. Every nappy change results in a full on screaming session with only a feed able to calm her down. I'm not sure if the screaming seems worse because she has just found her voice (her cry generally is louder now than it was when she was first born) or if she is finding the experience more distressing. When I'm changing her I try talking to her, and generally soothing her but nothing seems to calm her until she is dressed again.

I think she is a baby that doesn't like being naked (although I'm trying to do a few skin to skin feeds in the hope that she might start to associate the undressing with something positive).

Just wondered from others' experiences if this is a common thing and something she'll just grow out of as she gets older or if anyone has any tips on helping her to get used to being changed, dressed, bathed etc.

Very normal .
Even weeing / pooing can be distressing to them as they just aren't used to it .

how warm is your house? Mine hates it and she is 14 months, she gets freezing :(

Congrats on the new arrival!

Yep, my DD used to shriek the place down during nappy changes. I think she calmed down by about three months. Then you get the toddler anti-nappy-changing tantrums further down the line, but I wouldn't worry about that just yet

DS was just like this too! It used to drive me mad at the HV weighing in session as he would scream constantly and then I'd be told 'Ah, give him a cuddle' when what he really wanted was his clothes back on! Then a few months later he hated having clothes on.....

done that, too. Swaddling arms tightly during changes & only changing clothes when strictly necessary was what we had to do, too.

Conversely, tiny baby DC3 was happiest when buck naked, sigh.

19 month ds2 still hates nappy changes! Roll on potty training

Thanks for all the advice. Sounds like entirely normal behaviour then! I'm sure my confidence will grow over time but at the moment I'm questioning everything as I'm still learning to interpret her cries.

ragged yes I used to do that .
My Dsis has just had a baby and I advised her to do the same ( my DN hates being exposed too ).

And to echo thejoyful towels are much better IMO for changing baby on .
Less cold and more comfy .

It's really daunting being a new mum as you really don't know what is normal and what isn't. My DS was just like this. In fact he is 13 months and the same!! If I try and lie him down to change his nappy he screams and rolls around. I've given up and have developed the art of changing him standing up!

DD gets cold! I pop a muslin over her when changing (she's 8 weeks). She also wanted to sleep when changing her in the early days and didn't like being awake for long - I used to change after a feed so poor thing was tired.

Yes, DS hated it also when he was tiny. Do you have cold hands? I always have cold hands so that didn't help...

My ds was the same. I found a distraction helped. I usually make up songs to amuse him. Mum and bum rhyme well. For clothes we do a version of the hokey kokey. He's still not thrilled (8 mo) but only whines a bit instead of crying. I started when he was a few weeks old.

warning then really helps, even this young! just say the same word every time before you do it, helps prepare for the shock of cold air I think

"Mum and bum rhyme well"

Same as everyone else. Warm room, on a towel, get it done quickly; only when necessary.

My 7 wk old DD is the same... she gets hysterical when having her nappy changed, outfit changes and also getting out of the bath.
I find it helps when she has recently been fed to do the nappy change, otherwise she is expecting food and gets a nappy change instead. Still get some hysterical changes, but not quite as bad.
We're also trying to reduce the time she spends naked, like the other posts. E.g getting out of the bath and wrapping her in a towel immediately.

Throw a flat nappy over your change mat so it is not cold and sticky.
Try making your baths a bit warmer than the usual temp recommended (but not actually hot). A paeds nurse recommended this to me and my baby enjoys baths more than my first did, and it means I can share a bath with her without it being horridly tepid. Oh, try bathing with her - it is magic, skin to skin AND bouncing around in a good amount of water. Great for newborn bubs who are homesick for the comforts of the womb.

Do check your room temperature is warm enough - little babes really hate being cold.

The only other thing that occurred to me is to make sure you are not trying to dress, change or bath too close to a feed - maybe your baby has a bit of wind and is not liking being laid down?

Hope this helps. Mine is six weeks and hates the heat (it is summer here) so I have the opposite problem