Tantrums....

[stargirl1701]

DD (15 months) is having many, many tantrums in a day. We are mostly verbalising emotions and trying to distract her. But, nappy changing is becoming a nightmare.

She screams and writhes frantically from start to finish. So, we stopped using the change mat and tried standing up changes. We also tried asking her to choose the next nappy. She is still screaming throughout and we aren't able to get her clean enough. She now has a sore bottom.

Help! Any ideas?

Is she getting enough sleep? My dd was like this when tired and not getting day naps.

Also stop talking to her so much and explaining. Try distracting occasionally. So nappy changes - if she's sore, that might be why she is tantrumming as it bothers her. Give her your phone or keys to play with while you change her and make it quick!

Thank you.

She has, of course, been an angel at the childminder today She even lay down on a change mat to be changed!!!!! Aaaaaahhhhh!

We do try distraction but it just hasn't been working over the last week.

This too shall pass, right?!

It passes.

Dd would lie still on the changing mat for everyone except me. With me she was a writhing nightmare. Standing (or standing and moving) nappy changes improved things.

If she is sore, go back to cleaning her with water and cotton wool until the soreness has gone. Wet wipes used to sting dd when she had nappy rash.

Other than that, distraction, singing (special nappy changing song? Or a gibberish song that makes her laugh), involvement like choosing the nappy, warn her that the nappy change is due so it is not sprung on her and interrupt her play, get her to help nappy change her teddy before/after, special toy only for nappy changes.

Good luck.

We had the exact same thing recently, DD is 14 mths. I posted about it too, was getting me down! She's got a bit better since a couple of teeth come through. It was actually someone who posted on MN who said it might be teeth (pressure in gums) which makes her resist lying down... Think they were right! Also someone said only change the dirty not wet, this means fewer changes which she is happier about.

We just distract as much as possible, TV, ipad, dummy, snacks, nappy bags, anything!

The worst is when you are in public, last straw for me was it took me 25 mins to get changed/cleaned in a restaurant and someone actually knocked on the baby change door to check she was ok!

I sympathise!

Thanks

We enduring a night of tantrums tonight. Huge one before bed and now up again. Last night she was awake and screaming once every hour

This parenting malarkey is tough!