Please give me tips on how to change the nappy of the wriggliest baby in the universe!

[Alliwantisaroomsomewhere]

I am a CM of a bout 6 yrs and have started a new baby recently. After the first day with me I asked mum how she or her husband changed the baby's nappy and she said that it took two of them!

I am worried I may hurt him if I "pin" him down with his legs. He twists and turns and screams and will no lie anywhere near still. He is 9 months old. Distracting him with a toy is useless.

Help! He fights so hard and I hate having to change him! Anyone have any tips please?

Well first off silly parents, its become a game to baby so you can not blame him. Top tips: make sure you have everything to hand, give baby warning ?nappy time, come on? have big smile on face, give baby nappy to hold, have photo?s of parents around changing area, favourite book/toy etc etc. then just be very firm, no need to hold him down or be cross just a very firm ?no? ?nappy off now? & then a big smile on face (esp as he will be staring at you thinking oh she said No & she?s still smiling) repeat ?No? but be as quick as possible. If it helps you then don?t even remove clothes just pull trousers down to ankles and whip nappy off (hope they are not those silly pant nappies) for the first few times. Big big smile once you?re finished and I always say thank you and well done. A couple of quick nappy changes should teach him that it doesn?t take long & its more fun to get back to the toys.

Have you tried changing him in different rooms at each change. A bit of a pain but it seems to distract the wiggly 10 month old I have. Also worked with my DD who would try all ways to get out of being changed.

Have you tried just washing his bum in the sink. Strip to waist and hold him facing down with one arm. It's a hard position to wriggle out of.

I have had one like this. Firstly always change on the floor, have everything to hand and be super quick. I would pull trousers down to ankles and then kneel on the middle of the trousers, clean his front, grasp trousers in one hand, lift legs up and clean bottom, put new nappy down, legs back down and kneel on trousers while doing up tapes, then stand up baby (leaning against you) to pull up trousers (less than a minute in all!) I'd also second the chatting and singing, smiling and congratulating all the time.

I should have added don't worry about bagging up debris, putting tops back on cream etc as you go, do that afterwards.

My top tip, which has worked with several wriggly babies, is to sing a song as loudly and animatedly as possible!

Our favourites are old MacDonald because it can go on and on for as long as you need. Also, nelly the elephant and the grand old duke of York.

This trick works especially well if you have other mindees around at the same time because they get involved in the singing too which distracts the wriggler a bit too!

If I have a number of wrigglers at the same time then each one has their own song. My current ex-wriggler is fab at nappy changing now .

i am not a cm but have had wriggly children. If you are changing at home i would vote for pull ups and not doing all stages at once. So strip him down to nappy while he is distracted and playing. Then all you need to do is get him to be still while you wipe his bum, - this need not be lying down, some enjoy standing supported on a chair or sofa while you wipe. Obviously this can't work if the poo is too sloppy but i found wiping this way much easier. Then slip a pull up him, allow him to play and redress him later. No rule that says they can't wander round in a nappy for 10 to 15 minutes

Two changes today and both were successful! I usually did get everything ready, but this time I made doubly sure all was in place, sang and chatted VERY animatedly (sorry, neighbours!) and all was fine :). Long may it last!

PS Thanks for all the advice!

If it's still a problem you could try one of these changing mats that have an integrated harness. I bought one for my nephew because at 6 months old you couldn't keep him still on his back and he was too slight and wiry to physically hold down. Changing him was like trying to wrestle a very small eel! The mat has worked wonders, he doesn't like it, but has now resigned himself and doesn't protest so much!

Someone gave me a top tip which is give them a hand mirror to look in while you change them.

Mirror is to be accessed at no other time, ever!

Seemed to do the trick for us!

Are you my CM? The details don't fit, but DS is a nightmare to change at the moment. I'll have to try the loud singing - it should help me remain patient, anyway.

What I find works best for DS, though: other children. For some reason he responds really well to DD and his cousins dangling toys and singing silly songs... could any of the other mindees help out?

my ds won't lie still to change, i have to change him on my knee. Lie him across my knee and hold onto his feet with one hand so i can lift them up and wipe his bum, the put nappy down on my knee. I used to change him on the changing mat before he could move but my mum always changed on her knee, apparently that was the way most people changed nappies in the 70s when you had terrys nappies and a big pin to contend with as well!!

I have one of these mirrors which helps to keep my DD still.

www.elc.co.uk/Bugs-Large-Mirror/130645,default,pd.html

Alternatively I have resulted to a head lock between my thighs but not sure that's appropriate with someone else's child.

I changed DS1 with him standing up from 8 months. He'd keep still momentarily to play with something on a chair, and it was less faff than pinning him down with wrestling moves.

Gallicgirl, I did an entire body lock for a couple of days out of desperation. This will no doubt out me if mum is on MN, but she came in one day while I was changing the baby, so she knows how I had been doing it. I had told her previously, too. She was fine about it and appreciated that I would struggle to change the baby without having him roll around in his poop!

I am pleased to say that I no longer have to resort to the full body lock! Instead I subject the wriggler to my rather awful singing and that seems to be working. Thanks for all the advice! I love the idea of the compact mirror - sure I have one somewhere. I will def use that idea, too, on the days that I cannot bear to sing.

Mat on floor.
Baby on mat.
You sit to one side of mat.

Place a leg over baby to hld baby in place - gently.
Quickly change baby.
Used to use this method for both my DS

Then I moved onto changing the nappy whilst they lay sideways across my lap.

I would do it in front of the TV on a mat on the floor. Worked for all of my wriggly little buggers.

I wish this thread was about when I started with my charge! She was awful for nappy changes! But the singing and very animated chatting are what worked for us too :)

Seems the baby has settled and so far, I have had 3 days of barely a fuss at changing time. Thanks for all the advice!