newborn HATES having his nappy change - any tips???

[JenJam]

my 10 day old baby is progressively becoming very upset with each nappy change. what can I do to make it easier for him? i've tried the following

changing him in soft lighting (!)
singing to him while changing him
covering him with a blanket so he is not too exposed and cleaning around the blanket
stopping halfway and cuddling him to my chest before finishing the job off
changing

checking to see if he is sore - he isn't

it breaks my heart to hear him cry himself hoarse. please help!!!!

Most newborns hate having their nappy changed if I remember correctly (mine both did) ... I think it is because they don't like being undressed (after being all warm in their mum's tummy)
The only think I can suggest is to just try and do it as quick as you can with the minimum fuss. He won't hurt himself from crying ... it is natural ...
Best thing I did was (when I could) was to get DH to do it so I didn't get stressed with the crying ... for some reason DH was never bothered by the crying ... he would stand there and keep cooing and smiling at the red faced angry screaming bundle of fury while he changed the nappy and then come back still smiling while I would be sitting in the living room with my fingers in my ears ....
Oh, just had a thought ... have you got a muslin or something to put under his bottom on the changing mat? He might be complaining of the cold feel of the mat maybe?
Hang in there, it will get easier

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I think it is something they will just get used to in time, but 1 tip I always use is, anything that upsets them, i.e nappy change or bath time, dont do it in the room they sleep in. Anything they do enjoy, do that in the room they sleep in.

All my children loved bathtime, so I always bathed then in their bedroom, so they would associate their room with nice things and sleep soundly.

It seemed to work for me, all my children have always slept 12 hrs straight through every night

I did also put a towel or musselin over the changing mat, which ended up being his favourite place in the house.

Considering that is winter now, sometimes the wipes get very cold, if you leave them on top of a radiator (but ensure the pack is properly closed to avoid drying up), they won't be so cold when you use them.

my little one wasn't ever very keen on nappy change in the early days either........to give you some light at the end of the tunnel...ds is 15 weeks today and LOVES having his nappy changed.

i never thought i'd be able to cope with my baby crying, especially when they seem to get frantic but honestly you do find it easier to hear. it will always tug at your heart strings but you soon learn which cries REALLY need your attention and which ones youcan 'ignore'.

hope things get better for you very soon.

re Chandra's suggestion about the warm wipes, I use a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth (I have lots, or you could use cotton wool) to wipe ds with. If I forget to use warm water he soon lets me know!

Lots of newborns hate having their clothes removed. Do you just pop his feet out of the babygrow or unpopper it all the way down? Take off as little as possible and that may help.

Jenjam - sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. i knwo its hard not to get upset, even if you know that its normal.

DS did this too. i also used a muslin under him and didnt use baby wipes, only warm water on cotton wool pads. They only need a quick wipe unless they are dirty. I also didn't bath him very much when he was small, but this was due to family history of exzema.

I tried to make it as fast as possible so would undo poppers etc before putting on the mat, then a quick nappy change, then back on my lap for dressing again. I knwo it takes a bit longer at the beginning when you have to clean around the cord stump and make sure nappy isnt covering it

mine was the same till i put a warm blanket over her stomach and underneath her to feel warm when she was lying on the cold changing mat as they hate the coldness!

One of our best buys was a black and white mobile which we hung above the changing table - dd2 was transfixed by it and used to love nappy changes (still does actually - 8mths now).

When dd was really crying whilst her nappy was being changed, dh or I (the spare person at the time iyswim) used to give her our (clean) little finger to suck. Obviously only works if 2 of you are around. DD soon got to love being changed to as others have said, and she loves lying on her changing mat, having a baby chat with us now.

Hang in there

I used to swaddle my babies' arms up while nappy changing, & even throw a blanket on their face. It seemed to help a lot.

My DS used to hate getting dressed after his bath but if I play music it distracts him and calms him down. He has a musical bear that I play to him. I also think it is something they grow out of in time. If that doesn't work try singing silly songs, smiling and jumping up and down like a mad woman! (whilst wiping baby's bottom) My DS likes that too

also........and this really worked every time when my DS was new born......... make a VERY loud shushing noise in his ear. It has to be at least as loud as his cry (a soft shhh is no good). That worked really well for us because apparently it mimicks the sound of what it was like when your baby was still inside you and so it helps to calm the baby down.

My ds was like this and what worked every time was a hair dryer believe it or not, waived it at his bottom to dry him off and he would writhe in ectascy and bliss he loved it. My mw passed this tip on to me and it was the best yet.

Can you change him on your lap? My mum changed all of us that way. Babies are so used to being held it might be the 'putting down' he objects to.

wow - what a lovely bunch you are! thanks for all the advice - am working through the suggestions. unchanging him on my lap and the shushing seems to help. the singing songs is a bit hit and miss it depends how furious he is in the first place!!!

kristina - i'm not having that hard a time - finn is adorable and very pleasant to be with 95% of the time. But I do feel like a bad mummy when he gets so irate because i want him to be content! how you doing?

I sing really loudly and I think it scares him into submission.

Try running the hoover while you are changing him. He will get used to the nappy changing though. Does he have nappy rash? Try not to use disposable wipes as the chemicals are strong for a newborn. I have some washable soft ones which work very well or just use cotton wool. If he's really messy you could use a disposable one but make sure to clean him with clean water after.

Trying to remember (ds is 6 now!!) but I used to give ds something to hold and shake as soon as he was able to, while I was changing him. At a few months old he loved the lid to the wipes box, cos it had a hole in the middle that he could push his fingers thru.

i called the helth visitor the first time ds didn't scream his head off when changed his nappy. she said he just didn't mind any more. (i was a v nervous mama at first).

in a couple of weeks a mobile above the changing mat might distract him....it gets easier, it really does