Nappy - change screaming

[jolies1]

Newborn HATES having his nappy changed / being dressed and undressed, screams like he is being tortured all the way through until he is hoarse or has made himself sick. It’s a proper “waaah” trembling lip cry at full volume.

Is this normal? Is there something causing him pain? Any tips to help us get through without the neighbours reporting us?

Or am I condemned to a few months of watching insta-perfect videos of mums with their beautiful nurseries dressing a calm baby in cute little outfits while dreading each change and singing “please don’t hate mummy” from my “nursery” that looks like a terrible hurricane has hit a laundrette?

[anony1111]

My boy is like this, he has started getting a little better at nearly 4 weeks old but still cries the majority of the time. I have started playing music and it does seem to calm him a little bit.
I think it's normal though, imagine being all cosy in the womb and then having to put clothes etc on, I think I would cry 🤣
It can be quite stressful though I must admit, I hate him being so upset

[migmig]

My little one doesn't usually dislike changing so I don't have first hand experience. But just wanted to say that my dd loves the mobile that I hung above the dressing table and now at 6 weeks stares at it relentlessly. Might be worth a try? Maybe it would distract the baby at least a bit?

[Jupiteer]

My son was like this, he used to scream so hard he would turn red, it made changing him very stressful. He did it for both clothes and nappy. We tried a bunch of things like singing, putting a heater on, even warming the baby wipes and nothing really worked. He gradually got better, I think from around 6-8 weeks. We didn't do anything else special, I think he just got braver as he got older. He is now 3.5 months and doesn't cry at all now during changes, in fact is happy and smiles and chats through them 🙂

[jolies1]

Thank you, this is giving me hope it will get better! Sometimes he gets so worked up he holds his breath which makes me panic!

[maslinpan]

He might just dislike the sudden cold feeling he's experiencing, not like being on his back, there are all sorts of things to set him off. When DD did this I would (gently) blow in her face to distract her. It sometimes surprised her enough to stop the howling for a few precious seconds.

[BurbageBrook]

Aww, that sounds really tough. Do you put a muslin over the changing mat so that it's not cold? (Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.) plus wash with warm water and cotton pads rather than wipes?
I also used to always change after a feed if possible though I appreciate not always possible if they are sleepy or poo at different times.
Also, I used to change my baby by the window and she loved looking at the light and shadow. Could you give him something to distract him like one of those light projectors for newborns?

[BurbageBrook]

PS another thing that helps a little especially as they get a little older is singing a song to them. The Happy Song by Imogen Heap is great. I think the familiarity is good if it's the same song most times and if you also play it at other times too.