Diaper Battles!

[Beth1231]

Well, this is my first post in here. I'm not a parent; I'm a nanny for a 11 month old. Anyway, maybe someone can help.
Amanda starting trying to flip over and crawl away during diaper changes around nine months. Her mom and dad let her do this too many times and guess what? Here we have a nearly 1 year old who is getting stronger by the day who wants to flip over and crawl away in the middle of dirty diaper clean up.
Her mother and I had a little talk yesterday and all three of us are now holding her down (with as little force as possible) on her lower stomach. I tried this yesterday for the first time. She giggled the entire time and still tried with all her baby strength to flip over and crawl away. Aaaahhhh! So her mom and I are keeping our faces solemn during this (even though you want to laugh with her sometimes) and speaking calmly and slowly, "Amanda, this is not a game. Help me to get her diaper changed". Etc. Well, I'm wondering how you get a little one to hold still when mom and dad should have never let her flip over and crawl away even once two months ago. Is it too later? Can we retrain her? Any fun distraction ideas? I sing to her,give her books, toys, etc.
I just want to add that I absolutely love this baby and her parents are terrific. In my opinion they just made a mistake earlier with letting her flip over and crawl away, that's all.

 

[Katydid]

Basically, the same concept I gave for the hair pulling thread....

take her by her arms, look her in the eye and say firmly, "NO". Not "no no sweetie" but "NO". Then start again. Repeat until she figures out that she isn't allowed to play and that you will be 100% consistent. It is a battle of wills and you have to outlast her.

 

[Leanna]

Beth I know all about this because it is part of our tantrum battles over here. David tries/tried to turn over and crawl away too, to the letter exactly how you are describing. Its getting better. When he was younger we used distraction tactics so if you haven't tried these, it would be a good place to start:
1. Cut out pictures of babies from a magazine and tape it to the wall right next to her changing table. (This worked for 2 weeks with David, he would just staaare at them)
2. Hand her a special toy. Maybe your keys, or a favorite rubber ducky. That way she isn't so bored. This worked for a while too!
3. Make CRAZY faces and be overly goofy telling a funny story.
etc.

The thing is older babies/toddlers don't have time in their busy playing schedule for diaper changes that why they do that.... they're sooooo busy....

Unfortunately since David got tired of all distractions, we had to turn to another method......... time outs. So now if he fights us a little we ignore it, but if he turns over completely naked and tries to crawl away and ignores our no's, I get the diaper barely on and stick him straight in the crib and tell him its time out and we will be back in 40 seconds. (not that he knows what 40 seconds is but he knows something is up) Then I come back in, and (this is the important part) put him BACK onto the changing table and continue buttoning his onesie or putting his pants on. We have had diaper changes that took 3-4 time outs, but it worked..... he now understands that trying to crawl away isn't getting him out of diaper changes so he may as well lay there so it doesn't take so many minutes of play time away....

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

This is how I have changed all four of my kiddos- I lay them down on the floor (on a blanket or changing pad, etc) and I slip my shoes off and I pin them down at the armpits with my feet! I hold their feet with one hand and wipe with the other...

It works, it isn't traumatic, and it lets me change the diaper.

 

[Leanna]

Lol.... when I am at someone's house, I lay him on the floor and sling my leg over his chest so I can use both arms.... but in general I want to teach him not to fight because he is only going to get stronger...

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Let me just say, this too shall pass.

Both my kiddos went through this and to add to the fun, my daughter discovered the joy of shoving her hand or foot into the dirty diaper all the while squirming and getting it everywhere (yes, she is a joy). I did the same thing the poster above did and pinned the arms with my legs. It works and it is A LOT less messy. This stage doesn't last too long, fortunately, at least it didn't with our kids.

 

[Beth1231]

Yuck, lol

Yes, Amanda has been reaching in with her hand lately too. I think it's a combination of being itchy and bored during the diaper change. I'm going to suggest to Sylvia (her mother) that she buy her a toy that she can only play with during diaper changes. And ask her about saying "NO" when she's wriggling to get away. So far, the only "no's" in her young life are for the VCR and pulling on the dogs. Myself and her parents try hard to keep her occupied and able to move around and explore (they have a much bigger house, though!). Thanks for the advice and comments...at least I know we're not alone in this. It's harder when it's not your child and you need to stay consistent with the parents.
Oh, and I sang "the wheels on the bus go round and round" ONLY during diaper changes. That worked for nearly two months!

 

[Princessperky]

When DS did that at a early age I used the toy, when he was older I told him if he peed or pooped in the diaper he had to suffer, or he could use the potty. Now that doesn't mean he was pted for a whole year, but he did save a diaper a day or so cause he would willingly pee in the potty. (For DD she demanded the use of the potty long before that.)

One thing I always did with both, diaper changes are ONLY about the diaper. We sit in my lap for the clothes part (once they could sit) That way the diaper change deal is something that can be completly gotten rid of soon as they are PTed (one more bonus for them to use the potty .) Though I personally never had to much trouble with a kid wearing less than full outfits at home (out is another story)

Right now DD has excema real bad on her butt, so to get the clothes on over the meds without smearing the cream on the outside, I put the pants on while DH essentially holds her upside down (for only a second she is safe and all) The silliness of the action takes away from the trouble of having to lay down on her back (like a diaper change) to get the medicine on. A reward for patience so to speak. While one person might not be able to dress and turn upside down, you might be able to do something silly soon as your done. (DS used to know he could roll soon as I put the top on the diaper box, was a bit of a prblem when DH put the top on early one day!)

 

[Leanna]

We sing the ABC song.... never too early and I swoop in at certain letters to kiss his nose... David only had three no's and one of them is the VCR so I totally understand... now he has 4 because tantrums are a no.... but hes learning not to throw them and has been really good to be around recently...

 

[Beth1231]

Well, that's good to hear, Leanna They are so cute and little explorers at this age, I can't be vexed with her for very long. Perhaps she is turning me into a softie.
Yesterday was better for two of the diaper changes. The first one was terrible though. She cried and cried when I held her down and spoke softly to her. She has diaper rash, poor little girl. She looked at me as if to say "how could you, Beth?" It was hard, but the job had to get done. When she does start throwing tantrums (which last about five seconds now), I will definitely pass on the information about putting her in her crib for 30 or 40 seconds.

 

[Leanna]

 

[higgs2]

This is how I have changed all four of my kiddos- I lay them down on the floor (on a blanket or changing pad, etc) and I slip my shoes off and I pin them down at the armpits with my feet! I hold their feet with one hand and wipe with the other...

It works, it isn't traumatic, and it lets me change the diaper.

Yes!Yes! THis is exactly how I do it!!

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

Yes!Yes! THis is exactly how I do it!!

Praise God- I am not the only one!

 

[Beth1231]

Update:
After four or five unpleasant diaper changes where I had to literally hold down a crying Amanda, she seems to "remember" now that I'm not going to let her get up and crawl away. And she stays put! If she gets restless, I sing her a quick song or pick up Minnie Mouse to distract her. And if she has a relapse, I just have to hold her down for maybe ten seconds and she "remembers" again. Hooray!

 

[Princessperky]

Yeah! and people say you can't teach babies.

 

[Leanna]

Yeah! and people say you can't teach babies.

I know what you mean....