1 Year Old and Diaper Changing

My son started doing this around 9 months old. It didn't last that long, maybe a few months. Well, now he is 22 months old and has just started doing it again but it's a lot harder because he is bigger and I am pregnant and he kicks and I don't want him kicking my stomach. He screams if he sees me getting a diaper! Sometimes giving him something to hold will work, or changing him right by the TV so he can watch it while I change him.

This is normal, tho not all babies do this. If he stands try changing him while he's standing up. Perhaps let him watch TV or a video. He's learning independence or how to be in control and lying down with you not letting him move is too confining for him. Also he has lots of energy and hasn't learned yet how to stop kicking and squirming and stay that way. Also, he probably kicked and squirmed to some extent all along. He's bigger and harder to hold still than he was when he was younger.

You could try asking him for his co-operation before you lay him down. Talk about diaper changing and ask him if he'll help mommy get this done quickly. You could try turning it into a game. Let's see how long this takes and start counting to him as you change him. Have you tried singing to him as you change his diaper. Sing song what you're doing, including words like just one more minute. Find out what he really likes to do and sometimes make that his reward for helping you. When we get this diaper changed we can go outside or watch a video or get out the blocks or ? .
Mix it up so it's not always the same.

It's OK if he gets his foot or hand in his poop. They wash and even if he gets his hand in his mouth before you get it washed what's in his poop is already in his body. No harm, no foul. Perhaps if you didn't feel that you had to try so hard to keep order he wouldn't fight so hard to do his own thing. Just an idea to make it easier. He'll still move around because he's one and has discovered he can.

I also suggest that you stay patient. If he gets a reaction from you he may continue to work at getting a reaction from you.

Oh lord! The acrobatic diaper change! They suck! :)

We still do them on my 2 1/2 year old!

For some reason, singing the alphabet REALLY slowly always gets his attention (well 75% of the time). It always worked for us. How about a certain loved toy that always comes out during diaper change?

He is probably out grow it....maybe! I think it's par for the course and at that age, not much you can do then keep trying to distract him!

If you can manage it, try a standing diaper change. It's easy for pee, for poop it can be harder but works better if you catch him just as he poops and diaper right away (before he sits in his poop and squishes it). Also, pick up some new cheap little toys that come out only at diapering time.

Hi M....tooootally normal...mine is now 1.5 years old and does the same...
the only thing I can do is try to make diper change interesting...so I always have a song to sing that he will join me..or I give a little book...or we talk...he finds interesting when I have something new to say...Or he plays with his cream trying ( and many times achieving it) to open. I try to be the fastest diaper changer in the planet...and if the poop is too soft...I just finish cleaning in the bathroom sink...My boy sometimes ends up with his hands in the poop...and of course I freak out but I just grab him and put in the bathtub for a quick cleaning... Takes time..but is efficient...I will be getting a baby any time ( 40 weeks already) and I will have to master 2 diaper changes...I hope I will be able to do it...
Good luck...and just go with the flow..
xxx

Yes I do!! My daughter has managed to grab the poopy diaper and toss it resulting in poop every where, including her hands!! She was famous for the alligator roll when ever her diaper was full of poop. The only thing that works for me is I started asking her to "help mommy". Of course by help, I don't mean I let her clean herself. I give her an extra wipe and diaper and I continue to talk to her as I change her. I tell her to wash her face and hands and while she is trying to clean up, I am able to change the diaper. On occasion when this doesn't work, I call my husband and he has to come in and hold her hands. You are not alone!

I don't remember any of my children fighting me, but I did have a grandson and a granddaughter from different fathers who couldn't stop squirming and were unwilling to go along with getting changed. And that's just it. Your child is unwilling to lay there. With both grandchildren, with pee it's no big deal and with poop, you have to be a little more careful. I'd tried to make diaper changing as fun as possible, allowing them to help bring wipees and diaper to the changing area. With poop, I'd sing songs, play games, ask them questions, while firmly grabbing the legs together in one hand and quickly cleaning the behind area and legs. If they flipped that was ok, i just continued to clean around them as they squirmed away, all the while telling them what I was doing why I was doing it. "Need to get clean," "ooohhh, stinky," using baby language, ugh, and stuff like that. Making potty changing fun. They exasperated their mothers but, I felt more comfortable handling this type of behavior. the children don't realize that they have to sit still for this. My one grandchild now three, is a homebody, likes playing video games and watching cartoons, whereas his brother who almost 2, tells you he has gone in his pants, brings wipees, and his diaper. He is ready for potty training, but has trouble sitting still yet. From the moment he wakes up, and puts on his shoes, he wants to go out into the world, strapped in his car seat. Totally the opposite of each other.

Just go with it, don't fight it. Just have everything in hand to prevent big messes. Play with him and love him.

i didn't read all the posts you received but this happened with my first and currently is happening with my 15 mo old. i lay him on the ground in-between my legs so he can't roll over. he thinks it's funny and he's actually really stuck.

good luck!

I found a quick swat to a bare bottom and telling him to lay still worked well. He only needed a reminder once every week or two.

Oh yes! He started when he was one and is now 16 mos. My girlfriend experienced this too with her son so she started changing himon the floor instead of the changing table. I give him anything to distract him (cell phone, regular phone, a new toy etc) then I move like lightning fast and have everything ready beforehand. Aiy yai yai.

Okay, so I thought my nephew was the only one who went through this phaze. Scary isn't it! And my cell phone and his mommy and daddy's cell phones were top bargaining tools. I have no idea why little ones do this, but I do know that at 18 months old, he has finally mellowed on that bit. He still gets a littly fidgety, but for the most part he would rather have a clean bottom. He is the most crazy when it's poop, my opinion is because it would drive me crazy to have poo stuck to my butt- a "get if off!!!!" kind of momentary craze.
Anyway, the good news is that your little one will settle down over time and I truly belive it is a phase. I have also noticed that with increasing discipline in the baby and his learning about and taking time outs for bad behavior, he has mellowed in all areas.
Good luck mama-
I hope this helps
-E.

we went through this phase. it's a tough time when they are just learning to be mobile (even if he's been walking for a few months) and they just really don't want to lay still for it. my son was 97th percentile for height/weight and i would have to literally pin his legs down. it'll pass. just be firm with him and make sure he knows who is boss. hopefully he'll grow out of it soon!