10 Month-old Too Wiggly for Diaper Changing

We struggled with this too, and found that putting on a video helped a lot. My son liked the Baby Einstein videos. You can get them at the library if you don't have any...

LOL...I have often said if someone can invent something to help with keeping kids from rolling away from you while changing their diaper, they would make a small fortune. I still have trouble with my 20 month old, who is very strong willed. The only thing I have found that works, and I can't remember how early this started working for her, is to stick out my tongue or make raspberries or some other funny noises/faces. Then she would get distracted by what I was doing and try to imitate me. Good luck!

I completely agree with Dawn S!! YOU are the parent. No need to be mean but definitely a need to be firm. This is your time to train. Consider this: if she begins to understand to follow your instructions with diaper changing, it will aid in helping her to learn to follow other instructions. Everyday things are your opportunity to train your child. Little things like this are your opportunity to begin developing character traits like patience, respect, etc. How long do you want to deal with a wiggly child during diaper changing? It will last for as long as you allow it. Why not change it now?

I've always tickled their tummy and back. LOL you have to be fast, but when they pause for that moment, then I could quickly put their diaper on.

Plus after you change their diaper, chances are that they're not going to go potty right away, so let her roll or run around for a minute or two then chase her around to put her diaper on. My kids always like to play "chase and tickle"

If they were stinky, I would still try to tickle them, but really just had to keep holding their legs up and just keep rolling them back onto their back.

Just really a lot of patience :) Good Luck.

My son always thought it was funny when I tickled him. Of course he'd wriggle more from that initially, but then he'd lay still in anticipation of me tickling him again. I would quickly do the diaper change while tickling a little in between. Good luck!

I agree completely with the moms that say to use a toy. Give her something to hold so the focus is right in front of her, instead of on one of her sides so she won't have to turn away.

I was told that this a phase children go through and I just learned to be very quick about changing my daughter's diaper. I would bring her over and reassure her that this was necessary and I would be done real soon and would give her a toy to preoccupy herself with. I would not play with her, sing to her, or do anything that would slow me down with the business at hand. Once she saw that this was just a temporary inconvenience, she became more compliant.

I will warn you that you will have another battle as she gets closer to the potty training age, but now I just tell her that she can either let me change her diaper or use the potty and then she lets me change her diaper. Ha! Ha!

Angie

this is normal, and theres not much you can do to change that... just try your best to make diaper changing quick and efficent.

i found that if i had a book, toy or something that was only given to my son during diaper changes, it was more likely to keep his attention so that i could get the diaper change. the more distractions the better, maybe even a picture on the ceiling!

good luck, but try to keep it short - and diaper changes only get harder regarding this as they get older and more mobile. my son is pretty good, but sometimes he still is too busy to stop. maybe try to catch your child when they arent into something too deep. and watch for signs of potty readiness, they come earlier for some kids, and are actually a good idea to start catching them earlier. my 18 month old son frequently uses the potty and he doesnt go every time, but he is getting used to the idea and it is easier to change diapers that you can catch and get to the potty beforehand.

lol. its hard, but its worth it - elimination communication - trust your child and follow thier lead!

At this age, she is challenging your authority. Or more likely, trying to assert hers. For my six boys, this was the first training ground. When they started to squirm we told them "no" firmly. If they kept it up, we spanked once on the thigh. It was hard enough to stun them but not hurt them in any way. This was the perfect way to teach the meaning of the word "no" because you have a captive audience. If you give her plenty of other time to wiggle and play, she will not suffer from being restrained for those few minutes and anyone that takes care of her for you will thank you for the effort.

By the way, at the moment I have four teenage boys and two adult boys. They are all independent and very different from each other, but they all respect and honor us and other adults. I have yet to be sassed by any of them. It is well worth the effort to train them to accept your authority.

Only have a minute so I'm copy/pasteing my response to someone else with this issue:
Probably he just doesn't want to take the time to do that and thinks if he fusses enough it won't happen. This is the time to start teaching him there are just some things you just have to deal with in life. Do your best to make it less of a hassle for him, but tell him you need him to help out by being more cooperative. He may not be able to tell you what he's thinking yet, but I'm sure he'll understand more of what you're saying. Then you'll find out if he's gonna be the kind of person who will accept the inevitable, or the kind who will repeatedly beat their heads against a brick wall. :)

Give her something to do - a book to look at while YOU read it out loud to her. Try GOODNIGHT MOON, it is easy to remember and all kids love it..."In the great green room... there was a telephone.... and a red balloon...

She will love turning the pages to your happy story telling and forget that she doesn't want a diaper change.

Memorizing poems, and songs helps too. Singing, chanting, reading, reciting - they are all captivating. Then diaper time will become fun for both of you!

Find a washable diaper toy... something she only gets when having her pants changed. It acts as a reward.

the tv remote or a cell phone worked for us...we just had to do it really really fast...

I also had to use my legs as kind of a gate to hold my second son from getting too far...he couldn't crawl over my legs as fast as he thought he could...

it gets better!

My daughter was the same way. Wiggle Worm. She was running around the house at 10 months too, so having her lay for 5 minutes was just too much to ask.

I switched to pull-ups and we could do it standing up and she would help by stepping into it, etc. And, we definately didn't do anymore changes on the changing table for safety reasons. Hope this helps.

haha...this doesn't make it any more pleasant, but it does make it faster. when i'm alone and don't have my hubby around to "tag team" diaper changing and distracting my almost 10 month old...i put my feet on his shoulders to pin him down. he hates it, but it gets the job done. hope i don't sound like an evil mommy...

Hi M.,

We had the same problem with our twin sons. Now that they are 20 months old, we are finally able to reason with them enough to lay down for diaper changes. During that time, we became experts at changing while standing. The changes ended up taking longer, but we were never able to find anything that did the trick long-term.

Keep trying different toys or other items to entertain them, because periodically it will work. If not, the standing did allow the job to get done.

Good luck!

Do you keep a basket of awesome interesting toys for her next to the changing table? At that age, they like to move around. Holding her down just isn't going to solve anything. Your best bet is to do what you can to be a faster diaper-changer. The babies this age just don't want to slow down because they are so very interested in moving.

That's very normal. If distracting her doesn't work then it's time for a firm no and a frown. Just imagine trying to change a really messy diaper on an 18 mo old who hasn't learned to lie still! I have found that toys don't distract my son nearly as much as real things - a wet wipe, a hair brush, a sock. Sometimes things they perceive as not for them (but they want them) work best. My little guy loves to try and stick his hand in the wipes box - and I can get him changed lickety split when he has something to "figure out."

SAHM of seven, youngest is 19 mos.

I have a 10 1/2 month old and we have developed the same problem i never had these problems with my son i hve become the bad mom and give her a sippy cup with a little water or juice in it and she sits still just long enough to get her diaper on not always the clothes back on i know how terrible it is with the risk of ear infections thank god she hasn't had one yet and she never anyothe times get a sippy cup or bottle while laying down but i am very interested to hear the responses.

The toys trick worked for me. Try turning the TV on or letting her play with a TV remote.