My 15 Month Old Throws a Fit on the Diaper Changing Table....

oh my Gosh, my son went through the same thing, except he only did it with me...anyone else could change his diaper with no problem...he just finally quit one day, but he was about 15 months when he did that stuff! i would literally have to wrestle him to change his diaper, and then one day he just quit...it was just a phase, he's 2 now, and we are working on the potty, but he's not really feeling that too much, but Good luck, it will just magically go away one day!

My first son was that way, and I learned to clean him and change his diaper in all sorts of unusual positions, but never on his back. Eventually I realized that this didn't make sense, it seemed there was an issue of some sort and I had just figured out how to avoid it, not heal it. So I decided to face this difficulty and began gently laying him on his back to play with him and also to change his diaper. He'd kick and roll all over, but I held his legs firmly and spoke lovingly to him and was very patient. He cried and squirmed - had a tantrum basically, but I felt there was something that he needed to get out, so I let him go for it. That happened two or three times and then---never again. My second child never had any issues about diaper changing. My third child was just like my first- couldn't stand being put on his back to change his diaper. I held his legs down and talked to him lovingly saying that I knew he didn't like this but I needed to change his diaper and this was the easiest way to do it. I looked into his angry eyes, he cried, and then he was fine. Never had a squirm since- just lays relxedly and we chat or play. I know when I get upset I feel it in my back, maybe my children do too.
Hope this helps.
C.

my 17 mo has been doing this since he was about 12 weeks. Since he started this so early there was no reasoning with him. i gently laid him on the floor and placed my left leg across his middle section just enough to make him feel secure. No pressure or pain involved and told him "now is diaper time and I am going to change you" . Now i put my leg across him because it gives him something to play with.

My 1yo does it too... nice to hear he's not the only one :) The two things I've found that calm him down and keep his interest are his own diaper to play with or his hair brush. What makes those things so magic? Your guess is as good as mine... LOL.

Me too! I have found that if I warn him first and tell him that I need to change him and remind him for a few minutes, that he is less "ambushed". Some days are different though. But now he'll even get me a diaper, after 2 months of
"training". Just remember that when mommy is upset, so is baby! Good luck!

Hi,

Burton White, the greatest child developmental psychologist of the 20th Century, IMHO, in "Raising a Happy Unspoiled Child" says that the beginnings of fighting the diaper change starts ca. 10 months, and if you don't just ignore them and train them to be still you end up with what you're describing--and this behavior predicts really bad terrible two's :(.

I've had really, really good luck using Dr White's principles--my son is an angel and soooo compliant and polite, but also really exploratory and imaginative--

the book is out of print, but you can get a copy on eBay--"Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child" by Burton L. White.

Good luck.

My son is 21 months now but has been doing the same thing on and off since he was around a year old. When we moved I packed up the changing table & haven't used it since. I was afraid he would hurt himself as well. I let him lay on the carpeting with a blanket underneath him. I give him a toy or we sing songs. Now the toys sometimes go south, as he is interested in his private parts...so toys aren't always a good thing for our diaper changes. We sing a counting song and he knows just when to "quack" like the duck and know he is starting to sing with me. He has learned his body parts, so I also ask him to touch his nose, ears, hair etc. as I make over the correct actions while I do a "quick" diaper change. I'd say that 80% of the time he is fine with his change, but it hasn't always been that way. Now, we are beginning to be interested in the potty. always something new - what fun! Good luck!

Once my kids were a year old, they hated laying back for a diaper change. So we did stand-up changing from then on. I got pretty good at it. No more battles.

All kids throw fits for their own reasons and in certain situations...what does he love the most? For my son it's m&m's. If you can only give him this "thing" or "treat" when it's time to change his diaper, he might coorilate the changing time w/ something he'll get that he loves. That's my suggestion for you. Maybe it's time to start thinking of potty-training?? He might hate diapers and now would be the time to transition? Best of luck to you!!

My kids both went through stages where they hated diaper changes - squirming, kicking, crying, yelling. Depending on their moods different tactics worked. In addition to trying to entertain them, I would try to get them involved by giving them wipes to clean their faces and hands while I cleaned their bottoms. I would ask them to wipe their noses, ears, mouth, etc. We also turned diaper changing time into hug and tickle time. We would have playful tickle attacks before changing diapers (to lure them to me) then do hugs and kisses afterward. I would praise them for cooperating. Now they are 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 and giving them a warning that we are going to change diapers/go potty in 5 minutes seems to work well. My son has also requested that I warm the wipes. One other thing....a long time ago, I began to change them on the floor, bed or couch with a towel or changing pad underneath them. It was easier to control them when they gave me a hard time. Good luck!

HI, im so glad I saw this because I am having the same problem with my 15 month old. I am a 28 year old single monther and i was starting to think to worry so much about this! He has a fit when i try to change him....he freaks out twists his whole body around, screams and yells and tries to crawl and jump off the table. Its gotton to the point where I wont even change him on the table because im scared hell jump off......so heres what ive been doing. As soon as I grab a diaper and the wipe I give him a special toy that I only give him when Im changing him. A toy that he is only aloud to have during "the changing time" his toy is this 4 inch ball the you press a button and it vibrates and makes colors. I put it on his belly and I change him AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. I just started this last week and it has been working. As soon as the changing is over and he's dressed I take the toy back. At first he freaks but I hurray up and change the subject with a diffrent toy and make funny faces or chase him and play pick a boo and he forgets about the special toy quickly untill the next changing time........good luck! Well atleast I know now its not just my son who's freakin out about getting changed!!!!

C.

e.

hey B. no worries this is totally normal! This is a tough stage :( I found that keeping a basket of toys near the changing table and letting him pick one to take with while being changed helps. Also if he has a soft blankie they often dont mind being changed on the floor if that is what they can lay on. Good Luck!

I have started letting my son watch a few minutes of TV while changing him when it gets really bad. He does not watch much TV, so it gives a little treat for him and he is great now! I don't know why they start doing this! You could also try putting him on the toilet and start toilet training if changing a diaper is unwanted!

Hi. I have a 17 month old and she does the same thing, has been going on since about 14 months I would say. She mainly just cries and throws a fit. Sometimes she will arch her back but mainly just cries. Nothing bad has happened to her either so we dont know why she does it either. I am assuming she just knows now that when she is on the table her diaper is going to be changed?!?! But your not alone!
K.