My Almost Two Year Old Keeps Taking off His Diaper!

I've had ten children and my three boys especially went through this stage. I used to put the diapers on backward too so the tabs were in the back.
As to whether he is ready to potty train - you'd have to determine if there were any other signs. Boys typically train later than girls.
Taking the diaper off may have nothing to do with his liking to strip. When I got really desperate I used duct tape across the tabs of the diaper to keep it on.

My daughter went through that and I was tired of her waking up in the middle of the night soaked....sooooo, I also used duct tape!
All you need is a small strip to go over the tabs on the diaper...after a few days she would remind me to put it on...we probably did that for about a month...now she leaves her diaper on all night....but still takes her pjs off....*sigh* lol!

T.,

I also had a two year old taking off his diapers...I am almost embarrased to admit that I taped them shut with duct tape!!! I was sick and tired of the behavior and found no other way to do it. Just be careful not to snag his skin!!

Good luck!

H. Z.

mom of 3 boys (4, 3, and 8 mths.) we just arrived in Atlanta after driving for three days straight...and it went great!!!

I have a 2 1/2 yr old and we go through this almost every day. As for the Jammies I put a tight t-shirt over them and that seems to work. Otherwise I found overalls without crotch straps to be the best option. I have been sitting my son on the potty every time he takes his diaper off but as for Potty training I am a fan of waiting until they are good and ready. (usually right around 3) Good luck I will be thinking of you today when my son comes running out naked!

Try potty training, it might work. It might not.
My now 3-year-old did the same thing... we tried duct-taping his diaper. (not kidding) It worked for a little while. Then he started just pushing the diaper down a little, rendering it useless. Now he still tends to sleep with his hand in his diaper, leaving me to wash bedding nearly daily.
Can't be of much help, but don't plan on him just growing out of it soon.

This happened to a friend of mine with her twins. She duct tapes the diaper and puts the zip up pj's on backwards so they can't reach the zipper. Good luck!

I am going through the same problem. I decided to introduce her to the potty; but she is not quite ready and my little girl is almost two. I will let her sit on the potty and give her book to keep her occupied for a little bit. I have cut off the legs of the pj's that she grew out of in the feet in just put them on backwards. My other daughter who is 2.5 was potty trained at 2 so some kids are ready and some kids are not. Have you tried introducing him to the potty yet?

About me: Stay at home mom of three. Happily married of 4.5 years.

My son used to do the same thing. What we ended up doing was cutting off the feet of zip pj's and putting them on him backwards. This worked really well. Good luck.

My daughter (now 28 months old) has gone through some phases of taking her diaper off during her naps. We did a few things - turned diapers backwards so velcro was by her back and switch to pull ups. Bottom line, though, was that she gave up after a short time - was a novel thing to do and then she stopped bothering and we went back to putting the diapers on normally and are now using pull ups full time. It didn't signify a desire to potty train on our end - we are still in the (slow) process of potty training.

Good luck.

Had that problem too:) My research revealed only two viable options. One is putting the diaper on backwards -- makes it much more difficult to undo the tabs. That worjked for me for a few days until she figured that out too. The other idea was duct tape. We ended up making her stay in her room one day with my husband until she would agree to leave the diaper on. She screamed and yelled but we wouldn't let her out to play or see anyone else until she consented. She lasted 4.5 hours!!! Then we woudl judt have to remind her of that ordeal when she tried to take the diaper off. We had to do the room thing a few more times but onyl for up to 30 minutes each. Then it stopped.

Good luck!

What a Blessing! If he recognizes that he doesn't want poo next to his body, then this is the time to potty train. If you insist that he continue to wear it, he may become accustomed to sitting in it and then it will be a real problem to potty train.

I started potty training when my son showed interest at 1 1/2 years old. By 2 years he was completely trained. He did have a few accidents at night, but that's normal.

I say go for it. What an exciting time to help your son advance to a new stage of life. One small step to independence and self control! Good Luck and congratulations!

I would recommend that you start watching for signs of him pooping. he very well could be ready to potty-train at this age but lack the ability to express himself. my son pretty much trained himself at exactly 2 years old. he kept taking off his diaper so I let him go without anything for about a week so he could see his pee come out and told him to run to the potty. naturally poop followed suit and we never had to buy diapers again! yeah :)

i just wanted to say that i am having the same problem you are!! My 27 month old is doing this as well and no matter what i do or what i put onto her she STILL manages to take off all her clothes! ugh!

T.-

While this is very frustrating, I think it is somewhat normal. My daughter did that at about that age as well. Not to be gross but she would smear the poop all over her crib, etc. And I have talked to a few other people who's kids have done the same thing. I am not sure that it means they are ready to be potty trained. It just may mean that they don't like the feel of the poop in their diaper. Maybe you could try with the potty, sit him on it, tell him abou it, etc. but don't forcr the issue, much better to wait until they sort of take the lead on the potty training. Hope this helps!

yes honey it is time to potty train him i started my son at 2..Kat Z

Duct tape :)
Your question just made me smile. These are the fun moments, huh?

My boys did this too sometimes. All I can tell you is boys are like that. They sometimes just don't like having clothes on.

For giggles try potty training just in case he is ready.

L.

Yes. Get a potty and put it in the bathroom so he can "make friends" with it. Just on the floor someplace. He can sit on it fully clothed.

After a while, help him understand what it is for. Sounds like he's ready. At 2, my brother, now 54, grabbed the side of his diaper and said to my mom, "Pins. Kill me." That was the end of the diaper!

Hello!

My son will be 2 next month and started doing this about 3 weeks ago. He would yell out "potty" each time so I assumed that was a sign to try and potty train. Sure enough he was somewhat ready. We started about a week ago and he has been going pee (not always) and has gone poo once already!

He might be ready so why not try! Good luck!

Been there done that! My 2 1/2 year old daughter is finally outgrowing that stage, but she still prefers to run around naked! I suggest not making a big deal of it...it's something he can control.

T., I can totally relate! My oldest DD did this once and that was enough for her but my twins did the "poop paint" thing for 6 months...on the door, the bed, the wall, etc. If they want to do it, they will find a way. My DD was worse than my son - we put the diaper on backwards, duct taped it, zipped her up in sleepers, safety pinned the sleepers, and sewed her pants to her tops. I found there was no detering them, you simply have to let him know it is not ok to do and if he continues, suck it up and hope he grows out of it soon! Good luck!

Give it a try! You could always attempt it, and if it doesn't work then that's okay. He's young enough for you to try again in a year or so. He keeps taking off his diaper because he's feeling restricted. Most kids during this day and age like to feel all of the energy the best way they can. It's totally normal. If you are able to, let him run naked if he wants to! Good luck and let me know if you need anything else :)

I think he is telling you he is ready for the potty. He does not like the dirty diaper feeling anymore.

Yes, he does need to be potty trained. This type of action is indicating that he doesn't like being soiled or wet. He's old enough to start training if he's doing this. If the soiled diaper is bothering him, he may not only be ready, but an easy train. Good luck

Two of my daughters sons did the same thing.They dont like to wear clothes at all.They are 10 yrs old & 5 yrs old and still strip down but now only to their underwear.All kids are ready to potty train at different times you cant compare him to your daughter.My advice start training now to get him used to the idea he might surprise you & start going in the potty.Whatever you do dont use those pullups, they are nothing but a diaper you can pullon. Use real traning under pants.He will feel like a big boy in them.

Hi T.,
My daughter did the exact same thing. We could not keep her clothes on for what felt like forever. It got to the point that we had to stop checking on her after a certain time at night because we were not getting anywhere by getting her dressed over and over again. It's definitely a stage, and looking back, a funny one, but while going through it it's very frustrating. You don't want them to be cold, wet or covered in poop nor do you want to have to clean up a poop-caked baby. For us our daughter was not ready for potty training. Unfortunately, we had to try our hardest to not give so much attention to her while she was doing it. I don't have any solutions except to say that this too shall pass and you will be able to tell funny stories at his wedding :) Good luck and hand in there.

Put overalls on him and this should deter him until he is over this stage. He probably isn't ready to potty train if he has zippo interest in the potty. This is just an act that he is able to perform and likes to do it!!!

Hi T.,

When my daughter (now 2y 4m) was 18 months old I was told she was ready for toilet training and although I did not believe it, we tried and within a week there were no more accidents during the day. Then one night at 21 months old she announced that she no longer needed diapers so I trusted her and stopped putting them on. I would suggest give your little one the opportunity to toilet train - you never know you may be surprised like I was.

I would think that if your son is capable of taking off his diaper all by himself, he is probably pretty ready for potty training. I assume that means he is able to pull down his pants during the day and is physically adept enough to sit on the potty by himself too. I would go through the steps (using easy terms for poop/pee, setting times to try the potty, naked weekend, potty chair for easy access, etc) and get started. Good luck!

Maybe it's potty time! He doesn't like to be dirty and that's a great sign. Give it a try during the day at first w/ no diaper. M& Ms work great for potty reinforcement. He may be a little young for the overnight part but you never know. My kids were both potty trained by the time they were 2, one boy and one girl. You won't be any worse off, right? Good luck! L.

Try putting his diaper on backwards...I sometimes have to do this with my two year old as well. It works like a charm!

My two yr. old also loves taking off his diaper. I think it's all part of potty training, They want to know what's going on down there! So ,I let my son have a little time each day without clothes or a diaper, like after bath. But where ever he is I make sure that the training potty is close by, and to tell him "pee goes in the potty, not on the floor" over and over again. I think he gets it and really enjoys the freedom.

My almost 2 yr old girl does this almost immediately after I put her diaper on, and I turn my back to her. She does this almost absent-mindedly. She also takes her PJs off at night, and any other clothing that I put on her. I've found that putting on a onesie (that buttons in between the legs) under all of her clothes, or use it as her shirt, has helped. She still takes the rest of her clothes off, but as much as she tried with her onesie, she couldn't take it off, so she's stopped trying. She looks interested in trying the potty, but I think we'll wait until she actually tells me when she has poopie in her diaper, as my other daughter did when she was ready. Good luck!

Some pj.s are tops and bottoms with connecting snaps. For clothing, use overalls. For now, I was going to suggest safety pining the zipper in place but I'd hate for the safety pin to be opened accidentally or chance that your child would open it up. That would be horrifying. Better ideas!: 1. Sew a flap that would cover over the zipper and snap in place. A big one so that the child can't reach under the flap and pull the zipper down. 2. Sew some laces at the top just below where the zipper stops. Tie the laces together and double knot. Just be sure that the laces are NOT long enough to choke the child. The laces will prevent the zipper from being pulled down. Not bulky laces though. Maybe made out of strong ribbon.

Yes, our daughter did the same thing (at about 22 months old) while wearing her zippered sleeper/pj's. When we got her up in the morning she was naked! We tried putting a onesie on underneath but she would un-snap it. The zippered pj's are on hold for now. Not sure why she doesn't take off her 2-piece pj's though.

My BIL had this problem and they put the diaper on backwards as it was harder to take off..that might not help with the extra padding needed for pee tho!. Maybe duct tape?? LOL !!!!

I have a two and three year old, when they learned that they could take their diaper off, I just put underwear over the diaper. It worked with my nine year old when she was little and my 3(yo) son, it also gets them used to wearing the underwear until they start potty training.

Did we ever have a problem with this -- with both my now 5-year-old and my now 3 1/2-year-old. It wasn't really an issue for us during the day when they were playing (and we'd let them just be naked if they wanted to and it was warm enough), but it was a problem at naps and at night. We bought fleece and cotton sleepers without feet (I know people who have just cut the feet off the footie kind) and put them on them backwards at both naptimes and at bedtime. This thwarted the diaper removal and ensuing mayhem (we won't go there . . .) with poopy diapers. We called the arrangements "silly backwards jamas," and never talked about the fact that we were reversing the sleepers because of something they were doing. Long after our middle daughter stopped needing to have her sleeper reversed, she still asked to have it this way because she preferred her "silly jamas" to the regular ones. Hope that helps.

my son went threw a phase like that in the summer he kept taking his diaper off and it drove me nuts because sometimes there was poo in there and other times he would end up peeing
he did this during the summer
i woul try the oneses shirts they make them in his size this way he'll stay warm and it's hard to get the snaps undone
he could also dislike having a dirty diaper so try putting him on the potty after he takes the diaper off and have him put the diaper in the trash and wash his hands after
i've also heard of people putting the diaper on backwards-don't know how good it works
good luck

put his zip up pjs on backwards that way he can't get
out of them.

Hi T.,

Just wondering if you tried any of the suggetions yet? I have 3 girls all of which never liked to keep diapers or even cloths on for that matter. All of my girls did this and when my twins started doing this my oldest daughter is only 18mnths in front of them so I quickly discovered putting zipped pj's on backwards. No time for duct tape and they figure the diaper on backwards trick quickly. The pj's with a zipper on backwards worked like a charm. As far as potty training. You might want to start introducing the potty and then as the weather gets warmer you can really let him run more freely around without cloths and maybe in underpants with a favorite charater etc on them which may give him an incentive to wear big boy underpants. And when my girls did start going on the potty I always had a treat for them like one M&M or a sticker of their choice. I know this can be frustrating so I hope some of the suggestions you have gotten helps.

LoL my nephew who is 1 does that .. but i would if he dont want it on anymore then tell him i wont put it on but u have to tell me when u have to go to the potty so that we can go on the big one like mama and daddy does in the bathroom.. i would take that as a sign .. my daughter we started at 2ish and stopped and started again and but 3 she she was trained and it was GREAT, bc i didnt have to change her and she was a BIG girl and with pre-k it was nice to no that she could do it on her own ... i would try and see where he goes from there he might no that he dont liek that feelin on him anymore witch might be a GOOD thing...

GOOD LUCK

J. Marie

P.S JAZ HATED her Clothes