Hi Moms- my son will be 1 year old in 2 weeks. He goes absolutely crazy when we change his diaper or put clothes on him. He rolls around like a wild man. My husband and I use to give him a toy or something to keep him busy, but that doesn’t work anymore-he just throws it on the floor. I know getting him dressed or changing his diaper isn’t causing him pain, I’m guessing he’s just starting to develop a temper??
Any advice for making changing time a little less stressful?
thanks
SINGING.
itsy bitsy spider is magical.
i also just act as silly as possible to distract my son so he forgets he is throwing his little diaper fit and starts laughing.
Raise your voice and in a stern voice tell him he isn't to act like that, give him a cold glare eye to eye contact. You've probaly never acted like that before so it will grab his attention and is good for him to start learning appropriate behaviors and what is acceptable and what isn't. YES he's only 1 but it's a perfect time to start learning
I agree with everyone who said to get rid of the table and use the floor. That seemed to work best for my daughter. I let her help as much as possible too. I put the wipes next to her and have her hand them to me, I put the new diaper next to her and have her hand that to me.....As far as getting dressed, again have your son help. Let him pick between two shirts or two pants. Let him sit on your lap when you put on his clothes. If all else fails, simply hold him down and get it over with. Yes, I've had to do that a few times with my daughter. Not pleasant but what can you do?...
My 19 month old son is a wild man on the changing table too. When I try to switch to the floor or bed he is even crazier. So I decided that the changing table is better. I try to distract him as best I can. I keep books next to the changing table. I give him one to look at while I am changing his diaper. I constantly talk to him or sing. I sing the ABC's and count. He has learned a lot from our diaper changing time. I also go through naming body parts. These are your eyes, nose, etc. When I get him dressed I found that letting him sit up on the changing table with his legs hanging over the edge works the best for us. I am also constantly talking. Let's put your hand in the sleeve...okay where are your thumbs?..etc. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Maybe he is telling you that it is time to get rid of the changing table. My son started having issues with the changing table at about one as well. We just stoppped using it & started using the floor instead. As soon as we started that he stopped the squirming & started to settle down. He liked to get dressed while sitting in my lap the best, it seemed to give him more of a sense of participation in the dressing than having to lay on the changing table.
Jamie,
I feel your pain. Sometimes I just hold my son down and get it over with... not pleasant for any of us... but in desperation it works.
What does work if I have the time and patience to do it is to get him laughing about something. I blow raspberries on his stomach, tickle his toes, talk with him or sing. If I can get him engaged with me and talking/singing or looking at me, it goes much smoother. Sometimes we try to do it standing too, and sometimes it works :)
Good luck!
J.
Hello J.,
I too have had issues with this. My Cranky Princess goes wild often while I am trying to change her. She is 13 months almost 14 months old and what seems to work is clapping really loud. I put my hands way up high and start clapping as loud as I can. She then stops wiggling and squirming..spelling and starts to clap then lets me change her with no problems. I now it sounds odd, but it works!
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. :)
Good luck with that! Children have there own ways of getting attention. If you let it bother you, it will, and his job is done because he is getting your attention.
Bribery works wonders. be creative. My kids were like that too. It's like they reached that magical age where they had a plan to try and test mom to her wits end!
It's like they know whcih days you weren't yourself. Those were the days they tested you the most.
Just be as calm as ever. Watch what happens. Or tickle him when he goes wild. Make it fun.
Good luck,
J.
Move him to the floor and use pull-ups when you can. This helped us.
