Many little ones experience resistance to diaper changes at different stages. Your child will be able to take more control of his body and time by the age of eleven months. He doesn’t want an adult to come in and take him off his feet and change him while he’s working on something. If he is not comfortable with wet diapers, your baby wont sleep in cot.
- Sometimes, slowing down and connecting can make all the difference.
- Sometimes, giving the child is the best way to avoid a power struggle.
- Sometimes, allowing them to play is the best way to solve the problem.
- Sometimes you may resort to distraction. Here are some ideas that might work for you, and there may be some combinations that work well for you.
Table of Contents
This list can be printed and used to help you brainstorm new solutions for your child.
1. Slow down
Treat this as an opportunity to bond with your child and to have fun, and she will be more inclined to cooperate in the diaper changing process. You rush to do the diaper change as though it were something terrible, and your child will feel like she’s being held down or subjected too much. Imagine being rushed to touch your intimate parts.
2. Ask him for his assistance
To get the job done, team up with your child. Perhaps he wants to change his diaper, and children love learning new skills. For example, tell him about each step and include him in the discussion.
“I’m going now to wipe you off — would you like to hold the wipes?”
Ask him to place his feet flat on the floor and raise his bottom to allow you to slide the diaper underneath him. If he refuses, say
“Ok, I’m going now to lift your bottom to place the diaper underneath you.”
3. Be more present
Babies and Beauty, suggests that children learn to be present and aware while changing their diapers. Instead of rushing through diaper changes, it recommends being compassionate and open-hearted and being present during the process.
4. Show respect
Magda Gerber (founder of RIE) taught that babies don’t understand what we say but feel it when treated with respect. Instead of picking them up and grabbing them, take the time to explain what is happening. Your child’s ability to understand and use receptive language about a year before expressive language means that they already know a lot more than you realize. Even tiny babies can understand your voice. This will help your baby form a better association with diaper changes from the moment they are born.
4. Get in touch with him
Connecting first makes children more likely to work with you. Take a deep breath. Connect with your child by getting on his level. Comment on his actions. Next, mention that his diaper is still wet. Ask him if he noticed it. This allows him to assess his body. This is an excellent foundation for potty training. Because you have connected, he feels like you are on his side. He doesn’t feel pushed around by you, which would be counterproductive.
5. Let him decorate
Keep a collection of stickers near the changing table. Let your child choose one to stick on the wall for each diaper change.
The most important thing is: Don’t make diaper changing into a battle. It is not a good idea to hold a child’s diaper down every time they take off their clothes, and this is not an excellent way to learn consent as they age. You can’t win power struggles over someone else’s bodies.
No one way will work every time. You’ll need to be open to trying different approaches. Keep your wits about you and know that it will pass. You will be trying to get your five-year-old to take a bath in no time.
6. Make him laugh
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases bonding hormones. When you know that you will need to cooperate, it is good to get your child laughing for ten minutes. Begin roughhousing your child in a way that makes her laugh before you begin the diaper change. Be silly and chase her around the house. Make the diaper changing part of the fun after ten minutes.
7. Do not interrupt his play
Your baby is the one who plays. He doesn’t like to be interrupted. If his diapers are just wet, why not change them standing up? This will reduce the time it takes to ask him to sit down and make him more willing to help with messy diaper changes. You can also use a toy like stickle bricks etc that he enjoys, place it on the couch and then stand him against the sofa. It’s a lot more complex than lying down, but it is possible to get better at it if you practice.
8. It should be something you look forward to
If you have to ask your child to change his diaper, such as when he’s in a mess, make sure you have a basket of toys that he can only access while changing it. Sometimes you might go crazy and wrap small gifts in a newspaper and place them in the basket, and he chooses one for every diaper change. What kind of presents do you have?
You have the following items: A plastic measuring spoon or funnel, trim boards, figures, a piece of paper with a letter A, Chapstick, Chapstick, colored trinkets from Ikea, and clay. Even forgotten things can be wrapped and rewrapped.
9. Let him do all the walking
Although many children don’t like being taken off to change, if you make it into a party, and he’s moving into your room to celebrate, he’s participating in the plan.
10. Provide live entertainment
Sing softly to your child if he is fussy. He will often stop fussing and listen to what you have to say. Sing, dance, and kiss your belly. It would help if you changed the diaper as discreetly as possible.
