How do you get baby to stay still for diaper changes?

[Reneemomto5]

With Mandy at 16 months she is the biggest squirmer for diaper changes. Thankfully she loves puppies and between a puppy book or pretending I hear a dog barking she will sit long enough, most of the time.

What tricks, gadgets, books, toys, do you use to have them stay still for long enough. I would love to get some more ideas, because she seems up to my game. When she sees a diaper now she bolts.

[Robynn]

Hey, Jams has a good one for this! She sits on him! Hahahaha

You just have to find something that they really love and distract them. Lyss loves to sing and listen to music, so I sing her fave song-Itsy Bitsy Spider. Having a mobile or something over the change table can help, too.

[emilyrosejewel]

Justice loves books and I give him a special book that he only sees at diaper change time so it stays fresh for him. I also tell him no very firmly and he normally gets the picture. We will see how this works the older he gets.

Abby pretty much stays still now.

Used to sing to her, give her a toy to play with, play peek a boo with her, etc...

[tracy]

I'm glad you posted this. Dd won't stay still, sometimes even with a book or a toy or singing... She squirms or kicks her feet all over!

at DC's I always hung a mobile with lots of colors right above the changing table...I don't remember much of those days with Angela :(

Have you tried giving her a favourite treat to eat as you change her?

Mandy sounds like quite a character to run away with a full diaper :wink:

Could you put a video/DvD on to distract her.

I used to make faces or sing songs. I had a big problem not with running away but in keeping DS hands out of the contents of the nappy (eewwww!)

Some favourite toys in the change area and books helped too.Toys and books that he wasn't normally allowed to have, so they became like treats.

[jamma]

Hey, Jams has a good one for this! She sits on him! Hahahaha


HEY! How did you know about that, Robynn, you stinker?? :lol:

Actually, it's true. :oops:

I change them on the floor at the wiggly age, sit with them kind of in an L shape with my body, one leg over the middle, which also keeps wandering hands out of any messes!

Works, mahvelous, I tell ya, mahvelous!

[tracy]

This is what I need to try! :lol: Dd's starting that, hmmm, what's down there, stuff...

[mommyto3]

My dd Graycie who is 18 months loves to look at herself in the mirror. we bought a few small unbreakable mirrors from walmart, and every time we change her we give he one to look at, she spends the whole diaper change saying hi baby, hi baby. it works. for my ds, Jakes just giving him a car to play with always helped.

lori

[Reneemomto5]

This is a common obstacle in parenting I can tell. I have resorted to the leg over the belly before too with my others. And true it does work :lol:

I like the mirror idea, that way you can change them anywhere if you have a few around the house. Because we are never in the same place twice for a diaper change. We never had or used the traditional diaper changing table.

Love the suggestions, hope to see some others.

[mamallama]

Have you tried giving her a favourite treat to eat as you change her?

I would not recommend this. Your baby might get choked unless you are changing them while they stand up. :wink:

My ds is pretty squirmy. I play with him and give him toys to hold. It works pretty well. But mostly I just try to change him FAST. LOL :lol:

[PianoMama]

The week we got home from the hospital with ds, we put music on during diaper changes. I would sing and make funny faces, etc and there never seemed to be a problem. Now he is 15 months and everytime we go to change he does get fussy. I usually just ignore it and give him a different toy each time. I still change him on the changing table so he can't walk/run away or anything. He's now getting the hang of putting his arms and legs in by himself! It's so cool!