When is the hardest age to dress/change diapers

Both babies scream/cry/fuss everytime I change clothes, dress, change diapers. They do not want to lay still or be messed with. I rememeber when they were so little and DH thought it was hard to dress a 5 lb baby. I remember saying just wait until they squirm around. I am sure at some point you can hopefully reason with them and they will help instead of hinder. I feel like after a year they can try to help and understand that if htey cooperate, it will be done sooner but maybe I am just having wishful thinking. Any thoughts or know when it started being easier. It seems like DH can't even change without screaming bloodly murder. I try to dress them sitting/standing and that helps but they squirm, twist, fall, do whatever it takes to get away. At least I can do it pretty fast when it takes DH so long. I usually end up dressing them both.

Is anyone else struggling with this as well?

 

It seems like it's DS that gets the fussiest when changing, but I think it mostly has to do with being cold. I can have the room really warm for him, but he still gets cold when his bare skin is showing. He doesn't like being cold. So yeah, especially with snaps it gets frustrating to get done

 

:banana: I'm not the only one. Yay!!! I started laughing when i read this. It must be a 9 month old thing. Ds just started this last week. I was thinking of taping a diaper change. The squirming,screaming,twisting, arching back,twisting head(like something out of the Excercist)lol. One thing that seems to help me is either have the tv on or i give him a toy to play with. The toy helps alot.

Good luck!!
naomi

 

I hesitate to even write this, but I want to warn you... I'm still going thru it now- along with "NO NO NO NO!" Some nights I actually break out into a sweat wrestling them into diapers and PJs. They aren't as bad for my DH and I don't know why... guess they know they can get away with it with me. Sorry to be the bearer or potentially bad news. Hopefully yours will get over it sooner than mine.

 

Still going for us too...

 

we're not there yet, but it was suggested to me to hang bells or some other semi-interactive toy above your diaper changing station as a means of distraction.

 

Mine have recently started this, and uggh it gets so frustrating at times!!

I do try to grab toys to entertain them with, but it soes not always work. and Lately not only am I dealing with little squiggle worms, but I get help from the other one as well. Who ever is not being changed thinks that it is fun to crawl over me and the one who is getting changed ( i usually change them on the floor!)

Sounds like I have some time to enjoy this phase...ugh

 

IMO you are at the peak -- although the peak could last until 12 months. For us, 8 months was pretty bad IIRC. They just hated having us do stuff to them.

Those things get challenging again when the kids are old enough to have tantrums, but at least there are tactics you can use other than just "pin them down and get it over with" (though I do resort to that sometimes even now).

We kept a stash of "forbidden" toys at the changing table. A favorite was a binder clip. Others were keys, an old phone, a remote control with the batteries removed, even a ballpoint pen (with cap FIRMLY attached) -- you get the idea. It did help.

 

Mine are almost 15 months and diaper changes can be a workout for us. They just don't want to lay still long enough to get a clean diaper. I never had problems with diaper changes until they started crawling and walking, so maybe yours will be different!

 

I think you are at the peak (or alteast almost!)!!! It can still be a fight but not in the angry, tormenting way it was back then!

 

I dread diaper changes. They seem to find new ways to protest every day, but the worst is when I change them on the floor after baths. Jack has gotten really good at yanking the diaper out from under his brother's butt while I try to get ointment on it...

 

DS thinks I am playing with him when I change his clothes and stuff. He thinks it's HILARIOUS.

DD is squirmy. always trying to roll over and she's really fussy right now because she has the worst diaper rash/burn I have ever seen!

 

It goes in streaks, and we are in a bad streak at our house right now. The bigger they get the harder it gets!

 

Our peak (crossing fingers) was between 8 and 11 months. They only rarely try to squirm now.

I do go over the process and they seem to kind of anticipate it and enjoy it now, i.e., okay time for your shirt...over the head, help mommy put your right arm in, now your left arm, etc. Same for undressing and diaper changes in general. I always give the non-changing twin, a book or toy so he's occupied while I deal with brother...that helped me with the "crawl over everybody" problem.

 

Well, at 11.5 months we actually have some diaper changes without squirming...about 50%. I actually did video a diaper change at about 9 months because I figured "nobody is going to believe this" It was crazy. Now I'm very proficient with getting diapers and clothes on them no matter if they are on their belly or backs or halfway in between. The toys worked for a while but now they just throw them off the change table because that is the funnest game of all. When I get sick of doing it, the diaper goes on and sometimes I put the boy back on the floor and just follow him around clicking a snap together here and there.

Also, I've started to only buy sleepers with zippers. At least it makes a few changes a day easier.

Looking forward to it changing too!

 

We have good days and not so good days. But as far as diaper changes, from my experience, you are getting close to the peak. Hang in there! :hug99:

 

Ours still haven't hit the peak (at least I don't think so). They are still going strong on the diaper challenge at 1 year! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news