How do I calm down a crying baby during diaper changes?

[LizaSantaAna]

I have a 14-day old son and he just hates diaper changes. He cries so loud I swear our neighbors think we're killing him. Any ideas on how to calm him down?

Liza

[hobey]

Hi Liza,

My son was the same way. He still screams at times but it's not as bad is it was before. When are you changing his diapers? I found that if I tried to change him before feeding, he would get increasingly frantic so I started changing him after feeding but had to move to mid-feed since he has reflux and I wanted to minimize the amount of spit-up. Every so often, a pacifier works wonders.

HTH

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[pganju]

Have you tried the Prince Lionheart diaper wipes warmer? It was I huge help when we first brought our daughter home. She would scream when we used cold wipes on her butt.
Priya and Diyya(8weeks)

[vikivoly]

I'm not sure if a 14 day old would appreciate this or not, but do you have a mobile or something hanging over the table that he can look at?

[Imperia]

Are you stripping him totally naked? A lot of newborns HATE to be naked. If you can minimize it by just uncovering his lower half that usually helps. Also, it sometimes helps to place your hand on their tummy if it's bare. My DD is three weeks tomorrow, and she is usually calm during changes, but I have found both of those things help when she isn't.

Imperia

[BME]

My son used to cry terribly during diaper changes, whether it was before, during, or after a feeding. My pediatrician make a great recommendation...lie a hair dryer on the changing table and turn it on. My son loves it and he quiets instantly. If you use washcloths and water, instead of diaper wipes, this helps too. The hair dryer dries the diaper area plus soothes him.

One other thing that has worked for me...turn on your baby monitor receiver, but leave the base off. This creates static on the monitor and baby loves it!

[charleyc]

Liza-
SOunds like you're getting some great ideas here. My 8 week old son was the same way - hated diaper changes for the first few weeks and screamed many times through them.
I found changing him mid-feeding was better than just before a feeding, as he had a little something in his belly and was less likely to be so frantic. (As for me, I certainly wouldn't want to sit in it while I ate, but I don't guess babies have a real keen sense of logic yet!) Also, it helped to wake him up, as he would often start to fall asleep at the breast.
However, since about week 4, we've noticed he doesn't get upset much anymore. Sometimes he's a little fussy when we lie him down and begin the process, but we tell him what we're doing and then continue to talk to him throughout.
He seems to enjoy our voices and it certainly takes his mind off having his rear end exposed.

Good luck!