Another "is this normal kid behavior" question

[TxCat]

My DD is 9 mos. today and for about the last 3-4 weeks she screams her head off whenever we have to lay her down to change her diaper, change her clothes, etc. It's not just a little crying, it's screaming-bloody-murder, getting shots at the doctor kind of crying. At first I thought it was worse at bedtime so I chalked it up to her being overtired, but now it happens any time during the day. I've tried changing her on the floor instead, or in her crib - she still cries her head off, but she is just more easily mobile that way and it takes longer. I can deal with it, but I just want to know if this is normal or not, ie, is there something I'm doing that's wrong.

[Melbel]

Poor baby (and mom)! Is there any chance she has reflux? With DD2, it was painful for her to lay down flat. I would try changing her propped up on an incline and see if it helps.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

my ds didn't scream but at that age diaper changes were pure torture. he hated getting his diaper changed and would squirm, fuss and twist like crazy. it would honestly take 2 adults to hold him down and change his diaper. didn't matter where we changed him. luckily it was just a phase. he was mostly good about diaper changes after that. now at almost 18mos the squirmy phase is rearing its ugly head again. in DS's case, i think he was just upset and impatient that he could not keep playing.

eta: i know quite a few moms that at this age started doing diaper changes standing up. doesn't really work for poopy diapers though, but for pee it's doable. before i became a mom i always thought that sounded kind of strange, then i had ds, and it all made sense. :) in my case though it was still really hard to do standing bc my ds would still try to wriggle away.

[cntrymoon2]

I definitely didn't experience that. The wiggling and squirming to the nth degree- yes- but screaming bloody murder- no way. It sounds off to me, and 3-4 weeks is a long time. I wonder what else could be going on, though? Definitely no rash or yeast?

[Pinky]

Could she have an ear infection? Any cold symptoms?

[TxCat]

in DS's case, i think he was just upset and impatient that he could not keep playing.

eta: i know quite a few moms that at this age started doing diaper changes standing up. doesn't really work for poopy diapers though, but for pee it's doable. before i became a mom i always thought that sounded kind of strange, then i had ds, and it all made sense. :) in my case though it was still really hard to do standing bc my ds would still try to wriggle away.

This is kind of what I've been thinking - that she's just getting worked up about being stopped in playtime, or whatever else it is that she was doing (bathtime, etc.). Sometimes I can distract her with songs and music, sometimes not. I've resorted to changing her half sitting up, which drags out the process about twice as long, but at least she's not crying like I'm sticking her with pins.


I definitely didn't experience that. The wiggling and squirming to the nth degree- yes- but screaming bloody murder- no way. It sounds off to me, and 3-4 weeks is a long time. I wonder what else could be going on, though? Definitely no rash or yeast?


Could she have an ear infection? Any cold symptoms?

No rashes, no yeast, no redness. She has some intermittent nasal congestion, but nothing like when she had a cold (based on my one-time experience so far). No pulling or tugging of the ears, or holding her head funny.

During the same time period, she has been hitting a lot of milestones - she's been intermittently teething and her first tooth broke the skin this week. She also started crawling last week (pre-crawling for about 3 weeks before that), started sitting up on her own, and now she's trying to raise to a standing position. So I feel like I've had a lot of distractors to muddy the picture. And it is only when she is lying down (about 90% of the time) - if I can change her sitting up or standing, she doesn't cry.


Poor baby (and mom)! Is there any chance she has reflux? With DD2, it was painful for her to lay down flat. I would try changing her propped up on an incline and see if it helps.

I hadn't even thought about reflux! She's never been a "spitter" but I've noticed that she has been coughing a little more at meals over the same time period (ie, never to 1-2x/day). I've been assuming it's getting used to slightly chunkier textures, new foods, new straw cup, etc., but reflux might explain the same things...

Thank you all for your suggestions and questions! It's reassuring to know I'm not overreacting (my DH just says I worry too much). She has her 9-month check-up next week so I feel better now asking her pedi what he thinks, and that I'm not necessarily bothering him with "normal" infant behavior.

[daisymommy]

Just a quick note: There is "silent reflux" which means the acid comes back up their esophagus, but not so far up that it comes out of their mouth. So even if she isn't spitting up, she could still have reflux that is just as painful.

Or she could just be really ticked off ;) This is the prime age for hating diaper changes.

But no, my kids didn't scream that kind of horrible scream...so I do wonder if something more is going on

[Giantbear]

i say normal, my dd did that for awhile, cried for a while, laughed for awhile, and now spins and tries to sit up when we change her. Try giving her a toy to bring to the table so she is playing while you lie her down.

[Dr C]

Another vote for normal here--lots of 9 month olds HATE diaper changes. Both of mine did (though not quite to the degree of screaming you describe) and it got better for both of them. Very reasonable to run by your doc at next week's check. And your pedi will get to experience this joy first hand if he/she lays her on the table to do the exam!