Diaper wrestling matches

[AngB]

DS is 9 months old and the last couple of months, 95% of the time, trying to change him is like wrestling a lion! He will hold a toy for a few seconds, or another random object, and then proceeds to try to flip over, crawl away, sit up, stand up, dive off the diaper table,etc. etc. etc. We have a mirror above him but that only works for a few seconds usually too. I get so frustrated and it ends up taking so much longer to change him.

I worked in daycare for several years and don't remember ever having this problem this bad before, anyone else going through this or ideas of what to try?

[BabyBearsMom]

Wait until they get to be a little older and stronger and then it gets even more of a wrestling match. I think this is just par for the course for some babies/toddlers. DD went through a stage like that at about 14 to 16 months and it was a nightmare to change her diaper. She is better now, but I think it is just a stage that needs to be outgrown.

[crl]

Both my kids have been like this and sadly have not outgrown it (DS is long since potty trained and dd is now 22 months). I have never used a changing table, partly for this reason. I change on the floor and pin them down with one leg thrown over the chest.

Catherine

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ugh, yes both my kids have done this. DS was way worse, but now DD (11mo) has started doing this too. they just can't lie there, they have to twist and turn and try to grab things.

for me, what helps with DS is using a changing table (pad on a table with a lip, etc). i use that 99.9% of the time to change him he is afraid of heights and so he doesn't try to roll off or anything...at 2yo he is GREAT with diaper changes now. if i change him on the floor, he knows he can just roll off, whereas on the table he can't.

[wendibird22]

Ah yes, that's such a fun stage. Both DDs did the same. I echo the others, start diapering on the floor. You can get more leverage and if he scoots away he can't fall and get hurt. We had some success with putting stickers on hands, nose, feet, belly, wherever. That kept both DDs occupied long enough while either looking at the stickers or trying to peel them off. I just bought a huge sheet of smiley face or stars or that kind of smaller sticker and it worked for a while.

[AngB]

Thanks! The commiseration is helpful! Right now we mostly change on the diaper table (actually it's a dresser but the perfect height) but the kid is fearless and had tried diving off a few times with me standing there so I've been thinking that the floor is probably going to have to do pretty soon anyway. I feel bad about holding him down but I guess that is going to have to do too! And I forgot about sticker bribery, thanks for the suggestion! We used to use little pieces of colored masking tape as "stickers" at my daycare when we ran out of real stickers, the kids liked them just as much.

[okinawama]

We are in that phase now. With both my kids, around 9 months we started doing standing diaper changes (we've never owned a changing table, so I've always done them on the floor).

[joules]

I have this problem too. This was especially hard in my last month of pregnancy. I have resorted to bribing DS1 by giving him my camcorder or camera so he can watch home videos. But now he's used to it and sometimes will ask for the camcorder before he'll lay down to get changed.