Whether you use reusable diapers or disposable ones, diaper changing can become a masterful feat once your little one reaches the age where they discover there is a world all around them that begs to be explored.
When my daughter reached about four months old and was becoming an expert at rolling over, I suddenly felt like I had to be Mrs. Universe in order to adequately change her diaper – and that’s using a pocket diaper, the easiest cloth diaper out there!
She didn’t just roll over – she rolled over and grabbed the bars on her changing table, making it nearly impossible for me to turn her onto her back and successfully change her diaper. Now that she’s older, her second favorite thing to do on the changing table (aside from rolling over), is to grab the dirty diaper while I’m taking it off. And forget about the snaps! Though they are my preferred method of diaper closure, they double my diaper changing time, and yet I need to use them even more than before since her curious fingers are quickly discovering how to undo Velcro.
So what can I do to make this new challenge easier? Skip the diaper! Yeah, um… so this really isn’t an option for my 8 month old and is better suited for a potty training toddler. But sometimes, when she rolls around and resists all my efforts to change her, letting her hang around naked seems perfectly plausible. I mean, we have hardwood floors and a mop, so… Okay, okay, bad idea.
A more plausible option is to distract your curious baby. Replace her interest. Give her something to play with. Sometimes I’ll give my little girl a toy, or her pacifier, but usually she isn’t interested in those things when I change her diaper. She wants to touch the dirty diaper or the diaper area (ew!) so I’ll give her things that I’m using at the time: a clean baby wipe, her pants that I just pulled off, the clean reusable diapers that I’m preparing to use; all of these distract her long enough for me to be able to get rid of the old diaper, clean her off, and then quickly attach the new one.
Sing and dance. Sometimes, if I sing an upbeat song like “Jesus Loves You” or “Father Abraham” and add some clapping and nerdy dance moves my daughter is delighted enough by the change of pace and my voice, to forget the interesting dirty diaper, which it buys me the 52 seconds I need to switch it out for a clean one before she even realizes it happened.
Tickle her. My baby girl loves nothing more than for mommy to tickle her tummy or to blow raspberries on her little belly button. When she’s not only enthralled by things she shouldn’t touch, but angry to have to stop playing long enough for me to change her, a good tickle puts her in just the right mood I need her to have for her diaper change to go quickly.
Say no. Though some parents would disagree, this is a great opportunity to teach your child some discipline. I really want my daughter to learn that mommy and Daddy are her authority and that she needs to listen to us and to other people that God has put in authority over her. Saying “no” is a great way to do that. I’ve taken to showing her what no means. When she rolls over or touches things that I don’t want her to touch, I say “No” and pull her hands away or put her back in the diaper changing position. She’s starting to learn and behave appropriately which is exciting for me when she’s about to touch something really dangerous and I can’t run to her in time.
Face it, despite the fact that your little one has suddenly become an acrobat with a will of their own, you still have to change their diapers. Mopping the floor every hour or two just isn’t an option, and despite what you’ve been told, it really isn’t easier than the diaper wrestle. So re-strategize, re-group and do what it takes to get the job done! Go on now, change that reusable diaper!
GUEST BLOGGER
Becca G is a guest blogger for the Cloth Diaper Blog. Becca is a part time Spanish Teacher, a part time stay-at-home-mom, and the wife of the best husband imaginable. Becca’s absolute favorite thing to do is to spend time with her little family. She also enjoys doing anything crafty – from making jewelry, to writing, to sewing, to photography.
Support a fellow cloth diapering mom! Becca’s etsy shop: Cloth Diaper Mommy
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Becca is a part-time Spanish Teacher and part-time Stay-At-Home-Mom. She's a cloth diaper expert who enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and selling her wares in her very own
Julie is a mom to three kids including a set of identical twins. Through cloth diapering her twins she developed a passion for the industry and is an avid cloth diaper advocate. You can also find her on her blog
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