Wednesday 1 August 2012

The battle of nappy hill.

Nappy changing - that essential job that no parent can avoid. It's crap, I know, but wishing it away isn't going to make it stop. The main problem with nappy changing is that the little person we are trying to help through the act of changing a nappy is the same little person who we have to fight to make it happen. And my word, aren't they good at resistance?

What are they thinking when we go to change their nappy? If only we could read their minds. The secret to successful nappy changing is being able to either make the little enemy conform, or to outsmart them when they try evasion tactics. Try our nappy changing advice and tips.

First of all, it pays to get good at the whole nappy changing operation while they are still too small to think about playing up. Practice doing things one handed and set yourself speed challenges. Once they start rolling over, you will find all the practice very useful.

nappy changing problems
Aw cute! But don't be fooled. These things can stink. Baaaaaad.

When they start rolling, you now have to be able to change nappies with one hand while holding the baby down with the other. If you don't have anyone around to help you, then pray that the nappy isn't tooooooo bad. Otherwise, it's game over already.

Keep the wipes within reach, unless you have twins and it's a whole different ball game altogether. This is when you need to keep them within reach of you and out of reach of the second twin, who will grab the wipes and run off laughing if you give them half a chance. Recommended kit: a play-pen. 

Also, if you do have twins or more, you will also need to practice nappy changing while blind-folded and with a wriggly weight on your back. Or you need to pay someone to do all this for you. Anyway...

If it's a really bad nappy, then get a couple of carrier bags ready - one for the waste, and one for any clothing. Avoid changing a wriggly baby on a mat placed on a carpet. Always put the mat on a wipeable floor instead. Lino is fab. I speak from experience here, so pay attention!

Older babies get wise to your tactics. When they get to around fifteen months old, they seem to comply with the nappy change, but don't be fooled. They are really lulling you into a false sense of security, biding their time until you let down your guard using your spare hand to get the clean nappy - then they're up and off quicker than a greased ferret. And that's you, chasing after a half-naked baby like a frickin' eejit. If they don't tiddle on the floor in the time between now and managing to catch them, then count yourself lucky, soldier. Do not ever remove your hand from that baby. Ever. 

As they get older, I'd like to say it gets easier, but it doesn't. They up their game, content wise. And then they get curious and start sticking their hands in. Recommended kit: straight jacket, or willing assistant. 

The next weapon in your armoury should be potty training, and the sooner the better. And good luck with that one!


Sergeant J's personal blog is over at Trouble Doubled.

7 comments:

  1. Oh my heart sinks when it's nappy changing time. As soon as each of mine could crawl it became a battle. I keep a basket of toys by the side of the change mat to try and distract the baby but it doesn't usually work. We got to a point with my son where we could only change him properly if we had two of us to pin him down, it was a bit of a challenge when I was on my own!

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    1. We have given up on toys. They normally end up in the nappy. Doing BAD nappies alone is awful.

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  2. Ha, I feel your pain. Literally just wrote about it myself!! I actually like to think my little one is a little bit like a special agent.
    Yes, Special Agent Escape.
    http://www.travelwithtots.co.uk/blog/posts/?/Lucie-the-professional-baby-escapist

    It's a nightmare :-)

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    1. I read your post and it's spooky how you give the exact same advice. I couldn't comment on it though. We love Mickey Mouse too. The babies do grow out of it. Mine go and find the changing mat and lay on it sometimes if they want changing really badly. They're growing out of putting their hands in, but it's still a hazard. Thanks for visiting.

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  3. I am currently at that stage where my 16-month-old likes to escape and run. Either that or rolling around incessantly so I don't stand a hope of getting the nappy fixed on properly, which means he'll be able to escape from it later. Just call him Houdini *sigh*

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    1. One of mine can get her own nappy off, and then she piddles on the floor. Superb. :(

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