I was on a parenting forum recently for mothers of multiples. One mother popped up and asked how she should deal with her babies’ incessant wiggling during a diaper change. I was surprised not only at some of the responses but also at the amount of people who have this problem.
We have been in diapers for more than 8 years now. All of my children are two years apart and I refused to potty train anyone right before the next baby was to arrive. So that left us with two in diapers, or when the twins were born three in diapers. All this to say, if there is a gold seal for “Master Diaper Changer”, I think we probably come close to winning. Out of five kids, we’ve had five wigglers.
The Problem with Wiggling
If you don’t have a wiggler, or you don’t have one yet you may not see what the big deal is. Just change quicker, one mom quipped. Another mom said she failed to see that wiggling could really be that bad to require a plan of action. But us seasoned moms know better. So here’s the problem with wigglers. They are irreverent to the amount of mess in their diapers.
That’s right, if you have a wiggler who is poopy, it really isn’t unheard of to have poop wiggled throughout your house haphazardly. So what do you do with a wiggler?
5 Tips for the Wiggler
Stand Up Change
If your baby is old enough to change standing up, do it. My husband has perfected this technique. He finds a way to have the child lift her clothing above her head making it difficult to move. And then in one fell swoop using two wipes, he wipes all bottom parts clean.
Be Quick
I can now change a poopy diaper in 15 seconds flat. ‘Nuff said.
Be Prepared
Giving your baby something to play with may distract her long enough for you to get the deed done. Or it may give her something to get poopy while you’re in the process of changing her.
In all seriousness, try putting a clean diaper underneath your baby while she’s still wearing the soiled one. Take off the soiled one and then use a few wipes and move quickly! You can hold your baby down reasonably well using your hand placed on her stomach. Yep–it really works and it minimizes the spreading of unwanted poop!
Some More Serious Articles:
When Diaper Rash Won’t Go Away