Changing diapers is not the most challenging part of parenthood but it is one of the hardest things that you will have to do. Poopy and wet diapers in the middle of the night when your eyes are dropping from sleepiness is no fun at all. But, everything about diapers directly affects the comfort and the health of your baby. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful with your choice of diapers and how you use them.
Every parent has gone through the cold battles of changing his or her baby. It is natural for babies to dislike diaper changes. If your baby does not scream in his top voice or throw her arms and legs, you can call yourself lucky. Some parents panic when they have to change their baby’s diaper in a place other than their house because the baby’s reaction might embarrass them. Changing the diapers of a baby is not easy but it does not have to be stressful.
Why do babies hate to get their diaper changed although they feel comfortable in a new diaper? The answer to this problem can be explained in many ways. Keep reading this article to know why your baby cries when you change her diaper and how to end the diaper battles.
CONTENT
1. Why does my baby cry when I change her diaper?
2. How to manage the diaper changing battles?
1. Why does my baby cry when I change her diaper?
If you are also a parent who struggles to change the diaper, do not wonder if you are doing something wrong. Most of the babies go through “I hate diaper changes” phases. There can be many reasons why your baby cry during a diaper change.
Change of temperature
When you remove the diaper, they will be cold. Babies do not like to be cold. Especially, newborns hate cold. They will cry to communicate their discomfort from coldness.
Need to be fed
If you are changing your baby before feeding, the baby can be hungry and too impatient to eat. The babies learn the consistent routines quickly and knowing the boob or the bottle comes after a change will make them cry out of impatience.
Surprise diaper changes
Newborns have no idea what happens during a diaper change. They will feel it as an intervention that disturbs their resting state. Newborns love to be snuggled. When you stop snuggling and change his diaper at once, the baby will cry.
Need to have control
Older babies and toddlers love to have control over everything including their bodies. What happens when you take them away for a diaper change during playtime and lay them to take off a dirty diaper? They will feel like they are deprived of what they love and have lost control over their body. This feeling will make the baby or the toddler aggressive.
Restricted movements
As the babies grow up, they will learn new motor skills like rolling, sitting up, and standing. When you put the baby on a changing table for a diaper change, he will not be able to perform his newly learned skills. When the desired movements of a baby are restricted, they are not going to be happy.
2. How to manage the diaper changing battles?
The days are busy and tight with a baby. So, the diaper changes should not be an additional stress to the parents. Though it is normal for babies to battle against diaper changes, we can carefully manage their aversion to change.
Let them know before a diaper change.
If you have an older baby or a toddler, let them know that it is time to change the diaper. You can also give them options like “do you want to change the diaper now or in five minutes?”. By giving options, you will communicate a sense of control to your toddler or the older baby.
Establish a routine.
For younger babies, have a routine for diaper changes. Then, they will know that a diaper change will come after a feed and will not be surprised. You can always tell your baby that you are ready to change his diaper even if you feel like he will not understand it.
Distract your baby.
Distract your baby from his bottom and you. Hang some toys near the changing table so your young baby will be distracted while you change him. You can make few new toys available in the place where you change your baby.
Those toys should be available to play with only during diaper changes. It will leave the baby excited during the diaper changes as he does not get those toys in regular play sessions.
Do not rush
Do not rush the process of changing a diaper. If you rush through the process, your baby will feel more insecure and unsafe about diaper changes making the battles worse. Try to stay calm and change the diaper while talking smoothly to your baby.
Make the baby happy.
Keep your baby happy by doing silly things like making faces, singing, dancing, or tickling them. It will soothe the stressful and anxious feelings of your baby. It does not feel comfortable when someone lays him down and intervenes with his body many times a day. So, he needs help to feel relaxed.
Keep the baby warm.
Choose the warmest place in your house to change your baby. Then he will not be cold as you change his diaper. You can also dress or swaddle his upper body to keep him warm until you put him in a new diaper.
Explain what is happening.
Talk to your baby calmly and tell them what you are going to do. Explain every step of the diaper changing process in a funny way. It is an easy way to keep your baby distracted. When your baby knows what is happening, it is less likely that he will cry.
Change while standing.
If you are changing a wet diaper of your baby and the baby hates to lay down, try changing him while standing. The little changes can solve the biggest problems.
