# Help! My 12 month old fights diapers and clothes.



## fireballgirl (Aug 21, 2007)

My DS will be 1 year next week. He is very strong and determined. He hates to be diapered or dressed. I gave up on prefolds, and am trying pockets, which are just as "easy" as disposables to get on him. When I dress him, he screams, throws his body around, tries to crawl away, kicks, does anything he can to disrupt the process until it is finished and I put him down.

I don't remember anything like this with my first. Is this just a stage? Has anyone else dealt with this? Is there anything I can do to minimize what I see as a power struggle so that it doesn't get worse from here?


----------



## chann96 (May 13, 2004)

I think this is just this age. My son will be 1 this week and is much the same way. He doesn't like to be still so changing diapers and putting on clothes is torture to him. I've found a few things that help.

First, I change his diaper standing up as much as possible. He still wiggles, but doesn't fight it so much. Also, I skip the wipes for most just wet diapers so I can get done more quickly. If I do lay him down I try to sing a silly, expressive song to him. I just tend to make something about about changing a diaper. It keeps his attention long enough to help get the job done.

For clothes it helps if I let him sit instead of laying him down. I let him sit and sit behind him to put his pants on. Shirt goes from the back or the front whichever works at the time. He's much happier if he can sit rather than have to lay down.


----------



## JamieB (Apr 1, 2008)

My son has also started pitching a fit when I lay him down to change his bum. What works for us is to take some really interesting toys or things he just really likes and keep them aside to play with ONLY when getting his diaper or clothes changed. This really worked for us. I found household items work best. lol Right now it is a ridiculously expensive universal remote that makes him happy







It keeps his attention for a couple minutes because he never gets to play with it.

Good luck! Hopefully this phase will be over soon.


----------



## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

Totally the age.

With DD, a change of scenery sometimes helped - changing her on the floor or the bed instead of the changing table which we use religiously) seemed to help a lot. Singing songs, trying to remain playful (when on the inside I felt like screaming at her) helped a lot.


----------



## LeighB (Jan 17, 2008)

Yep, mine does the same for most diaper changes. Singing helps, sometimes. I think it's just the age though, they feel like it's torture to sit still for that long!


----------



## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

DD was like that around 13 mos - so we just let her run nakey butt around the house. We had done very casual ec (like never at night or when out of the house) and when she didn't have clothes/dipes on, she started using the little potty on her own. We found when she was free at home, putting on dipes/clothes to go out wasn't such a hassle. Of course I got some strange looks from people who came to visit since it was January in Canada!


----------



## closedaccount15 (Dec 25, 2007)

DD is still like this and she is 20 months. I have to sing to get her to calm down. She also has sensory issues though. She won't wear hat, mittens or shoes, she wants them off all the time and will take them off anywhere. Ugh, it's so frustrating, it's very cold right now where we live!


----------



## Deer Hunter (Sep 26, 2008)

If a child fights diapers, it is a sign he is time for a change. Start pottying him and see where it goes from there. I'm not going to continue to fight with my child if he is trying to tell me something, especially that he is tired of diapers. (They can get uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. I wear them twenty-four seven for incontinence reasons, and I can truly and fully understand how a bay woudl feel. If i could, I"d get rid of diapers and never ever look back.) Put some training pants on him, get him to the toilet on a set schedule, and your life will be much easier. I learned this from my best friend's mother.

My very best friend was completely potty trained at 14 months old. It only took him around two days. He began fighting diaper changes with all is might, and yes he did fight to the point of biting, kicking, hitting, and even running off during the change and hiding, and his mother listened to what he was trying to express. She sat him on the potty, and it went from there. She got a schedule with pooping and peeing, and he was through it very quickly. He is extremely intelligent and has always been ahead. This could be the case with your son. Give it a try and see where it leads.

As for the clothing thing, what kinds of materials are you using. Perhaps, he is telling you, or at least trying to, that he is not feeling certin types of fabrics. i know for me that I've always prefered certain types of clothes over others. I've been this way since very early childhood. I hate wool. It irritates so much that it hurts. I used to scream and scream until someone took it off me if it was put on me. I also hate stockings material. I don't like lace, mesh, or silk. I do prefer jean material, cotton, flannel, satin--not the same as silk, and starchy things. Try different types of materials and see if the reason he is fighting you is because he does not prefer certain things over another. Whe our children cannot talk, it can be frustrating, but if we are diligent and attentive, we will understand what they are telling us, which will cut frustrations down to a minimum. It will continue until we figure out what our kids are trying to say.
I hope this helps you out.


----------



## aschmied (Apr 22, 2007)

DS fights them, too. While I would certainly second DeerHunter's suggestion of potty learning, I don't think I would state it as strongly. I'm an ec-er, and I have learned that some babies don't wanna talk about it. DS (12 months) loves to go pee-pee in a potty, outside, wherever I can think of. Poop? Thanks mom, but I'll HOLD it if you try and get me to do it anywhere but the floor or a diaper. (This boggles my mind, as DD was pretty reliable by this age for poops!) He also hates diaper changes. I never do a pee change lying down, and I change after every pee. Poop changes I have made much nicer by playing games as I lay him down, while I clean him up, etc. Oh, and he loves to watch me dump the poop into the toilet, and looks forward to that. It helps him learn where it's supposed to go, too.

Clothes, if the child really resists, change fabrics, or cut, or something. My kids hate some kinds of clothes.


----------



## marge&rooter (May 25, 2007)

My son has fought diapers since he was 8 months old. He is almost one and, now, he almost wins. Well, yes, he does.
I hate to be pessimistic, but my other son (3) was the same way. I can't then conclude it's stage, but a temperament.
My son does "the board" during dressing. He goes stiff and straight and slides down my legs.
For diapers he does the "jerk, flip and flee maneuver". He's is so fast, I have no defense. I am left with a diaper in hand and poop smeared down his leg, often.
They are strong-willed.
And don't appreciate the process.
I have learned to leave lots more time for diapering and dressing.


----------



## 1littlebit (Jun 1, 2008)

ds just turned 10 mos on the 8th.. and he does this.. how long does this last exactly? lol he fights like crazy when we change clothes or diapers.. to the point where he up and crawls away.. he's fast too!!


----------

