# Does your toddler suddenly have insane aversion to diaper changes?



## Caryliz (Sep 14, 2005)

So DS is now 2, and has suddenly decided that diaper changes are the root of all evil.







: He will often indicate to us that he needs to be changed -- either using sign language, or saying "need dry dipe", or wandering into the bedroom and leaning on the changing table and fiddling with the paraphernalia -- but even when he does, any parental action in that direction will be met with sudden SCREAMING resistance! It's not at all uncommon for us to need to wrestle him down to be changed, while he kicks and twists and yells his head off. I don't get it. Once the diaper is off -- often, but not always, even before a diaper wipe has touched his skin -- he generally calms down. We've tried singing, being silly, being firm, being gentle, being angry...nothing works. A team approach is most effective, but not exactly practical, as only rarely are there two of us around with hands free at the moment of need.

DS has never had a serious diaper rash, we use especially mild homemade diaper wipes, and change him often. We've asked his babysitter if she has encountered this, and she says yes, from time to time, but she can't think of any event that might have triggered the behavior (she's been with him for over 18 months and we trust her on this.) We've tried asking him if it hurts, or if he's afraid, but he either says "no" or ignores us.

What gives?!


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## BensMamacita (Mar 13, 2007)

My ds is like that too. What helped for me was to change him on the ground instead of on the changing table; and after a few weeks of that I was able to go back to the changing table without a fuss (or rather, with less fuss).

Good luck!


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## RomanGoddess (Mar 16, 2006)

Could be a great opportunity to ditch the diapers and introduce the potty


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## leximom (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cmlp* 
Could be a great opportunity to ditch the diapers and introduce the potty

















: this was my dd a month ago and I just was not up for a fight and let her go naked. She's doing fine at home using the potty and when I need to put a diaper on her to leave the incentive of going "bye-bye" is usually enough to get one on her.


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

My dd is 25 months and for the past month insists on doing diaper changes herself. She'll tell me when she wants it changed and I have to go with her but if I so much as try to help her out she screams at me. If I accidently "help" her we have to back up and start all over again







: . She pulls off her clothes, gets the new diaper out, grabs the wipes, takes off the diaper (that's a fun one when she's pooped







) and tries to get the new diaper on. I've talked to her about the potty/toilet but no luck yet.


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## kokonutmama (Feb 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cmlp* 
Could be a great opportunity to ditch the diapers and introduce the potty










That was my thought. It's actually what I did... ds started fighting diaper changes, so we went EC.


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## Caryliz (Sep 14, 2005)

Yeah, we've started talking about the potty, but have just been following his lead. He has the book "Everyone Poops" and is fascinated; we have to read it every night before bed. He also has a little Bjorn potty in the bathroom, and will sit on it in the a.m. while I am having my pee. He thinks this is hilarious but has only once actually peed in it himself. Twice he has pooped in the potty -- both times was taking a bath and squatted in the tub and then stood up and announced "poop!" so we swiftly hoisted him over the side and onto the potty. Just this past weekend he was playing (naked) in his little portable pool and announced he needed to poop, but in the same breath said "no potty! Dipe!" So I went through the rigamarole of putting on the diaper so he could poop, and then changing him while he screamed.







:

And while I can see how going naked/trying EC might be appealing for some, I don't see how it would work for us as DS is in daycare from 8 - 12, and with his longterm sitter from 12 - 5 (but she takes him up to the park every day after his nap for soccer and playdates). Are these strategies one can utilize weekends-only?









Meanwhile, I've realized DS isn't so traumatized if the diaper gets changed while he's standing up...but this is a big challenge if there's a poop involved, as he tends to want to "help" (I hear you, Mama to One!)


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## leximom (Jul 4, 2005)

my dd isn't in daycare or anything, but we do leave the house often and she always wears a diaper out of the house. While we are home, though, she's mostly naked (we just started undies in the past few days). She also only just within the past 2 days has been pooping on the potty while home instead of asking for a diaper. Here and there she will announce while we are out and about that she needs to go potty and I'll take her, but she still uses her diaper, too.

It kind of seems like we are going through the same thing and I have been just following her lead. So far we are progressing...slowly, but still progressing.


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## staceychev (Mar 5, 2005)

Lucy has been doing the same thing. One thing that helped, since we don't CD, is to switch to pull-up style diapers. She's big into indpendence (has been putting her own pants on for months), so allowing her the option of participating in the diapering process has really helped.

But we're going to be doing the potty thing, too, now that I'm done with school for the summer and can give it my full attention.


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## fortunecookie (Mar 20, 2007)

I think for our son it was a control thing. He didn't want to submit to diapers anymore. The pull ups are what we did too, and they are much quicker and less bothersome to him.


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## Jenlaana (Oct 28, 2005)

When my daughter is wet/dirty, she takes the diaper off HERSELF! And there is no warning what so ever. I just suddenly see her naked and then have to hunt down the diaper, or sometimes she will bring it to me. Its very difficult when its messy, and it seems I need a pair of iron locked pants to keep her from removing them because she gets off just about everything.

When I do go to change her or to re-diaper her after one of her diaper removals, she runs from me. I'm 6 mos pregnant and we have a 2200 SF 1 story house and lemme tell you, it is NOT fun. We usually do atleast 2 laps through before I catch her (there is almost a track in our house, through the dining room, living room, hallway, kitchen, back through the dining room and so on)


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