The Diaper Changing Tantrum Solution

I decided to check my Google Analytics reports to see if I had any funny keyword searches that lead to my blog. I do this fairly regularly in hopes that I will find something funny like Ro or Matter of Fact Mommy. Alas, they apparently have the market cornered on funny keyword searches.

Thanks to this post , what I did find was that many variations of the search term “diaper tantrum” did lead to my blog: diaper changing tantrum, tantrum while changing diaper, 1 year old tantrum during diaper change, baby screams when changing diaper, baby turns over while changing diaper, baby stiffens legs and cries when changing, baby’s head spins around exorcist-style and spews green flesh eating vomit while changing diaper… shall I go on?

I came to the obvious conclusion that there must be a lot of parents out there tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to deal with the diaper changing tantrum. So I figured a public service blog post was in order. And thus, How to Deal with the Diaper Changing Tantrum was born.

For the record, I must say I am not a physician, nor am I an early childhood behavioral expert, nor am I experienced with many babies more than one baby. But I am a mom… a mom of a child that hates having her diaper changed. And these are some tips that worked for me:

1. Distract, distract, distract. I have handed my baby everything and anything in attempt to get her interested in something other than the fact that it is time for a diaper change and therefore time for her to scream at the top of her lungs while rapidly kicking her legs in attempt to fling baby poo all over the room. Safe, but usually off limit items work best. Think cell phone, magazines you have yet to read, scissors, etc. Just kidding about the scissors.

2. Provide an audience. For some reason, my baby will cease her tantrum as soon as someone other than me is there to bear witness. Even just the presence of my husband will chill her out. So if you are lucky enough to have guests at the time of a diaper change, enlist their help. Or, if the UPS man knocks at the door at just the right moment, it can’t hurt to ask… and as an added bonus, he is already wearing brown so a little poo flung his way won’t matter!

3. The two minute warning. My baby does NOT like to be changed upon waking. Something about the act of going straight from the crib to the changing table does not sit well with her. I have learned that taking her out of her crib and letting her play for even just two minutes in her room is enough to make for a much more pleasant diaper change. This is very difficult for me if she has a poo diaper, but I figure if she poo’d in her sleep then she has been wearing that poo diaper for a while so two extra minutes isn’t going to make or break anyone.

4. Patience, grasshopper. I am a firm believer that your baby picks up on your mood and reacts to it. So if you are reacting to a diaper changing tantrum with frustration and exasperation, your baby will probably up the ante. Try to make eye contact with your baby and speak soothingly… even if you have to fake it… This may not put an end to the tantrum, but it certainly will not exacerbate the situation.

5. The standing ovation. Master the art of changing your baby’s diaper while he or she is standing and you can save yourself a few diaper changing tantrums throughout the day. I do this solely with pee-only diapers… changing a poo diaper on a standing baby is too Cirque du Soleil for me. My theory is that part of the reason some babies protest the diaper change so adamantly is that they absolutely hate to have their important play-work interrupted. So if you can change a diaper while baby is standing at the bookcase yanking books onto the floor, she wont bat an eye. It also seems like the decreased amount of time spent on the changing table as a result of the standing diaper change equates to less resistance when use of the changing table is necessary.

Wise readers, if you have any additional diaper changing tantrum tips or tricks, please do not hesitate to comment!

Even with all of these tips and tricks that worked for me, I honestly think the one thing that has diminished the diaper changing tantrum is time. Baby has matured a bit (hee hee) in the past five months since the tantrums began and has learned to accept the inevitable.