How to Keep Babies Calm when Changing Diapers

Changing diapers can be a real challenge for parents, so here are 5 tips to help keep your baby calm and make the task a little easier.

As your baby grows, they become more active and independent. By the time they’re about six months old, keeping them still for long enough to change a diaper can become a real skill.

When your baby begins to crawl, the world becomes a fascinating place. Suddenly, all they want to do is play, run and explore.

Perhaps this is why trying to keep them still while you change their diaper can result in kicking and screaming. This behavior is completely natural, and in fact, it’s a positive sign.

However, it does make it far more difficult to complete this task that, when they were a newborn, was relatively simple.

5 strategies to help with changing diapers

Don’t worry! This is just a phase in your child‘s development. Here are some strategies that will help make changing diapers easier.

Give them a toy

Babies discover the world around them through play. And a great way to keep them occupied while you change their diaper is to give them a toy to play with.

Make sure to pick out a toy which is capable of keeping them distracted for a few minutes while you clean everything up. Small toys such as bath toys are ideal for this.

Have everything ready

Keeping everything in its place is a key part of making daily life less stressful. In fact, messy homes have been proven to induce anxiety and make us perform certain tasks less efficiently.

That’s why when it comes to changing diapers, you should try to have everything you need in one place.

Try to keep a bag or basket stocked with wet wipes, diapers and any other products you use for changing diapers.

Keeping everything together also means you can take it with you easily, even when you go out.

This kit will be your best ally when your child really doesn’t want to stay still on the changing table.

Be patient

Sometimes when we want to get things done quickly, and our baby doesn’t cooperate, we get stressed and tense.

This stress puts us in a bad mood and, whether or not we want to, we pass this feeling on to the baby. This itself can turn a little task like a diaper change into a real struggle.

Patience and calm will always be the best approach, not just to changing diapers, but to all aspects of childcare and parenting.

Take things slow and steady and changing diapers will be a breeze.

Speak to them

Communication with your child is very important. You’ve probably been talking to your baby ever since they were still in the womb.

Even though they’re a few months old now, your words still have a calming effect. Talk to your baby gently while changing diapers, telling them what you’re doing.

For example, you can tell your child that their diaper is dirty, and that’s why you need to change it.

Speaking to your baby calms them down and keeps them occupied. What’s more, little by little they’ll begin to understand the need for this routine, which will take, at most, 5 minutes.

Give them time and space

If your baby is playing or watching television, they probably won’t want to stop so that you can change their diaper.

Sometimes you can change them without interrupting their activities. Either wait a few minutes, or change them right where they are.

In certain situations, it helps to be flexible to get tasks done quickly and efficiently.

Little by little, you’ll create your own methods to convince your baby that diaper changes aren’t such a bad thing.