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Our newborn daughter cannot stand diaper changes. She flat out raises hell; screaming head off and squirming. Other than this situation, she has a great disposition. Her butt and associated areas are not raw or in anything other than a healthy condition. Does anyone have experience with a similar situation and a possible remedy? We hate putting her through the ordeal and it makes me heartsick to see her so distressed.
Are the wipes scented? Try to find the unscented ones for sensitive skin. Even though the parts may not look irritated or raw, doesn't mean that the alcohol from the scented wipes doesn't hurt like hell to their very delicate skin.
mnagant762
11-12-10, 20:05
Also try warming them slightly. Which would you rather have on your pieces and parts something cold and wet or something warm and wet? My daughter loved warm wipes.
My daughter has really sensitive skin which according to the doctor is common if the baby is fair skinned. We would sometimes use warm water and cotton balls and she doesnt scream like she sometimes does with wipes. We use the Costco wipes exclusively.
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My oldest son started doing this at about 3-4 months. What it amounted to was he didn't want to stop doing what he was doing. If he was being held or someone "kooky-kooky-chewing" with him, and you laid him down and started changing his diaper, he threw a fit.
We had to change him often because he'd get a bad rash if we went too long. So...(hope this doesn't upset anyone...but ) during one of his tantrums, I gave him a little "pop" on the rear and scolded him to be quiet. He started right back up and I did it again, with a little more scolding. And that was it, he never threw a tantrum (for diaper changing) again. I think it was more the "deep voiced" scolding than the "pop" that did the trick but you got to get him quiet to hear the scolding.
But I got the worst part of that incident because my Mom walked in just before the second "pop". Man...She was fussing at me like nobody's business for "spanking" her first grandchild. So, I told her, "Let's see Mom, he's a 100 days old and has had his diaper changed about 7-8 times a day. So, he has had his diaper changed 700+ times. He isn't stupid, he knows what's going on, he just doesn't want to do it right now. Oh well...Sorry."
Now before y'all call the cops...this was 28-years ago. :)
But maybe it's just me...
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show her who is the boss. I'm not kidding, that's what the pediatrician said. After 2 weeks it got much better for my son.
+1 on the warm, washed-out wipes. Try running them under warm water and rinsing out all the alcohol. I use the Costco wipes all the time, and when the boy's butt gets raw, he really hates the alcohol burn.
Quiet-Matt
11-12-10, 20:48
To go along with what SHIVAN was saying... Does the squirming and screaming start when you lay her down, when you remove the diaper, or when you wipe her. My son had issues with the scented wipes because of his sensitive skin. Changing wipes helped.
4 boys, every one of them freaked out for at least 50% of diaper changes.
oddly enough, they care less when i'm doing it. it's such a rare thing, they're probably too busy going "WTF is this guy doing changing my diaper?" to remember to flip out.
last thing i remember last night was listening to our 5 month old screaming bloody murder while mamma changed his diaper. first thing i heard this morning was our 5 month old screaming bloody ****ing murder while mamma changed his diaper.
they get over it... and without too much PTSD. :laugh:
ETA: my wife just said "every newborn baby hates diaper changes." for what that's worth to you. she'd know... as everyone knows, we have 4.. in our little circle of friends, that's actually not that many. her friend just delivered their 9th kid about a week ago.
jklaughrey
11-12-10, 21:44
My wife hates me for it but I just block out all background noise and go about business. But they make wipes warmers, not that it makes a difference but it is worth a shot. Better to scream than piss or shit on you.
Littlelebowski
11-12-10, 22:13
Distract her. A mobile hanging above her or my favorite, turn on the vacuum cleaner. Don't knock the vacuum cleaner until you've tried it. The white noise helps with my 4 month old.
SW-Shooter
11-12-10, 22:58
Some great idea's here, but the best is using warm wipes that are gentle on her skin. Try singing to her while your doing it, a parents voice is very soothing to a babies emotional state.
Father of two, that lived through it.
ditto the question
is it laying down ?
taking them off ?
wiping ?
if the wiping our little guy had a rashy rear we were told to use washcloths with warm water be gentle till it cleared up ?
we have had good luck with the costco wipes also but the washcloths we use are those gerber ones 12 packs are pretty cheap the warm water no wipes are easier till their rear toughens up :)
once in a while he does not like to lay down we just make a game or have a distraction and figure its not a pain thing more a control thing ? so just went on and changed him he was fine so no harm
militarymoron
11-12-10, 23:32
when my son was a newborn through 3 months old, we used white noise to calm him down during diaper changes - walkie-talkie static or the hair dryer. seemed to help some.
+1 on the Costco Kirkland wipes. My daughterp has sensitive skin and those wipes worked best for her when she was young. ( we are working on potty training now)
Also, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is worth its weight in gold.
LonghunterCO
11-13-10, 08:22
We used a warmer for a while and it helped. I think that eventually they get more "used to" it happening and then they fuss less. If you are out and about enough they get used to not having the warm wipes and even they are not needed.
-Good luck to you son. We just got through potty training the last one two months ago. I am go glad that is over.
Also, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is worth its weight in gold.
Can be. Desitn Max, not regular Desitn can actually end a rash a little quicker but Boudreaux's for the times between a rash is pretty awesome stuff & much better than regular strength Desitin.
We like the Huggies wipes unscented with Aloe and vitamin E, the wipes tear (unlike pampers wipes) so you can use a quarter or a half or whatever you need without having to use a whole sheet.
As a rule when they have been throwing a fit (which isn't often) I hold their ankles in my left hand and bend their knees however I need to to get to the parts I need to, and just do all the cleanup with one hand. As a habit, I open up the rash creme, open the wipes and set a diaper over the changing table rail before I ever lay the kid down on the table.
We've never tried warming the wipes, but that sounds like it might be a good idea. I am feeling all fortunate now. . . both of mine are pretty good about getting changed the vast majority of the time. My boy (one yr) is a bit squirmy, but it is in a "hey I want to explore" kinda way rather than fits.
From day 1 he was hating the cold wipes so I was using warm water & wash cloth, we're almost 2 weeks in now, and on day 2 I ran and got a wipe warmer from Target. This helped dramatically and was the best $20 I'd spent in a while. Who wants a cold, wet butt? Not me and apparently he didn't either. :sarcastic:
Outside of needing a diaper change or wanting the boob he's super laid back and I'm eternally grateful he's not a cryer.
EDIT: And we switched to Huggies from Pampers. Pampers was causing the formation of small, salt like crystals in his diaper due to the reaction with his urine. Really weird when you open a newborn's diaper and you wonder why your wife is using kosher salt as an absorbent?!?! :sarcastic: The Huggies don't form the crystals and fit his little butt better along with an umbilical cord cut-out.
Spurholder
11-13-10, 13:17
Distract her. A mobile hanging above her or my favorite, turn on the vacuum cleaner. Don't knock the vacuum cleaner until you've tried it. The white noise helps with my 4 month old.
Agreed.
Distraction is a great tool for the littler little ones. I use Hot Wheels for my youngest - works almost 100% of the time.
As a habit, I open up the rash creme, open the wipes and set a diaper over the changing table rail before I ever lay the kid down on the table.
Yep, that's SOP here as well. You have to be able to do just about everything one-handed, as you may need to hold legs away from poop, pin down a squirming kid, or something else with your off-hand. Have all your kit laid out and prepped before engaging poopy.
woodandsteel
11-13-10, 14:24
We used to have issues with our daughters. Then we switched to cloth diapers.
My oldest and second oldest both developed rashes with disposable diapers that were bad enough to require a prescription to heal.
Half way thru my second daughter's diaper stage, my wife switched us over to the cloth. That immediately stopped the rashes. My ten month old has never worn anything but cloth. Never had an issue with her, knock on wood.
We use a couple different cloth diapers. These are the ones I prefer; http://www.fuzzibunz.com/
The reusable cloth is not as disgusting as I thought they'd be. I'll never go back to disposable.
woodandsteel
11-13-10, 14:27
As far as wipes are concerned, we've had good luck with the Huggies Brand, Naturally Refreshing Cucumber and Green Tea wipes.
I told my sons "If you don't like the indignity of me wiping your butt, learn to use the toilet!"
When that didn't work, I turned them over to their mom:big_boss:
Changing a kid's diaper is a great way to learn to multi-task, anticipate the unexpected and to always have a Go To Hell Plan "B" ready!
Also be careful of splatter with newborns. Somewhere I have a photograph of a 5'-long fantail of liquid poop sprayed across the nursery room wall from an early diaper change. Lifting their legs is like working a pump handle.
I didnt realize I had it so good. None of my kids had problems getting their diapers changed. The problems we had was that #2 could not give a hoot about having her diaper changed. With #3 everytime he even thought of farting he demanded that his diaper be changed.
Also, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is worth its weight in gold.
Never heard of it but Bag Balm was the rash solution for us. That stuff is amazing
Changing a kid's diaper is a great way to learn to multi-task, anticipate the unexpected and to always have a Go To Hell Plan "B" ready!
Amen! Truer words have not been spoken
We use a wipe warmer and sensitive wipes. Get everything laid out before change so goes as quickly as possible. Have changed diaper brands. Nothing helps. Seems we are going to just have to deal with it. From talking with others(this weekend at LAV class; wouldn't believe the sidebars held on kids at a training event) seems around 50% of kids just don't dig the diaper changes, period.
Deliver distractionary blows until they are compliant.
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OK, if you do everything you can to make sure it is not sensitive skin, rash, blah, blah...remember - you're not dealing with a fish or some other lower life form. Contrary to what most parents think, they understand, they really do...they're just "playing" you. :) Truthfully, they understand what's going on way earlier than they are given credit.
Note, kids can be "trained" to be quiet and sit still without having to have distractions (or later in life they'll need some kind of electronics in their face, hand, or ear.) The earlier you start the better off you will all be.
But maybe it's just me...
Don't hate... :)
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This kid is still pretty new, right?
Try keeping the top half bundled up tightly. Newborns like to be bundled tightly as they feel safe and secure when bundled up. Like being in mom's tummy.
Littlelebowski
11-15-10, 12:34
ucrt, my brother in law and his wife parent using an iPhone and the TV/computer. It has literally gotten to the point where the child will not eat without the iPhone. They are also liberals, coincidentally :D
Needless to say, I will not be handing my child a distraction in order to appease her into behaving.
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