There’s nothing more upsetting than seeing your little one unhappy—even if you know they absolutely HAVE to have their diaper changed, you might still dread that moment because you know how much they hate it.

And we know, it’s no walk in the park for you either—but the both of you have to get through it and rediaper as stress-free as you can. Here are our top tips on making change time as stress-free as possible.  

Why do some babies hate having their diaper changed?

First of all, why do babies not like having their diapers changed? They get to lie down and be pampered for a good portion of their day—adults pay good money for that.

If your baby is fussy or crying during their diaper change, it might have something to do with these reasons:

• They might be cold! Especially in the colder months, having your bare skin exposed to the cold air is something that no one is a fan of.
• They could be thinking of other things…like food. If you have food on the brain and someone is starting up a whole different task, you’d be annoyed too.
• You might be going too fast. We know you want to get it over with and you might think speeding up the process will make it better for your baby, but your baby is probably used to slow and gentle movements.
• They don’t enjoy being handled. Especially in older babies, you might find they want to be more in control of their movements, and diaper changing doesn’t allow for much exploring.
• They could have a rash. If your baby has a diaper rash, it could make change time a lot more uncomfortable for them.

Diaper changing tips for stress-free changing

              Distract your baby and make them laugh

Never underestimate the power of distraction. Thanks to their super short attention spans, it’s pretty easy to divert your little one’s focus or make them giggle.

Pick up something around the home that makes an interesting sound and dangle it in front of your baby when diapering them up. You can use anything from your car keys to some tissue paper to take full advantage of your little one’s curiosity!

              Warm the wet wipes

If there’s one thing babies truly despise, it’s a cold wipe, and we can’t blame them! Nobody likes the shock of something cold against their skin, especially when that skin is super sensitive.

A wipe warmer is an awesome investment that will make changing time MUCH more pleasant for your baby. Or you should just stick them in a sanitized container to warm up on their own. This simple, yet genius idea makes those wipes feel soothingly warm against your baby’s skin—they might even start to enjoy having their diaper changed!

              Encourage your baby to help

Your little one might actually enjoy joining in with their parent’s daily chores, instead of simply lying back or wriggling around and trying to escape!

As they get a little older, you can encourage them to lie down on their own, raise their legs up, or pull the wipes out of the packet themselves. They might even start to do it automatically at change times (which is a little less work for you, too!)