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Diapering a baby is relatively easy in the newborn days. They lay there, you go through the motions, and you get from Point A to Point B without any major difficulties, aside from how messy that particular diaper—or butt—might be.
But the ease with which you change said butts is something that becomes increasingly difficult as your babies grow and become more nimble (read: Ninja-like).
When you've got twins, there are double the diapers and it's doubly daunting. What used to be an easy task becomes a master marathon overnight.
Before the race even begins, your little one is off and running—literally, RUNNING AWAY, because they know it's time for a fresh butt, and the chase is on. You both laugh in fun because you don't anticipate the struggle that is about to go down.
It starts with trying to keep your baby from sitting up while you have them laying down on the change table. The safety strap, while essential, does hardly anything to keep them in place because they're on a mission and they're suddenly freakishly strong for their small but mighty stature.
The safety strap, while essential, does hardly anything to keep them in place because they're on a mission and they're suddenly freakishly strong for their small but mighty stature.
So, you gently push their tummy back down. Then, their flailing legs, followed by their flapping arms. The more you thwart their escape, the more frustrated they become.
They amp up their efforts until they look like a bucking bronco. You amp up your speed, diapering with one hand and wrangling with the other.
Some of the moves are fabulous feats of finesse. Others make you feel like you're wrestling an acrobatic alligator.
By the time the fresh diaper is secured, you're a sweaty mess. You let out a long exhale. And then you remember, that was only one; the other twin also needs a fresh butt.
You let out a long exhale. And then you remember, that was only one; the other twin also needs a fresh butt.
Sometimes, you can get away with waiting a few minutes. Other times, they need that fresh diaper right now. You have to do it all again immediately.
Only you're tired, and they're not, because your twins somehow use each other as an endless energy source that you wish you could tap into.
And you can…sort of.
Instead of gearing up for a fight with every diaper change, get them on your side.
Give them a mission that they can help you with. Most of our diaper changes now begin with, "Can you hold this for me? It's very important." or "(Gasp) Look at THIS!" and then commencing the diaper change with whichever distraction method you choose from the following list.
Here are 10 ways to stop baby wiggling in its tracks during diaper changes
1. Give them a tube of lanolin cream or petroleum jelly to hold
This one has yet to fail me. Both of these tubes are perfect because a) they are small enough for your baby to easily hold without fumbling, b) even if they manage to get the lid open, they can squeeze the container as much as they want and the product isn't going anywhere because it's so thick, and c) even if they poke their little fingers into the opening to see what happens and get the cream or jelly on their fingers, both are safe for babies to eat.
Medela Purelan Lanolin Nipple Cream
This is Medela's Pureplan lanolin nipple cream for breastfeeding. It's safe if babies ingest it, and the tube can double as a great distraction during diaper changes.
Vaseline Healing Petroleum Jelly
This is Vaseline's healing petroleum jelly. It's safe if babies ingest it, and the tube works as a distraction when diapering babies.
2. Get them to play peekaboo with a muslin blanket
Our twins think it's hilarious to play hide-and-seek underneath a muslin blanket. Let your babies think you definitely can't see them while they definitely can't see you doing a covert diaper change. You'll both be laughing at how sneaky you are.
3. Give them a mostly empty pack of wipes or a crinkle book to investigate
Avoid this one if you're doing an overnight change since it's noisy and could wake your other baby, but this one works wonders during the day. Making rustling sounds and feeling the wipes through the package will keep them busy long enough to get a change done. Using a basically empty pack of wipes will make sure your baby doesn't get hurt if they let it go (à la Anna and Elsa) and it falls onto their face while they're investigating things. A smaller, soft cloth, crinkle book will give you basically the same result.
LOOKLEBE Soft Baby Crinkle Book Set
Soft cloth crinkle books are the perfect thing to keep your little baby's hands, plus their inquisitive mind, busy during diaper changes.
4. Ask them where their hair, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, and toes are
If you don't have any of your physical go-to distractions on-hand or easily within reach, ask your baby to show you where their hair is and wait for them to think about it and then point to it. Praise them if they get it right or remind them where it is if they aren't sure yet. Go through the various parts they've been practicing, one at a time, and you'll probably be done with the diaper change before you get to the end of the list.
5. Give them a small, empty box from a board book set to hold
I tried this one on a whim and it worked pretty well. The box was from one of Sandra Boynton's Greatest Hits box sets (which are well-loved in our household). The artwork is bright and colorful and keeps them entertained long enough for you to freshen them up.
Boynton's Greatest Hits: The Big Green Box Set
This is Sandra Boynton's Greatest Hits: The Big Green Box board book set. The books are great, and the box that keeps them all together is a great distraction during diaper changes.
6. If the light is right, get them to gaze at your shadows on the wall
When you don't have your other distraction tactics nearby, use the lights in the room to your advantage. The shadows you and your baby create on the wall are mesmerizing to them. You can explain what they are and why they're there and point out how cool they look in the amount of time it takes to swap in a clean diaper.
7. Give them a hairbrush, so they can practice brushing their hair
Once our twins learned how to brush their hair, they reached for the brush with zeal anytime it was within sight, so they could practice the motions and make sure they didn't have bed-head. Since the brush lives in the change table, it became one of our go-to grabs during diaper changes and it keeps each baby busy. We have a second brush with a built-in teether that's a huge hit. It keeps them distracted even longer because it feels good to gnaw on for a prolonged period of time.
Safety 1st Easy Grip Brush and Comb
This is the Safety 1st Easy Grip Brush and Comb Set. The brush has a built-in teether that feels nice to gnaw on.
8. Get them to inspect a diaper for quality control purposes
I'm not gonna lie, this one usually ends up behind the change table before we've gotten too far into the process, BUT asking my baby to inspect the new diaper to see if it meets quality control standards usually resets their wiggliness factor, so while it results in a diaper being thrown down into the depths, it prevents any further acrobatics because they're marveling at how quickly the diaper met its fate.
9. Give them a teether to chew on or inspect
Handing them a teether is always a hit. We like Munchkin's Twisty Figure 8 teether toy because the bright colors, different textures, and twisty angles keep them focused and occupied for as long as you need to freshen things up. If you don't have a teether within reach of your change table, you can try the silicone bulb of a bulb syringe or aspirator (assuming it's sanitized and also not small enough that it can actually be swallowed) for them to squeeze and chew on. I grabbed for ours one day, and it's become a new go-to, to the point that the twins both know it's only used during diaper changes, so they now look for it AS they're being put onto the changing pad, so they can grab it as they lay down.
Munchkin Twisty Figure 8 Baby Teether Toy
This is the Munchkin Twisty Figure 8 Baby Teether Toy. I call it the infinity teether because it seems like our twins will love it forever.
10. If they can stand, change them while they're standing up on the floor
It might be more awkward, but it requires fewer Herculean efforts in most cases and pretty much stops the protests instantly. Once our twins were old enough to stand confidently and were getting better control over their bladders, we got into the habit of changing each twin while standing in the bathroom, so that they would begin to associate the feeling of going to the bathroom and getting a fresh butt with being in the actual bathroom and not just any random room in the house. Within a week, they were indicating when they had to get to the bathroom…not every time, and not always ahead of time, but most times before it was too late. Them actually WANTING to be changed takes pretty much all of the fighting off of the table (haha, I meant the metaphorical table, but I guess, in this case, it's also the literal table, too).
Have a few different go-to distractions up your sleeve
You'll want to have a few different go-to distractions at your diaper station(s), so that you're always ready to keep your babies busy the second they decide they're over this changing session.
Keep in mind, some of these items are probably going to fall / get tossed with great vigor behind the change table, so use something you won't miss or need if you can't retrieve it right away. This is why I usually have three or four different distraction items at the ready when it's go-time.
Keep in mind, some of these items are probably going to fall / get tossed with great vigor behind the change table, so use something you won't miss or need if you can't retrieve it right away.
But, if you forget until it's too late that all of your fail-safes are now sitting behind the change table, or if your usual tricks just aren't working their usual magic, you can always have them tap away at your smartwatch screen. With our twins, that entrances them the whole time, every time. (In fact, that's what made us decide to get them their own smartwatch toys, which you can read about, here).
How do you distract your babies during diaper changes? Have you tried any of these tricks? Which one worked best for you? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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