Baby boys and poopy diaper changes. Help!

[fawnanddoe]

So DS is 5 months old and has discovered his penis and that he likes to grab it while I am changing his diaper.
This is totally fine, except when he has a poopy diaper and it's everywhere! Earlier I had to change one and he kept grabbing himself and got poop on his hands, then kicked the diaper and got it on his socks. It was a mess!
Is there any way to change him without him getting his hands all dirty? Any tips or tricks are much appreciated!

[buttercups.nest]

i always gave my daughter something to play with....look at a book, play with a toy, even something simple like a hairbrush kept her occupied while I cleaned the mess. I know you said you have a son....I'll be experience this in a few months. My little guy is 2 months...whole new ball game!

[Teddy'sMom]

yup...give him a toy or dangle a toy from your mouth while you change him. Anything to keep his hands busy at least until things are cleaned up

[Auraji]

The new thing with my DD is that she doesnt want to be on her back for any time. I always have to "wrestle" her during diaper changes. Sometimes toys distract her, sometimes she wants to escape. It can be messy, the only thing that seems to work is to entertain her the best I can, make sounds, sing songs, make silly faces.

[larzanna]

I block his hands/arms with my non-dominant forearm. I am left handed, so its my right arm. I am holding his feet with my right hand, blocking the arms with my forearm and wiping with the left.
I also make sure that i have the wipe out and ready and the diaper out and ready before i start.

[Blueone]

I take the socks off before I change a poopy diaper, that makes it a bit easier. But my son hasn't discovered his penis yet so I don't have as much to worry. Are you changing him on a changing table? Hang sparkly things or other colorful things above him so that he's looking at that. Toys help a lot and if anything, take the socks off, hold his hands, and then clean him off, then do the feet before putting the diaper on. Good luck!

[Goddess's mom]

Been there many times. Apart from having everything ready to go before you take the diaper off...

It sounds bad but what works well is: change your son on a pad on the floor between your legs, you can pin his arms down with your toes until you get the poop cleaned off, then let him have his exploratory time. When he gets a little older singing songs with hand gestures for him to do might help.

[wookie]

BTDT.

funny faces, sometimes anything to hold in his hand, sometimes pinning him down gently with my toes, occasionally still having to wash his hands after, done it all. nothing much you can do about it, sadly.

[cristeen]

I'm having this issue with my 2 1/2 m.o. He doesn't really grasp yet (at least nothing that I *want* him to), and doesn't even reach for a toy so that doesn't help. I have to be prepared before the diaper comes off. Wipes and fresh diaper right there. When I crack open the diaper and see that it's super messy, I'll lift the front up and wipe the penis/scrotum area first before pulling the rest of the diaper off. That way neither hands nor feet have a chance to get into the mess. Then I grab both legs, hang on tight (he fights diaper changes), whip the dirty dipe out, and clean the worst of it up as quickly as possible. Even if I have to go back for more wipes, if I get the really messy stuff in the first pass, then he can't get it everywhere.

[mommajb]

First if you know it is a mess remove all foot covering and and take pants off, don't just unsnap the crotch. I would hold all four limbs in one hand and slightly elevate the baby so that his back can be wiped. Then attempt to wipe from front to back centering the mess. At this point you may be able to let go of the arms. Clean some more and let go of the legs. Clean some more booty. Wipe him down again and consider a bath and a clothing change.

If baby is on the floor you can put your feet over his shoulders (heels in the underarms) and just worry about the lower body. This also prevents the roll-over.

Can you tell I have had more than one boy with explosive poos and a stash of cloth wipes?

[motherbirth]

Mine loves his built-in toy too. I hold his hands with one hand while wiping most of the mess with my other hand. Sometimes there is still yucky stuff left and I end up wiping his hands afterwards, but it mostly works.

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by Auraji

The new thing with my DD is that she doesnt want to be on her back for any time. I always have to "wrestle" her during diaper changes.

Yep. Ever since my daughter could roll from back to belly, she will NOT EVER be on her back.

She doesn't have a penis to grab but she still will try to grab at her poo-covered areas.

These two problems together make for a fun diaper change.

At this point, the technique is something like this:

I always change her with her butt closest to my right hand, her head closest to my left. As soon as the diaper comes off, the left hand has her feet lifted up so that I can wipe the back/back of the butt enough so that she doesn't get poo on the changing area. At this point, she starts laughing and arching and trying to twist and turn over while I struggle to keep her lower back off the changing pad. My left forearm becomes a "blocker" for the hands-- just really creative wrist/elbow work to deflect her hands from grabbing poo areas. Once her back is clean enough, it's easier to use the "left arm block" while cleaning any poo off of areas that she can grab. Then we can relax, and use wipe #3 to get creases, thighs, other detail work to finish up.


The only really hard thing is not laughing back at her when she starts cracking up and trying to twist and turn. I know that as soon as I do, it's going to encourage her and become a game.

[Madalyn]

Originally Posted by mommajb

If baby is on the floor you can put your feet over his shoulders (heels in the underarms) and just worry about the lower body. This also prevents the roll-over.

I have to say I tried this technique today and it worked fabulously. Somehow managed to clean a massive poop bomb without getting any on my bed lol. I'd never thought about using my feet!

[fawnanddoe]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I really didn't even think about giving him a toy while changing him, that's a good idea! Also using my feet too, I have many things to try now!

[Phridae]

Originally Posted by Madalyn

I have to say I tried this technique today and it worked fabulously. Somehow managed to clean a massive poop bomb without getting any on my bed lol. I'd never thought about using my feet!

This is what I do, put my feet on either side of DS to keep him from trying to roll away.

Hi Madalyn!