Loading... Please wait...Daddy Nickell’s New Parent Tips: The Toddler Life 3
Daddy Nickell has been commenting on Stephanie Wood’s “Testing Your Limits” published in Parenting.com in which she details the many difficult scenarios that seem to arise often within the households of parents with toddlers.
So far, we’ve learned how to handle toddlers who “won’t move on,” who “drag their feet,” and now we’ll be looking at toddlers who “dodge the diaper,” as Wood so eloquently puts it.
Wood references another real mommy, Elena Howard who says, “Davie, my sixteen-month-old, cries, kicks, and tries to wriggle off of the changing table when I’m putting on a diaper. I try to give him a toy or play a game. If that doesn’t work, I just pin him down and try to go as fast as possible.”
As diaper dodging is common in many toddler homes, Wood explains what it is that’s really happening in your toddler’s head, and how to go about handling it:
“What’s really happening Your child not only doesn’t want to stop what he’s doing, he also feels that being whisked away for a change is an invasion of his space.
How to handle it Show some respect too. ‘Come into the room with a diaper in hand and say, ‘You need to be changed in a few minutes,’’ suggests Kurcinka. ‘Then wait for him to finish what he’s doing or suggest he bring his toy with him.’ This is also a good age to start to engage your child in the process — you can give him the opportunity to pull down his own pants, for instance.”
Daddy Nickell says:
We have two boys, one at 27 months, and the other 9 months, and diaper changing can be easy, or like a scene from WWF whereby it takes two of us to wrestle them into a new diaper and clothes.
When changing a toddler’s diaper, it’s important, as Wood points out, to remember this little person is quickly growing up, changing everyday and developing their own sense of space and person. Talk to your child respectfully and realize, they’re probably in the middle of something very important to them – whether that be playing with a toy, watching a TV show or learning something new. Give them the opportunity to finish what they’re doing, and remind them they can come right back to it when they’re finished having their diaper changed. Stay positive – even though it might feel frustrating.
Yes, I am a huge advocate of Talk to the Toddler, however, there are times when the “blood curdling” screams just cause you to turn red, when you walk out of the changing room at the restaurant. Good luck. Remember, every toddler action is a phase, and it soon will pass and change into a new phase as they learn and grow.
Next week we’re going to learn how to handle another difficult, common toddler scenario: bath time.
Until then,
Daddy Nickell’s Daughter
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Tags: Daddy Nickell, Daddy Nickell's Daughter, parent tips, Parenting, Stephanie Wood, Testing Your Limits, The DaddyScrubs Blog, toddler
