Had I known then what I know now, I would have taken wrestling in junior high physical education class. Or maybe some karate. Because holy crap, changing the diaper of my 9 month old 22 pound boy is a workout. He twists, kicks, flexes his legs against the area that used to be known as my abs, screams, plants his feet into the changing pad and arches backward with a twist, and cries. He is so excited about his ability to get from a lying down to sitting position that he DOES NOT want to be horizontal.
Giving him a diaper doesn’t really work. A toy will last through one or two wipes. And what with the waterworks equipment flailing around (or poop in his drawers), I really don’t want him alligatoring around without a diaper on.
So I started trying to figure out ways to distract him. And I got on Etsy and searched for mobiles and found some really cute ones. With really ugly prices. As any I-Can-Do-That-For-Way-Cheaper person is wont to do, I set out making my own.
I purchased a few photo mobiles from a local store, one for each of the “official” changing stations. I intend to hang origami creatures with ribbon and beads. You know, after I learn how to do origami. Which is sometime after I pay off my school loans. Which is sometime after the kids are in college.
In the meantime, I’m going with simplicity by attaching some finger puppets we got from Ikea before the kids were born and before I realized they’re made for the fingers of infants. I also hung some of those take along chimes - the ones I was about to toss, and those single toys that somehow got disconnected from the activity gyms they outgrew.
So far, it’s working. At least long enough to get his parts covered. The cool thing is that I can change things up with different toys, pictures, and one day, that origami.
Nice! Well-made. I had to have a stash of toys next to the changing station at that age. It seems to be a little less crazed much of the time now, but they’re also stronger… hrm.
We still have a mobile up (at 21 months) but I have to admit sometimes one of them needs an elbow to hold him down. Or, we do it on the floor, where I have perfected the art of using my legs to hold the baby down. It’s not pretty, but it works.
Love the mobile idea (we have the IKEA finger puppets, too!) I spent countless diaper changes practically laying on top of my daughters to get the job done. Good luck to you.
Awesome idea! I have one of those picture mobiles and will definitely dig it out and put it to work. I sympathize with the diaper change wrestling situation. One of my babies has unreal core body strength and I cannot keep her down.
I love the mobile! At that age I’d never have found the time to be so creative:)
I ended up using the ‘pin down on the floor and hold with my legs’ method – as said by Rebecca – not pretty but when you’re wrestling to get the job done and don’t wish to be covered in poop….