# Newborn screams during diaper changes



## marie1112

My newborn screams bloody murder during diaper changes. I feel awful the entire time. It's especially bad during poo diapers because it takes longer and she sounds like she's being tortured! I'm going to buy a wipe warmer tomorrow to see if that helps, but I would love some advice to help with this, as I'm worried what stress I'm putting her through, and what the neighbors must think. :sad1::sad1::sad1:


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## Green Lady

Very normal! My baby would scream the place down anytime her nappy was changed or when she was getting dressed. Remember than everything is a new experience for her! I read somewhere that newborns don't like the feel of air on their skin and I think it's true. But they grow out of that phase pretty soon. Now she just tries to grab the nappy away from me, lol.

Congratulations by the way! :flower:


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## Scottishmum2B

Congratulations on your new baby. :)
My LO was exactly the same, screamed like I was torturing her rather than helping her. She did outgrow it though and now loves having her nappy off. In fact, if she is grumpy, I take her nappy off and she is all smiles. :)

xx


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## RebeccaG

Yep mine used to really hate it. Using warm water with cotton wool helped though in the first couple of weeks. I think it's the cold air and the cold wipe - not particularly nice! We use normal 'cold' wipes now and he loves being changed. Still hates being dressed though - particularly vests!


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## punk_pig

It's normal! She's no longer being held, her bum is cold, your doing strange things with her legs etc. Honestly it isn't doing long term harm, she will grow out of it. Have you tried warm water and cotton or warm water and Terry cloth? From what I hear people who bought wipe earners thought they were a waste of money because they were only used about twice and then baby got used to nappy changes.


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## Karlie06

Mine screamed the place down to when her nappy was changed! It only lasted a few weeks and then she got used to it. Everything for a newborn is scary and new and that's why they feel so insecure.


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## Gbobs

I'm with everyone else who's replied - sounds like it's prettty normal. My LO hated it the first couple of weeks but after that he loved going on his change mat, so much so that sometimes when he's grumpy (not so much now but when he was younger) I'd take him up to put him on the changemat and he turned into a happy smiley laughing baby!


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## Rachel_C

Yes it's definitely normal. We use cloth wipes with warm water which definitely helped in the early days. You can use warm water with cotton wool or even with disposable wipes - just run the wipes under a warm tap before use, or even put a couple on a warm radiator a few minutes before you use them.

It also helped to have something for baby to look at rather than them thinking about the strange thing you're doing to them! For my first LO, we had little books in the Baby Sees range - they're just black, white and bright coloured dots, hearts, flowers etc - just enough for a young baby to focus on. We used to prop one up (they're board books) alongside the changing mat and she'd stare at them for ages. With our second daughter, the mat is alongside a big mirror so she gazes at herself during changes, right from the beginning.


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## Ruth 1980

Scottishmum2B said:


> Congratulations on your new baby. :)
> My LO was exactly the same, screamed like I was torturing her rather than helping her. She did outgrow it though and now loves having her nappy off. In fact, if she is grumpy, I take her nappy off and she is all smiles. :)
> 
> xx

Snap!! Congrats on your new baby, and as the girls said- it is totally normal! I used to ask my dd "who's trying to murder you?" as I changed her! Now she loves nappy change time, it's our chat-time where she practices all her new noises! Good luck x


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## puddycats

my lo is 5 weeks and stil scream bloody murder!! not every nappy change, some he sits there watching me others its like world war 3 lol x


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## chysantheMUM

I remember posting a very similar thread when my LO was new. I was so worried she would be like that for ever and dreaded having to change her nappy. Now thoough its a completely different story. If I need to calm her down, I actually change her nappy and it stops her crying instantly :thumbup: She still doesn't like putting tops and vests on but even thats improving.


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## Leopard

My Dd does this no matter how warm it is, unless she is really chilled out.


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## popat

Completely normal, I remember turning to my mum once in the middle night and going "WHY?". I really worried that I was doing something wrong.

DS preferred wipes (fragrant free) to water+cotton wool so I switched very early on.


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## Lysal

My LO used to do this and he was born in the summer so don't think it's a temperature thing. I think it's that they have been cocooned for so long they don't like to feel exposed. As someone else said it helps to have something to distract them. My little man used to like his glowworm on the changing mat next to him as it had a really happy face that lit up. 
He now really likes having his nappy changed - mainly because I blow raspberries on his belly which he loves. He's also really starting to enjoy nappy free time.


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## marie1112

Wow, thank you for ALL the responses! I did one more diaper change last night, a big poopy one that took a while too. I switched from a rough old towel on top of the change mat to a soft old blanket. Also, I put a heating pad on top of it for a few minutes before I laid her on it. It warmed it up JUST enough. I kept some of the blanket covering her and got OH to lean in close to her face and hold her hand and talk sweetly to her. IT WAS AMAZING! NO TEARS AT ALL!!! Thank you sooooooooooo much for the suggestions and advice everyone! I don't know if this will work for every diaper change, but it was encouraging to have one that was tear free for once! :happydance:


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## chezziepie

mine did this for a few weeks screamed everytime he got naked changed etc and he was v sick with reflux so he screamed an awful lot


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## HungryHippo

I was going to suggest a wipe warmer and then read you're considering one. Our LO screamed, too, in the beginning. We never did buy a wipe warmer - I don't think we had figured out at the time that it may have helped. She's past it now - but she certainly didn't like it in the beginning. :)


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## new_mummy

Mine screamed so much for every single nappy & clothes change, he used to lose his little voice! It was really stressing me out. But one day he just suddenly completely stopped, just like that. He was about 8 weeks old when he stopped. :)


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