how to distract a 9 mo

[Anonymous]

My 9mo DD is wild when we are trying to dress/diaper her. By the time she is dressed, we are halfway across the room chasing her down. She also started refusing to sit to get buckled into her carseat. She'll arch her back and then rotate so that she is standing tummy to the back of her carseat. She has great fun trying to do all this and while I can't really discipline her or tell her what to do yet, I need some ways to distract or coax her into letting us do these things. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

I have a 9 month old, too, and unfortunately the only thing that I have found that works to distract him during diaper changes is to put him in front of the tv. Looking at the images on the screen at least help keep him still for a couple of minutes. As for getting him into the car seat, I have found that my son immediately calms down once he is outside. Is there any way you could carry the car seat outside and then buckle her in? Sorry I don't have better suggestions, but I feel your pain!

[Anonymous]

Funny, my 9 mo. old is acting the same way -- he is so squirmy and likes to roll over mid-diaper change. I use anything and everything to distract him -- he loves holding a diaper and all the various creams and stuff I use on him so I let him hold those while I am changing him. I find that anything new to him is good fun! Actually, his favorite is a remote control. We took the batteries out of an old remote and I break that out whenever he's squirmy -- he immediately settles down. He's the same way trying to get him in his carseat -- he sits himself forward really far and loves to try and play with the mirror that's in front of him. I keep all sorts of little toys on the floor of the car in front of his car seat so I can grab one in a pinch. But once again, usually the trusty remote does the trick and he immediately sits back and calms down to study it!

[Anonymous]

My 10 month old is the same way. Queen wiggle worm who loves to sit up and grab at things.

I found that singing to her really works. Not just singing, but really really really exaggerating the words and lyrics because she really focuses on the sound (or so it appears). For example, I'll really pronounce "the WHEELS on the BUS go ROUND and ROUND, ROUND and ROUND, ROUND and ROUND...'" and then make up goofy lyrics like "the DOGGIE on the bus goes "BAAA BAAA RUUUU" and make a silly face to go along - we have a dog at home so she "knows" the word "dog". I do all this while switching out diapers.

I will sometimes give her a "changing table toy - only" - a wooden block that she likes to hold and can only be seen and held when she is getting dressed or changed.

I too have been chasing her across the room to get her into clothes. It will sometimes take me 10 minute to change a diaper and longer if I need to put her in a new outfit! The singing and funny faces works for us...for the most part.

[sunnyskies]

We also use a "changing tbale only" toy - he LOVES that stupid rattle (I guess bc it is the only time he gets it). It keeps him from sticking his hands in the poop!