Diaper Drama
May 23rd, 2008 by Bethany
Like many mothers, I allow my children to run around the house in nothing but a diaper some of the time. After this week’s events, this practice must end, at least temporarily. I’ve mentioned before that Maggie had taken to removing her wet diapers whenever she’s in her crib. Well, her practice of taking off her diaper has expanded to more locations than her crib. Two days ago we were in a chinese food buffet restaurant (luckily it was nearly empty because we were there for a very early dinner) and we let Maggie take a little run among the empty nearby tables. She was wearing a sweet little peach dress, her favorite Dora the Explorer sandals, and a diaper (of course). At one point, I saw her stop and make a face like she was concentrating, and I remember thinking to myself that I would have to change a stinky diaper in the near future. I checked my purse to make sure I had the necessary supplies handy, then decided to let her finish the process and then grab her when she came close enough to the table that I could catch her without getting up from my chair. But this was not to be.
Minutes later I glanced in her direction and saw her pulling at the velcro tabs on her diaper! AH! I yelled “NO Maggie!!” to no avail. Before Colin and I were able to take the three steps across the restaurant to her side to stop her, she had taken her diaper off, looked at us mischievously, accidentally stepped in the mess inside the diaper, then got two steps into running away from us. Colin and I worked quickly together to keep her from spreading her footprints any further, to quietly wrap up the used diaper, and to get her and the carpet cleaned up. Of course, as I cleaned Maggie off with the wipes she had to scream her protests–she never likes having her diaper changed and no one likes to be held captive. Colin took care of the carpet and I insisted convincingly enough to Maggie that she leave her diaper alone that she kept it on long enough to get to the car.
See why I’m glad that the restaurant was nearly empty? I don’t think anyone noticed the nasty escapade.
Yesterday Degen took a cue from his sister, and both of them took their diapers off all day any time they weren’t wearing pants and their diapers got the least bit wet. At least today Maggie is wearing a onsie that snaps at the bottom, plus pants, and she doesn’t have the skills to remove all of that clothing yet. Oh! Degen just sauntered over to me with no diaper on right now. And he’d HAD pants on! Great…
I tried putting Degen’s nearly unused underpants on Maggie yesterday, hoping that this is a sign that it’s time to potty train. She loved it, but had no idea what I was talking about when I told her to let me know when she needs to go potty so she could keep them dry. She just thought it was fun that she kept getting new underpants to wear. And Degen flatly refuses to have anything to do with the toilet or underpants, despite his love of Cars and Nemo and the other characters on his underwear.
At least we’re getting funny stories out of all this.
My son went through that phase a couple of months ago. We’d find him without his diaper in his bed, around the house, and out in the backyard. Finally, I had had enough and wrapped packing tape around his diaper, covering the tabs! He thought it was SO funny! crazy kid. For a while, after I changed his diaper, he would remind me “tape, mom”. Now he’s past all that, thank goodness!