Six Useful Baby Diaper Tips to Change a Wiggling Baby

When we were getting one-year photos taken of our son, we saw a new mom and dad at the photo studio changing a newborn. They were both involved in the diaper changing and they looked, quite frankly, scared and a bit confused. And the baby looked so small! As parents of a three-year-old and one-year-old, it was hard for us to remember ever being those new parents, struggling to change a diaper.

Do you remember the first baby diaper you ever changed? Or maybe you're expecting, anxiously anticipating what it will be like to change a wiggling newborn.

Even though your newborn will be extremely small and seem extremely fragile, that first diaper change will seem like cake, looking back, when you're struggling to change a squirming toddler.

It seems just as the diapers get messier with the transition to solid foods, your baby gets more mobile and more challenging to change. Here are some expert tips to make diaper changing time with toddlers or active infants easier.

1. Give your baby a toy - A favorite stuffed animal or a rattle goes a long way toward keeping your baby occupied and distracted enough that you change his diaper. Want to make a new mom's life a little easier? Consider giving this baby gift basket with a fun plush frog baby shower gift.

2. Employ two people if necessary - When my son reached about eight months old, it often required two people to change his diaper, one to hold him down or distract him while the other person actually wiped him and got the diaper on. Eventually, I learned to enlist the help of my three-year-old daughter to talk to him or wave a favorite toy, keeping him distracted so I could change a diaper.

3. Find the best diapers for the job - Through two kids, I've been brand loyal to one diaper. But I've heard good reviews of others from other moms. The best diaper is the diaper that works for your baby. Finding the best one may require some experimentation. You can help a new or expectant mom stock up on necessities like diapers, receiving blankets and onesies with one of our baby gift baskets or diaper cakes.

4. Sing - Like any other distraction technique, singing your baby's favorite songs works as long as you don't do it every time. I'm convinced that the path to capturing baby's attention is the element of surprise. Mix up the diaper changing routine with different songs or toys each time so baby will remain captivated for at least 30 seconds. (We're not looking for a lot here... by the time your baby is squiggling, hopefully you'll be pretty fast with the diaper changes!)

5. Use the changing table strap - With my daughter, I never had to use the changing table strap. In fact, I tried to wrap the strap around the dresser, thinking it was used to connect the changing table pad to the table -- not to hold baby down! I learned quickly with my son. Taking a few extra seconds to strap your infant down can prevent a disaster, as well as make diaper changing easier.

6. Keep diaper changing supplies close at hand and re-stock supplies as they run low. - Keep diapers, wipes and creams within easy reach of you, but out of reach of your grabby baby boy or girl. If you have a diaper holder or basket on the changing table that holds a few days worth of diapers, replenish the supply as soon as it's half-full, so you don't have to worry about running out of diapers in the middle of the night. Our baby diaper cakes help ensure a new mom won't run low on diapers in the first few months, with tons of newborn and size one diapers, along with other necessities new moms love to get as baby gifts.