Simple Mindful Hacks for Calming Little Ones During Diaper Changes
- Briesha Bell
- May 26
- 6 min read
Sometimes changing a little one's diaper feels like you’re pulling teeth. I know, I know, babies don’t have teeth. Let’s just say that some baby cries can be so particularly excruciating, it sounds like you’re yanking their baby teeth to the surface. 🙃
How on earth do you make things go smoother and get them to stop crying? I’ve put a lot of thought into this while changing thousands of diapers, amongst countless babies and kiddos. The most effective calming solutions are distractions. Distractions allow babies to snap out of their discomfort just long enough to get them cleaned up.
Although it probably comes at no surprise to hear that distractions are effective, the true insights come from knowing which distractions work the best.
In my experience the most effective distractions fall into three categories: Auditory Distractions, Visual Distractions, Tactile/Oral (Sensorimotor) Distractions. One of these simple hacks is sure to make diaper changing go a bit smoother for you as well!
✨ Quick Glimpse at the Mindful Hacks for Diaper Changing
While babysitting and nannying, I've kept track of distraction techniques that effectively calm infants and tabies (ages 1-2) during diaper changes. Over time, and after trialing with 13 different infants*, I've pinpointed hacks that have reliably soothed and comforted these little ones.
👂🏽Mindful Auditory Distractions
Auditory distractions simply act as a different sound to refocus a baby’s discomfort. Almost all of the following auditory distractions require a tiny bit of vulnerability. Take advantage of the freedom to embrace your imperfections while you can. You’ll start hearing the judgmental comments (that's not how the song sounds) and know-it-all style call-outs (that’s not what happened next) around age 4 and sometimes earlier! 😬
🎵 Sing
Try singing a classic children’s song (anything Barney would sing). The average baby and/or toddler has no basis to judge us grownups for singing off key. Trial and error has led me to discover a few songs that have worked best with babies vs tabies:
🕷️ Songs for Babies: The Itsy Bitsy Spider; Old McDonald
🚌 Songs for Tabies (ages 1-2): If You’re Happy and You Know It; The Wheels on the Bus
👎🏽Least Effective Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
I’ve had so many fails with using Twinkle, Twinkle, I’ve stopped trying it altogether. No clue why it hasn’t worked.
However, you don’t have to be limited to children’s songs. Feel free to try singing any song that comes to mind (probably best to keep it G rated).
😙 Whistle or Hum
Whistling is perplexing to little ones, especially if they rarely hear it.
Humming is another really cool, yet underutilized vocal feature that humans have been gifted.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to whistle or hum an actual song— personally, I just make up tunes.
🧠 FUN FACT: Sound vibration is actually very effective in moving the body to homeostasis and out of the fight, flight, freeze reaction (1)
📚 Recite a Familiar Book From Memory
Any book you can recite verbatim because you’ve read it to your kiddo so many times. It’s easiest to do this with books based on repetition (Brown Bear, Brown Bear; Goodnight Moon; Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom, etc.)
Forget what food the Hungry Caterpillar eats on Day 2? Make something up, they might notice, but they’ll still go with it!
🧌 Speak in a Silly Voice Narrative
Change your voice a little and say something like, “I’m a hungry giant that loves to eat baby feet!” Then pretend to gobble down their feet using a friendly sound effect. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s surprisingly effective and even brings a few laughs!
🎶 Play Music
🔮 Use a Wind Up Music Box or Snow Globe
Music boxes and snow globes play such distinct relaxing melodies, yet they're plenty underused. If you have one, wind it up before a diaper change and make Brahms' Lullaby or Fur Elise (the most common music box lullabies) a routine soundtrack for diaper changes.
Characters that move around or floating snow flurries also make for a great visual distraction!
📱Play a Song on Your Phone
Have a go-to playlist with their favorite songs to play. Disney soundtracks work really great, specifically Moana 1, Frozen 1, and Encanto! Any song from a Laurie Berkner album should also help.
When you're just over kid's music for the day: try a pop classical playlist and sing along to mainstream pop hits. Sing alongs spark their ears in curiosity just long enough for them to give the waterworks a break.
👀 Mindful Visual Distractions
If auditory hacks aren't working, try shifting focus (pun intended) to visual distractions. Some babies are surprisingly easy to calm when they’ve got something interesting to stare at. These visual hacks are low-effort on your part but can be effective.
🪟 Provide a View of Nature
If possible, it can be immensely helpful to position a changing area next to a window that your baby can easily look out through. This allows babies to observe glimpses of cloud movement, birds, leaves blowing around— ya know, just nature doing its thing.
💫 Hang a Mobile Above Changing Area
Mobiles are really fun to watch. I've always adored this mobile from PlanToys— the soft pastels give off such chill vibes, while the grey toned ornaments offer contrast and visual stimulation for younger babies.
🥑 Mindful Tactile/Oral (Sensorimotor) Distractions
When their little hands are occupied with anything mildly interesting, they’re much less likely to protest. Soft textures, teething toys, crinkle toys, can help shift their attention away from what’s happening below the waist.
🪇 Offer Easy to Grasp Toy, Teether, or Baby Size Book
Keep a few small toys at an arm’s reach. Crinkly baby paper, teething rings, and miniature board books (size: 4x4) are items that are easy for kiddos to grasp and provide a short burst of entertainment.
🧷 Give Baby a Diaper to Hold
No luck with any of the auditory distractions and no toys close by? Giving a baby a spare diaper to hold leaves them speechless. They get such a kick out of opening up the diaper and bending the flaps!
🚫 Skip These Distractions
❌ Pacifier
I’ve yet to meet a baby that can be comforted with a pacifier during a diaper change. It’s usually just too hard for them to keep the darn thing in their mouth while screaming and crying.
❌ Repetitive verbal reassurance
Repeating reassuring phrases like, “It’s okay” or “You’re fine” over and over again does not comfort or calm a little one during diaper changes.
Out of respect for each child, I do make it a point to initially acknowledge every kiddos discomfort, but only once. I usually say something along the lines of, “I know you don’t like getting your diaper changed. I’m sorry that I have to change it, but I’ll try to make it go as fast as I can.” Then, I just proceed to one of the distractions.
📋 Final Notes
These hacks aren’t time proof. While the Itsy Bitsy Spider might instantly halt tears for a week or two, some kiddos grow bored of the song over time. In this case, try a different song, recite a book, or use another tool from this list.
Relatedly, I encourage you to test different sensory inputs. If you find that a child has zero interest in watching their mobile or refuses to hold on to their favorite lovey, try something from the auditory list– it’s possible they might be craving a different form of sensory input.
Of course, we all want to get the clean diaper on as quickly as possible– but, keep in mind that diaper changes are also a chance to bring comfort. Afterall, babies can’t exactly self-regulate, so they need help from grownups! With some patience and these handy dandy distractions, you’ll be able to turn those diaper-changing tears (including your tears of frustration) into mindful memories filled with connection.
Do you have a favorite mindful hack that I should add to this list? Leave a comment and let me know so I can add it to this list! The more we help one another, the longer our sanity stays in tact!
Stay Conscious + Curious,
Sincerely,
Briesh
References & Sources
*Demographics of Sample Size:
Ages | newborn babies to 24 months
Location | in home settings
Total Number of Children | 13 kids (4 boys; 9 girls)
Ethnicities | 11 kids were white (Caucasian), and 2 were of multiracial heritage
Language | 11 kids were learning English; 2 kids were dual language learners
(1) This fun fact is a direct quote from Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts and Mind Lab at the Center for Applied NeuroAesthetics. Source: Raising Good Humans podcast; Episode title, “Your Brain on Art: Why Creativity Is Essential for Kids (And for You!)”
Comments