Seeking advise~*~*My Toddler Keeps Taking Her Diaper Off~*~*

Updated on October 13, 2006
S.B. asks from Easley, SC
37 answers

Can anyone help with a toddler that continually takes her diaper off? She does this throughout the day & night. It can get really gross. She is 22 months old & just doesn't like to be dirty or wet. We are in the process of moving out of state & from everything I've read it is a mistake to start potty training during a transition. BUT, I can't give her a bath & clean poop off the walls CONSTANTLEY. Our house is on the market & we sometimes have to leave at a moments notice. I'd really appreciate any help or advise! Thanks!

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J.J.

answers from Detroit on

I have heard the same things about potty training but at the request of my son I have begun to potty train him (getting divorced and moving). He likes it and I treat potting training as a fun game. Sometimes he goes and sometimes he doesn't but he likes it and is getting the hang of if. And we have lots of termoil. I think it depends on the child. I don't force it he askes to sit on the potty and I read to him or sing a song.

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J.F.

answers from Dayton on

S.,
You could try pinning the diaper flaps closed so she can't rip off her diaper as easily. You could also attach her diaper to both sides of her undershirt with diaper pins or put her in overalls or a one-piece outfit.

J. Franz

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C.J.

answers from Youngstown on

Have you tried using pull-ups? That worked for my daughter. I just came home from Columbia, SC. We were down there for my husband's job. Where abouts will you be in SC?

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C.P.

answers from Cincinnati on

It sounds as though SHE is ready to be diaper free. Go with it. My daughter did this at 24 months. She was soon after (but still in night time pull ups) potty trained. She did what you are describing - followed by refusing to wear her diaper AT ALL! "AHHHH!" I felt I could go no where. So for three days I didn't . Then we had to go to the grocery store on the fourth day. So I tried to force a diaper on her - wasn't happening. I then put her on the potty so she went, put a towel in her carseat and went to the Grocery store. After we came home I put her on the potty. I made it a positive thing. I sat with her and talked to her while she was on it. I usually could read her signs that she had to go. Anyways, it was panties from there on out. She hated diapers sooo much we had to wait until she was OUT at night to get a diaper on her for bed time. It was much easier than I expected. We were living with relatives and in an odd situation at the time. It still worked. I wouldn't be surprized if she regresses a bit in SC, but everything comes and you take it as it comes, one day at a time.
I wish you luck with this, and moving. I lived in Spartanburg my senior year of high school. The south is a beatiful place

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E.G.

answers from Cleveland on

I think this is a huge sign that she is ready for the potty. I don't think it really matters that you are moving bc this is obviously causing a problem and she does not enjoy diapers. I worked with toddlers and potty training was my life. Get her excited about the potty and honestly she will probably be very easy to train. Let her pick out her very own big girl underwear and she will probably want to wear them. Good Luck!

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N.

answers from Detroit on

Your toddler is telling you that he/she does not want to were a diaper, you need to go ahead and start potty training her/him, and it should be a little easier because her/ him doesn't want to were pull up anymore

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M.

answers from Cincinnati on

I would reframe this current situation -- and look at it in a very positive light: your daughter is showing you that she's ready to ditch the diapers and use the potty. RUN WITH IT. I can't tell you how many parents of 3 yr olds and 4 yr olds would be THRILLED if their kids would show some interest. And just WOW... I am truly shocked by all of the suggestions to force your child to continue to wear diapers when she is very clearly showing obvious signs of readiness to use the toilet!!! Duct tape? Onesies & overalls? Really? Is that respectful of your child? Consider if you were in her shoes: you're 22 months old, ready to use the toilet, wanting to potty train, and trying to show your parent in any way you know how that you are ready (but probably can't verbalize this as distinctly/precisely as you want, being 22 months old and all)... So you take off your diaper repeatedly. And hmmm, your parent takes note but disregards your attempts and, worse, DUCT TAPES (or some other way affixes your diaper more permanently on you)!!! No thanks. To me, that does seem cruel.

Also, what does that teach her?

At some point, don't we as parents need to realize that yes, our children will be ready for different stages at times which may seem "inconvenient" for us parents, but don't we owe it to them to listen? Do you want a 4 yr old who is still pooping in her diaper because that's the only place she's comfortable doing it - and heck, that was *really* reinforced because 2 yrs earlier, her attempts to potty train were met with a diaper being duct taped to her body?

My suggestion? Celebrate this. Be excited for both of you about the prospect of not having to deal with poopy diapers! About increased autonomy! Self-esteem! Work as a team with your daughter to help her learn about using the potty, to support her communicating with you about her readiness to use the toilet (instead of her diaper), and to treat her as you would want to be treated if your roles were reversed.

Best of luck with your daughter, potty training, and the move!

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4.

answers from Toledo on

My 20-month-old son does the same thing! Gross, isn't it?

Our solution was to dress him in bib overalls every day. The ones that came with snaps at the crotch were sewed shut and he can't (yet) figure out how to unhook the closure at the shoulders. He can't get to his diaper now!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

This may sound weird but a friend of mine who has triplets used to do this. She would put duct tape on the diapers to keep them on and it worked great. All 3 of her triplets used to do the same thing and it got messy. Thankfully my kids never did this. Good luck I hope this helps.

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M.G.

answers from Toledo on

Hi S.,
I have 3 children ages 15, 9 and 4 months.
We too are trying to sell so I can relate to the last minutes calls to vacate. Not a lot of fun.

It sounds like you have a handful with your 22 month old streaker! :) One idea is to make a big deal about 'graduating' to 'big girl' pants and then introduce pullups. They are still absorbent like diapers, but perhaps if she feels they are more like undies she'll be less likely to shed them. Now, if messing/wetting still wants her to remove them, perhaps a little bribery is in order. (hey - whatever works!) For example, if she lets you know she wants to take the wet/messy pullup off (allowing you to help so there is no surprise mess) she gets a prize: perhaps a gold star on the calendar, or a candy, or an inexpensive toy from the dollar store stash on the fridge (wink, wink).

I hope this helps. Good luck selling your house and on your move south.
M. Gasiorski

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G.P.

answers from Chicago on

S.,
I feel for you! This has to be frustrating, especially when you are selling your house and have to show it! Does she take off her pants too, or only when you have her in a diaper alone? The only thing I could think of to maybe try is try putting her in pull-ups, they are harder to take off, plus you will be using them soon anyway to potty-train her. I personally would wait to start potty-training, moving is a huge transition, we have just moved to another state, I have a four year old son, and even though he has been dry for almost 2 years during day and night, he has had a couple accidents at night recently.
G.

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K.P.

answers from Columbus on

S.,

I've heard that it sometimes helps if you can put onesies, overalls, or one piece pajamas/outfits on them. It makes it harder to get into the diaper.

How soon are you moving? Since she IS showing the signs that she's ready, you might try potty training... it may go very well and quickly since she doesn't like to be dirty. From what I understand, you would just need to be aware that she may regress once you move. Just a thought.

Good luck!
K.

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S.

answers from Dayton on

HI what I have found to work is to use stickers to fasten the tabs. stickers of your child's favorite cartoon character or power ranger or such. Also tight underwear over the top may discourage this.

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J.B.

answers from Dayton on

Hi S.....from experience this is the SURE sign that she is ready to be potty trained. If you start w/ her now...take her to the potty every 45 minutes to an hour, she'll get used to doing that. If she won't keep her diaper on, put her in panties, and just keep spare clothes w/ you. This is exactly what my daughter did at 16 months and she was potty trained in 2 weeks. I realize you are moving, etc. But kids seem to go w/ the flow. Try it, the potty training, while you are still in the home and see what happens...I just trained my neighbors 2 year old in 3 weeks....it can happen...just have to stick w/ it!

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L.A.

answers from Cleveland on

My daughter does the same thing. I bought her underwear to put over her diaper and it works great! She thinks she is a big kid and now instead of taking the diaper off she shows off the pretty underwear. lol. It does work though. She doesn't even fidget or pick with the underwear on.

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J.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi S.
Sounds like you have your hands a little full. I would try duct tapping the diaper all away around or buy some cover all or pants with a belt to keep her from pulling at the diapers since she already mastered on taking them off. But girls do tend to want to potty train earlier then boys my son is 2 and 10 months and he has no interest at all yet. I wish you the best with her and on your move. Hey I live in Hamilton too! Good ol Hamilton lol. =0)

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J.B.

answers from Canton on

Honestly with my 4 year old daughter. She did the same thing. So what I did was put some duct tape on it until she learned that the diaper stays on. I know it might sound cruel but it did work. Hopefully you find your method and it works.

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P.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

Can your daughter verbalize well enough? Does she warn you before the diaper comes off? Is she goofing around or seeming to know? Pull-Ups might be a decent option for transition. Maybe she actually is ready to potty train...You never know until you try...My oldest kid quit diapers cold turkey one day, and we went to K-Mart to buy cute undies with The Little Mermaid on them. She talked a lot about "no pee on the Mermaid." She took a lot of pride in her undies...and Hershey's kisses as an after potty reward worked nicely too! Bam! She was done and ate up all the praise. My 2nd kid...She was soooo stubborn. I knew she knew better...She was just onry...didn't matter how cool the undies were, even though she KNEW how to go pee / poo the right way. It's sometimes a personality and temperment thing. You know your kid best, but it the opportunity happens, I'd say give it a try. New house, new job, new underwear???? Life is good! P.

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S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Hi. I have a twenty month old daughter and she was CONSTANTLY taking her diaper off. I agree about the potty training, wait until your settled. What worked for me was putting bloomers over the diaper. It works at night, as well, which is when it all started for me. I hope this helps and good luck!

S.

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C.

answers from Cincinnati on

My 23 month old was just doing this a couple of months ago. We either put a onesie on her (but, she later learned to unbutton. We did this with my older daughter and it worked.) or we put her diaper on backwards. I've also heard people putting duct tape across the front so the tabs can't be undone by your little one. Never tried it, but it seems that would work. Good luck.
C.

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S.Z.

answers from Cleveland on

My mom had to do this with my brother and we had to do this with my son. Just put the diaper on backwards. Just have her lay on her tummy after you change her and fasten the diaper. When you take it off have her lay on her back and rock her to each side to unfasten. It worked very well for us. However it also would hurt to introduce her to the potty when she does that. Perhaps she will be quicker to get trained when you make the move. Good Luck

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L.

answers from Detroit on

Hi S.-

I have a 2 1/2 year old little girl that did this. I was not ready to potty train either. I finally put her Pj's on backward when she is sleeping/napping. I used the ones that zipped.
Good Luck. I know how gross it can get.

L.

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H.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

My 17 month old neice does this too - she can get any outfit off - onesie, jumpers, doesn't matter the only thing that really has physically been able to prevent this is duct tape or packing tape wrapped all the way around and ending in back so she can't pick it open - seems a little extreme but pants and underwear are a joke to her - potty training might not be a bad idea if she's doing this - it can't hurt to encourage it , just don't be surprised if she regresses after the move. Good luck - I know how frustrating this is!

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T.B.

answers from Tampa on

A friend of mine had the same problem. She solved it by putting duct tape over the diaper flaps!!!

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M.T.

answers from Detroit on

Suggestions that were given to me when my triplets were at that stage were duct taping the diaper, you might even have to go all the way around. Or putting the diaper on backwards. I hope this helps.

M.
mom to Christina almost 15
Isabella, Logan and Brody 4
Yes triplets!

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V.K.

answers from Saginaw on

I haven't had this issue, but I think it's because I have been able to prevent it. My son's daycare provider had twins of her own who were giving her trouble with this. When we talked about it she warned me that it would happen. Since then, I have kept him in a onesie when he wears shorts or pants that are easily removable. He wears a long sleeved onesie to bed with his halo sleep sack when it is cold, and a short sleeved one when it's warm. I also use them for layering either when it's cold or just when it looks nice... Haven't had a problem yet. I will say when I leave him in just a diaper if it's really warm, he does pull at it, but I think since he's never gotten it off he hasn't quite discovered the "freedom" yet...

Good Luck!

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S.G.

answers from Cleveland on

It's time to get some duct tape.......honestly. You may feel a bit like MacGyver, but it will keep her diaper on! I have 2 1/2 yr old twin boys and although we haven't had this problem (knock on wood) I know plenty of other twin moms who have. And the general concensus is duct tape!
Then once you move and get settled you can focus on the potty training. I know what it is like to have your home on the market; things are stressful enough trying to maintain a home in "show" condition, you don't need any added messes.
good luck!

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E.A.

answers from Cleveland on

Is she wearing a pull-up or regular diaper? If she's in a regular diaper and hasn't experienced pull-ups yet, the novelty might make her keep them on. Plus, they require a different skill to remove! :) We're in the midst of introducing our 24 month old daughter to potty training and it's an ongoing process of trial and error! It might not hurt to offer your daughter the option of a potty chair and pull-ups even though you will soon experience a major transition. I think that if you don't push the child and they are free to experiment with potty training on their own terms that they won't experience the negative trauma we all fear! :) Good luck! I can relate to your struggle!

E.

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J.

answers from Cincinnati on

Try turning the diaper around, putting the tabs in the back. Also a friend of mine used duct tape so her son couldn't get the tabs open. Good luck!

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K.V.

answers from Detroit on

When my youngest started doing that, I started dressing him exclusively in one piece outfits that closed in the back (or had no buttons). If you don't have any of those, and if you don't have the time/resources to pick some up, try picking up a pack of extra large onesies. Put them on under her clothes so she can't get at the diaper. One-piece pajamas also worked well at night.

Good luck!! You have my sympathy! I have cleaned a poopy wall or two in my day. ;)

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T.

answers from Columbus on

I say give potty training a chance, it won't be any more messy than you are right now, and if she is truely ready, then the move won't make a differance, if she is not, what have you lost?

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J.M.

answers from Grand Rapids on

my 30 month old daughter went through that stage in bed. we decided to start putting her zip up footy pajamas on her backwards. then she couldnt reach the zipper to get her pjs off and therefor couldnt take off her diaper. as for during the day we started potty training. she knew she was wet and thats why she didnt want the diaper on. a few suggestions for that are to work on it during the day. get a potty sticker chart or a piggy bank for money rewards, pennies, nickles, not too much. dont worry about the moving thing. if the trip down there is what worries you just do what i did. we have an suv and in the back of it i put her little potty that you get for potty training that way if she has to go i can pull over anywhere. it also helps for those times you just dont want them to use the public potty. i hope this helps! J., mom of 2 1/2 paige.

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S.L.

answers from Saginaw on

My daughter did the same thing....what I found that worked best was to dress her in overalls. She didn't have the coordination to undo the straps, so she couldn't get her diaper off. Just make sure they are *older* kid overalls so they don't have the snaps along the legs! Good luck!

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J.A.

answers from Columbus on

My 21 month old twins werre doing this. I found that if they have pants on over their diapers they don't take them off.

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T.H.

answers from Detroit on

Welllll, now here is an area of my expertise as my daughter, houdini, could get out of just about anything and smear her...well, you get the picture...anywhere and everywhere she could, lol. She started this at a very early age, it just simply 'fun' for her...so we started duct taping her diapers...actually, she could rip the duct tape so we used packaging tape, lmao. I also would recommend one piece footed pj's placed on backwards so that she can't reach the zipper.

And to the other parent that says this is an obvious clue as to potty training...not so. A child needs to be able to do a lot more than able to take off their diaper and play in their poo to potty train. My daughter started this around her first birthday and trust me, she was no where near ready to potty train, lol. Of course, this is not to say that this 22 month old isn't ready...but the mother should be able to judge and if she isn't, well then she can try our ideas.

Good luck!! :o)

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T.J.

answers from Cleveland on

I wish I could help you with this. My youngest son does the same thing.

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A.P.

answers from Cleveland on

My almost 3 year old did the same thing a few months ago. I went otu and bought him underwear and have been putting the underwear over his diaper. it really helped...for a while. We are now potty training and do not have to do this anymroe but it really helped because he had a hard time getting the underwear down to get to the diaper. and if he got to the diaper and got it undone he could not take it off because the underwear were too tight to get the diaper off. GOod luck and let me know if this works.

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