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How can I prevent my 22-month-old from taking off his clothes and diaper in the crib?

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Lawrence Kutner
Answered By: Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D.
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Question:
My 22-month-old keeps taking his clothes off, diaper and all, when he is in the crib. I have tried putting his pj's on backwards, and he somehow manages to get his diaper off anyway with his pj's still on. Help! I am sick of changing his sheets daily.

Answer:
This sounds very frustrating. You were right to begin by putting his pajamas on backwards. For many toddlers with this habit, that does the trick. Perhaps your son is destined to become an escape artist!

Keep in mind that his skill at taking off his clothes may be a sign that he's ready for toilet training. (Other signs include taking an interest in the potty, wanting to imitate your behavior in the bathroom, and letting you know through words or gestures that he has a dirty or wet diaper.)

Another possible solution is to give him some "naked time" during the day so that he gets what he wants without soiling the crib. Part of that time could be devoted to toilet training.


 



  • Category Tags:
  • Behavior


  • Q&A Tags:
  • Potty training tips
  • Member Comments
    bgrace99
    (jacksonville, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 12/12/09 - 06:42 p.m.
    my little man did this for a while. he finally stopped and then we had another baby and he started again. we don't put him in pajamas anymore....we just put on his regular shorts/pants that have a button and zipper on them, and stopped putting a shirt on him because he would get stuck in it when trying to take it off. he sleeps in regular shorts that he can't take off and no shirt. it has worked pretty well.
    l1k3th3fr00t
    (new orleans, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 09/25/09 - 12:44 p.m.
    my children are 2 and 3, now, so this is less of a problem than it used to be. i tried it all... plus the trick of backwards diaper under the onesie and under the jammies. i learned that the only way to deal with this behavior is to accept it. this is a normal phase that most children go through.
    MEA07
    (Akron, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 09/09/09 - 07:24 p.m.
    i have a solution that has worked for a friend of mine... duck tape. just wrap a strip around the top before a nap or bedtime! problem solved.
    mommyofcrzytwins
    (Shaw AFB, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 08/29/09 - 10:43 p.m.
    I have a set of 23 mth old twin boys. They have an older brother that has taught them how to unsnap onesie. So to keep their diapers on we have to first put big boy underwear on over their diapers, then over that we put either jammies or a pair of shorts on over a onesie. So to get their diapers off they have to take jammies or shorts off, then onesie if on, and the underwear and then diaper. Generally we can get to them before they get their underwear off. Though I will be honest there are times that even that does not always work. They are getting ready for potty training because they will always tell us what they have done in their diapers, but so far we have not had 5 days of dry diapers in the mornings to really start training. I hope that once my twin girls get this old they will be calmer and not take each others diapers off like their brothers do. So just layering more clothes on seems to help. The more clothes the longer it takes to get diapers off.
    MomNessa
    (kokomo, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 07/18/09 - 06:06 p.m.
    I have to put Easy Ups on my daughter when she takes naps or goes to bed. They are the pull on diapers (without tabs) and she can't pull them down to take them off!! It has saved me from washing the sheets every night!
    michellebellect
    (Seymour, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 07/07/09 - 11:11 p.m.
    My daughter just LOVED to take off her pajamas and her diaper! I tried putting the onesies on under her pajamas and that only worked about 50% of the time. Finally, I noticed that she really liked to unzip the zipper, and with a pajama that she has that has a snap over the zipper (at the top, near her neck), she has never been able to just unzip that one! So, I bought 3 more of those and I keep them in the laundry rotation often! In a pinch, I would put a onesie on, and then pants and a tee shirt (no zipper, no easy access). That seems to work too.
    esixkiller
    (Broken Arrow, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 04/02/09 - 03:54 p.m.
    My son is a little over 2 and has been doing the same thing. I too tried the onesie trick but my little guy just sticks his hands through the legs and takes his diaper off that way! I finally resorted to putting his pj bottoms on, THEN the onesie. That seems to have done the trick...for the moment anyway! I figure if he figures that out, it's time for the potty training.
    gypsycob
    (Harpswell, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 02/22/09 - 06:55 a.m.
    I've found a little naked baby several mornings also! My 14mo started that at 10months. I only buy zip up jammies and use a cloth diaper safety pin to secure the zipper to the top of the jammies. When she learns to work the safety pin I'm in trouble, but for now it's done the trick.
    rnmommy
    (Junction City, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 02/11/09 - 02:08 p.m.
    My daughter did this too when she was about 22 months as well. I put a onesie on under her jammies too, so that at least if the jammies were off, the diaper was still on. She has left that alone now. If/when she figures that out, it was recommended to me to put the onesie on backwards. Luckily I haven't had to resort to that yet, and she even leaves her jammies on now. Thankfully I haven't had to change the sheets and wash her lovies quite so often!
    EAStwinmom
    (Swartz Creek, UNITED STATES)
    Updated 01/08/09 - 12:44 a.m.
    My twins wont keep their pj's on either. But the onesie with tight snaps works. The onesie cant be too loose or they slip their whole body out the neck!!

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