essential baby supplies: diapers, desitin, wipes...electrical tape?

A couple Eli and I are friends with have a daughter who is six weeks younger than Joey. We swap stories about what our toddlers are up to and it seems like they’re always up to the same stuff. They started solids around the same time, started walking around the same time, and horrify us at the same time with their creative baby and toddler tricks.

Joey’s newest trick is unsnapping his pajamas at night and removing his diaper. The first time it happened I went in to check on him before going to bed and I saw a mysterious lump on the floor next to the nightlight. A closer look revealed that it was a used diaper and I figured Eli probably changed him earlier in the evening and forgot to get rid of the old diaper. But then I looked into the crib and saw Joey lying there on his belly, fast asleep with his tiny naked bum sticking up in the air.

He did his trick again last night but we were lucky again because we discovered what he’d done before he had a chance to pee his bed. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that peeing the bed is not the worst thing that could happen, as our friends found out last night when their daughter pulled the diaper removal trick on them.

They woke up at 3am to screams coming from their daughter’s room. When they went in to check on her they discovered that she had removed her diaper in the night and discovered a fantastic surprise inside. Her own poop! Which she then used as a delightful medium for painting. Everything in the crib was covered in shit, including the child, who’d decorated herself like a warrior smearing poo all over her face and head and chest and feet. We assume she probably got a taste of her special diaper paint and that’s what set off the screaming.

I can’t imagine walking into a shitstorm like that in the middle of the night. And so because we have no desire to press our luck, we have made the decision to secure Joey’s diaper with electrical tape during the night from now on.

Comments

[Mallika]

I can't imagine the scene either. (I don't want to, mostly.) The sight -- or rather, the smell -- would most likely have tripped all my senses wide awake.

[Eden]

Been there!!! My 26 month old had been sleeping in footless sleepers a size too large zipped up the back since 19 months of age. In the heat I tried putting him to bed in light summer PJ's, but he undressed himself and painted with poop again. We've resigned ourselves to keeping the AC on even when it isn't beastly hot. Hopefully this stage will be over by soon. Good luck with Joey!

[sherry]

How I know I'm a mother:

1) Although I haven't gone through that (yet), I saw it coming.

2) I kept right on eating.