HELP! 20 Month Old Takes Diaper Off, Poops and Plays with It!!!!

Updated on July 23, 2010
P.T. asks from Trussville, AL
15 answers

My older 3 kids never did anything like this (although I have heard of kid doing this same thing but since none of mine ever did I guess I never paid attention to what to do about it!)
My youngest two kiddos are twin girls who are 20 months, they are my foster daughters and have been with us since they were 8 months, we plan on adopting them. Only one of the girls is doing this. She will take her diaper off at nap or during the night and poops in her crib then plays in the poop (smearing it, throwing at her sister across the room, dropping on the floor, even eating it!!!!)
I am at my wits end. Here is what I have tried already:
put her in onesies...she figured out how to unsnap them
put her diapers on backwards...this worked for a few weeks but then she figured out how to reach around and undo them
taped her diapers around her waist...she has figured this out also
I have talked to our caseworkers and they have suggested some of the above which we were already and obviously hasn't worked. I am praying one of you moms has some fabulous advice to stop this behavior.

What can I do next?

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L.M.

answers from Providence on

No ideas but oh my is this somethng I have to look forward to ....the pajamas backwards sounds like it may work ....GOOD LUCK!!!!

1 mom found this helpful

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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

Desperate times call for desperate measures! I used to put the winter zip up pajamas on my son... backward! Not because he took off his diaper but because he played with his bellybutton until it was raw. So to try to protect it I would cut the feet out of the pj's so he wouldn't be too hot, plus if put on backward the feet wouldn't fit in anyway. Then if you think she would still be too hot, cut the sleeves off too. There is no way that she will be able to undo the zipper down her back and then she can't get the diaper off.

7 moms found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Saginaw on

Im sorry but I am laughing right now! My oldest daughter did this 3 times and it was so gross! The first time she smeared it all over her crib, which was a very dark cherry and full of decorative grooves in the slats and all over her body and face! That was fun cleaning up! The second time she was in a toddler bed and cooked with it! I put the whole kitchen in the shower and turned it on and threw away some babies that had to eat her cooking! The 3rd time she finger painted with it! We had a tan, textured wall. By the time I was done scrubbing the wall was smooth and kinda gray! The 3rd time I threw away some of her favorite toys cause she had put the poop on them and it was winter time so i couldnt air out the room. I told her why I was throwing away her toys, she hated the smell(she was one of those kids that smelled everything and everyone and would tell people if they stunk), then I explained to her that poop could make you very sick if you ate it. She was older than 20 months so she could understand it better than your daughter can. I also started making her sleep on one piece pjs that I put on backwards so she couldnt reach the zipper! I dont know if it was that talk or the backwards pjs but she stopped doing it! My youngest daughter never did this, thankfully, and Im hoping my 5 week old son never does either! I hated cleaning up that mess! Good luck!

edit: I just read everyone elses responses, we also thought maybe it was time to potty train her but she didnt want anything to do with it!

2 moms found this helpful

Y.C.

answers from New York on

Ohh Come on!!
You have to give this kid a little of recognition.
How smarty pants is she?! lol.
I think you got very good ideas, I like the zipper pajamas backwards and the tape.
Btw, if this happen one more time (hope it doesn't) don't forget take pictures! Even if now is a pain the butt, one day will be a very fun think to remember (or use), lol.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.D.

answers from St. Louis on

my dd did this too. I put her in a onsie then I put her in regular pjs that I got at carters that have the top and bottom in two pieces that snap in tree places. If I were you I would try that plus tape and a good baby monitor. By the time she gets out of all of that you will probably hear her moving around. (if she's not ready for potty training.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

May be time to start potty training , but for during the occasions when she goes during the night , have you tried the diaper backwards plus a sleep suit backwards aswell? Double the effort needed on her part and may stop her doing it.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

yeah, I agree with the potty. Our daughter poops at the same general time every day, so we started just putting her on the potty for a while until she pooped. She was poop trained way before potty this way.

Another thing to try might be duct tape, if that's not too crazy. Sorry you have to deal with your own little poop-caso!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

.

1 mom found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Until you decide to potty train , use duct tape all the way around the diaper.. Do not get it on the skin. Begin in the back and end it in the back.. do it 2 times. Make sure she cannot wiggle out of it..

Then put the onsie on backwards. I do not know what else would work.
I am sending you strength.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Did you use Duct tape? Or another tape?
you have to use Duct tape.
And, put on a zipped up body suit/pajama as the other posters suggested.

Next, is there a pattern to when she poops?
My son for example, will poop within 1 hour after eating. I know that about him.So if your child poops regularly...don't put her in the crib/to bed until she poops. Then change her then put her in the crib...

good luck,
Susan

1 mom found this helpful
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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

Yep, mine did that.

Start potty training ASAP.

One Step Ahead makes sleep sacks that zip in the BACK, btw. It's summer, so it would be too hot, but they make them up to size 4T or something.

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M.R.

answers from Columbus on

If she is not ready to potty train, put the diaper on backwards and duct tape the waist. Also, you can put her in overalls backward, no snaps.

M.

A.G.

answers from Houston on

my kids both did this, time to introduce the potty

M.R.

answers from Rochester on

I don't have great advice, but my now 3 1/2 year old did this and my husband had to call me at work to say he woke up to a painted bedroom--all the bedding, walls, carpet, the baby brother's hair and crib, and our 3 year old. I was, of course, laughing my head off at work but my husband didn't find it quite so amusing.

As some suggested, we watched for his patterns. He usually would poop within an hour of me putting him down to attempt a nap and I learned that if I left him, he would poop and then smear it in his closet. I made a habit of checking on him after a set amount of time. We tried to treat it casually and simply say something like, "Oh, yucky. Poop goes in the toilet or stays in the diaper. We'll get it right next time." Move the loose pieces to the toilet while your child watches, clean everything up, and try to pretend it never happened. Making a big deal out of it will make it worse. Our son did not toilet train immediately after this, but he is in underwear full-time now. It will pass!

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

I would say its time to potty train them! When a baby knows shes gone in her diaper and is taking it off, thats a sign that she is ready to potty train and get out of diapers!!
good luck

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