I was so excited the day my younger daughter started crawling. She was so proud of herself, so happy to be mobile. With this new-found freedom, though, came the desire to crawl away during every diaper change. No matter how fast I was, how ready the diaper, she was  quicker than I was.  With my older daughter, the novelty of beating the diaper change eventually wore off.  While I waited (and still wait) for this to happen with my younger daughter, I found that snapping diapers were my best ally to combat my little streaker.

For many parents, using hook and loop diapers is a lifesaver. When my daughter was just flipping over, this worked well. I still use a lot of hook and loop diapers, but when my daughter is at her wiggliest, snaps are better. This probably doesn’t make sense, since it takes longer to put on snapping diapers. Here are my techniques:

Side Snapping Diapers: Side snapping diapers are great for putting on in odd positions. I am able to put them on when my daughter is standing. While she’s playing or otherwise engaged, I can slip it on from underneath, then snap the sides. Since I’m not doing anything in front, she’s not bothered. If a side snapping diaper is half on when your baby makes a run for it, it’s also possible to snap them while he or she crawls away.

Front Snapping Diapers: If you know what snap setting your baby wears on his or her front snapping diapers, try putting the diaper on with your child in your lap. To do this, I lay the diaper on my lap, then plop my daughter right in the center. Since I know what snap setting she wears, I’m able to hug her and fasten the diaper while she sits. It’s harder for her to get away when she’s on my lap, and I am fairly quick when I don’t have to fiddle with the snap settings.

What are your tips for diapering a crawler?

Michelle is a mom to 2 wonderful little girls (one still in cloth diapers) and owner of Snooty Booty Diapers.