Ask the Mamas: Duck & Cover

Posted on July 3, 2012 By Alex T. ask the mamas

Each week we will ask our mamas a question from our readers that pertains to babies, toddlers, or parenting. Make sure to check back each Tuesday to see their responses!

Do you have a question you’d like to ask the mamas? If so, send us an email with your question to askthemamas@mamasaywhat.com.

MSW reader Jackie asks:

“What’s the best way to avoid getting peed on when changing the diaper of a newborn?”

Um… don’t have a baby? Haha! For one, expect to get peed on, and thrown up on, and probably pooped on a time or two! It’s all part of the Mama Club they don’t tell you about until you join, and are standing over your two-week-old baby at 4 a.m. and covered in pee. Truth. That said, I don’t know much about girls. But for our little boy, I can always tell it’s coming by the… how should I put this… the state of his boy parts! Boys get little mini erections before they pee. If you see that coming, cover it with a diaper or towel (or hurry quick, whatever is in sight!) and wait it out. ~Chris L.

Work on your ninja reflexes so you’ll be able to duck out of the way with lightning speed. Or ask your husband to change diapers instead.~Alex T.

Be warned: girls can still pee on you! Try to remember that accidents happen. Keep the diaper area covered at all possible times with a wash cloth or some other absorbent material.~Jessica S.

Throw a wipe onto the diaper area once you undo the diaper, and make sure to have another diaper on hand for a quick-change switcharoo!~Sam A.

Be prepared before you start, be fast and be ready to jump if needed! Oh, and girls can, and will, pee on you!~Sarah H.

Be prepared and change quickly.~Christy A.

Is there a way to avoid being peed on at all times? If so, I have not discovered that trick. I always had the new diaper ready and would quickly remove the wet diaper, wipe and then put the new one underneath. Your mama super power skills need to come into play here and you need to move at lightning speed.~Jaimie S.

I always put the clean diaper out flat under the one I am changing. The when you wipe off the baby and pull out the dirty one, you are already halfway to having the clean one on.~Amanda P.

Always have a clean diaper ready and unfolded before you take the old one off. Put a wipe onto the diaper area as well. And if it does happen, laugh about it because your baby might start laughing too (yes, I know this from experience).~Mary Ellen M

I always put the clean diaper underneath the dirty one so I can just pull the dirty one out and he would be laying on the clean one already! Now when you lift his legs up to wipe the poo off his bum… that’s another story! I found him peeing on his face many times in the middle of that! I’m still not sure how to prevent that one!~Heidi C.

I liked to keep a pile of cut up cloth diapers on the changing table to lay on the loaded weapon while I got the job done. The whole cloth would be too large and only get in the way, fall in the mess and get kicked off. Cutting it into fours seemed to be the best size. But most importantly, just accept that it’s going to happen. There’s going to be pee on you, on the baby, on the changing table, the wall, maybe even on the dog. That’s just part of the experience. And like most things in parenthood it’s an opportunity to exercise your sense of humor. ~Laura G.

Be prepared before you start the change. Have a new diaper out, open and ready to go. And be quick. Learning to do this fast will come easy! ~Kathy S.

Don’t ever put your cell phone or anything else you don’t want to get peed on above a little boy’s head. It makes for great target practice for him (true story). That being said, be prepared and just know, it will happen. ~Cari H.

I have to agree with the other mamas, have a cloth diaper/burp cloth ready to go in case of emergency! Other than that, just expect that it will happen from time to time and probably more often if you have a little boy (although you will soon be able to detect when this is more likely to happen). Oh the joys of motherhood! ~Corey P.

I, too, put a new diaper under the dirty one. If it’s just pee, I pull the back/bottom of the old diaper up first and clean leaving the top/front part over “the weapon” until the very last second. Then I just pull the whole thing off while quickly covering it with the new diaper. If it’s a poopy diaper, I cover the area with a wipey. It wouldn’t soak up anything if he peed, but it would run down where I had a new diaper or a flat cloth diaper instead of shooting straight to my face! Yay for not getting peed on! ~Annette M.

The advice given here is solely based on our individual experiences and in no way is it going to be perfect for every mama, every baby, and every situation. None of us are medical doctors. If you have a question regarding a medical topic we can give our opinions, but please consult with your doctor. We are not liable or responsible for the results of following any specific advice in any given situation.

By Alex T.

Alex is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area currently living in Utah with her hubby where she's a work-at-home-mom to her rambunctious son TJ (born Oct 09). She loves to travel, loves art and art history, soccer, photography, and is a little bit of a foodie. When she's not chasing after her son or working for Mama Say What?!, she's running her graphic design and illustration business. Check out her website and her Etsy shop, alextebowdesigns.etsy.com to see the most recent projects she's done.