Did you change sibling's diapers?

shabbatiscoming

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:11 am

In a different thread, someone wrote that of course their children did not change sibling's diapers. I was shocked. I am the oldest of 4 kids. I always helped to change diapers. I never thought of it as something that a parent would not ask a child to do. What could possibly be wrong with helping to change a diaper?

Iymnok

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:16 am

No I didn't, we were too close in age.
But my DD, almost 9 sometimes changes the baby's diaper when changing her into pj's if it's just wet. She feels so grown up! I never ask her to, but I want my children to be comfortable with all parts of the home -at their own pace.
She also loves to "babysit" when I take a nap or run to the neighbor for a minute.

behappy2

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:16 am

Yes. I am sure if I was squeamish my mother would not have made me do it. I was happy to be helpful.

amother

Cyan

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:17 am

Also the oldest of 4. I certainly helped in the way of bringing wipes or whatever if they were missing from the changing table, and probably would have changed some diapers too had I been a little older before my youngest sibling was out of diapers. I certainly helped bathe the youngest on Friday afternoons for a few years, because Erev Shabbos was when everyone was expected to pitch in however they could.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:21 am

Ok, so I guess my post should have been a little bit more specific in that if you were old enough to change them.

amother

Cyan

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:27 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Ok, so I guess my post should have been a little bit more specific in that if you were old enough to change them.

You might want to define "old enough". I was 10 or so when youngest was potty-trained, so technically I could have handled a wet diaper change here and there for at least some of the time it was relevant. On the other hand, making me responsible for the youngest, including diaper changes, for more than a couple of hours a week would have been bad parenting IMO.

myself

Sun, May 21 2017, 3:30 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Same here. Never thought twice about it and didn't think it was unusual until I read the other thread. I know many homes where this is the norm, and no, they are not at all dysfunctional Wink

cnc

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:05 am

I was also very surprised to read that thread. My children do not change diapers because it doesn't work age-wise...but it never dawned on me that there's something wrong or inappropriate about it.

amother

Ginger

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:08 am

I have siblings that are closer in age to my kids than to me and I still never changed a diaper until I had kids of my own. Somehow I managed to figure it out.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:14 am

amother wrote:

I have siblings that are closer in age to my kids than to me and I still never changed a diaper until I had kids of my own. Somehow I managed to figure it out.

I wasnt asking in terms of if you figured out eventually how to change diapers.
So why did you never change a diaper?

jeweled

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:15 am

Make a poll maybe? I was ten when my baby brother was born. Had no problem changing him when asked. I had three siblings in btwn, but was too young to change them.

shirachadasha

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:16 am

I changed the diapers of my youngest 3 siblings (both genders). Like all the other household skills I learned as a kid, it's helpful now that I have my own kids and home.

amother

Tan

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:16 am

I changed many diapers growing up. Many.
But then again we live in a totally different world today. My oldest wasn't that old when my
Youngest was born but given today's culture with kids I'm not so sure that I would have asked her. (But some of my younger ones would definitely be the type to change sibling's diapers since they are naturally helpful.)

amother

Magenta

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:31 am

My youngest sibling was born when I was 14.
Never ever changed her diaper.
Come from a large family.
Sure, we all pitched in to help, but this is one thing that we never did or were asked to do. I'm not up to that yet though I really don't think I would ask my children to do it either.

devash1

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:36 am

I was ten when my little sister was born and I definitely changed diapers. Not all the time but when necessary. My kids have all helped change diapers for my youngest. They are older and sometimes babysit so us my baby supposed to sit in it till I get back. If I am home then of course I do it but I don't think it's such a big deal.

amother

Cyan

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:37 am

So I caught up to that spot on the other thread- the original post about diapers mentioned #2s specifically. My oldest is just now potty-training, so I'm speaking hypothetically, but I don't think I'd ask a child to change a younger sibling's messy poopy diaper unless the older child was babysitting, or in training to start babysitting soon. By messy, I mean requiring more than two baby wipes for cleanup.

devash1

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:38 am

amother

Ginger

Sun, May 21 2017, 4:57 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

I wasnt asking in terms of if you figured out eventually how to change diapers.
So why did you never change a diaper?

Because I didn't want to. I still try to avoid it as much as possible. I babysat all the time as a teen, but only non diapered kids or diapered kids who were asleep for the night.