I had a phone conversation with a Single Mother today, and she told me that changing a diaper is “fun”. Yes “fun”. According to her, it’s “fun” because you’ve created a life, and it’s a sign that all the internal organs are doing their job properly. I agree that creating a life, and having properly operating innards in your new baby is cool, but really, it’s fecal matter, and poo is nasty. There were talks of how it’s not really that bad, because babies have a steady, consistent diet and all that, but I can’t get past the whole “it’s poo” of it all.
At the end of the conversation, she said that I probably shouldn’t have children, and I agreed, mentioning that my plan was working so far. It’s not the first time she’s said that, and I’ve consistently agreed.
So- I’ve never had kids, nor had to do a R&R on a dookie dampened diaper, and I’m satisfied with my status, but I’m asking Moms and Dads here. Am I so wrong about this, or is she saying that her kid’s shit don’t stink :dubious: ?
My son is two, and I still check his poop for color, consistency, and such. The other day, I found what I thought was blood in it (which is what makes looking a good idea), but it turned out to be a baloney string. Last week, it was green, shortly after the green crayon turned up missing. So, yes, checking your child’s poop is a necessary thing to do.
With smaller babies, it generally doesn’t stink and it’s easy to clean up. When they get older, yes, it acquires that smell, and sometimes is messy. But I never thought it was a big deal, it’s not nasty as long as you clean up afterwards. I’d rather clean a diaper than a potty, though. I always hated cleaning the potty.
as pointed out earlier, breast fed baby poop ain’t bad. But those little darlings can sure turn out some really radioactive waste. Parents deal with it. Not a big deal and should the OP find himself in a parental position, will probably be pro in no time.
Hey, not only parents have to deal with baby doo. Some of us proud uncles, in moments of complete insanity, say things like “Yeah, I’d love to sit for you! Any time!” One will be held to these words, if one should ever be so foolish as to utter them. How quickly we forget the best part of being an uncle is that, at the first sign of trouble, you can immediately punt, and then return once more when the dust has settled.
As mentioned above, babies on breast milk have fairly odorless, rather sallow-looking poo. As soon as the Gerber’s jars start opening, though, look out. It’s chemical death lurking in those Pampers, and for the unskilled diaper changer, the need for speed takes on a dreadful urgency. Good heavens can those little stinkers pollute. I don’t know if it’s the goopey food, or something special about the infant GI tract, but they can knock a grown man over.
Urgh. I love kids, but as a babysitter I have seen way too much poop and diapers for one lifetime. Not fun, not ever, not in the slightest. vomit smiley
Oddly enough, my own kids’ poop didn’t bother me at all, even when they started eating solid foods. As long as they were babies, that is. As soon as I started to notice they smelled stinky, I toilet-trained 'em. (About two and a half, I think.) But once I babysat for a friend whose kid was the same age as my youngest, and–whew!
There is some psychological thing going on here. Or maybe it’s physical?
YES! My kid’s poo didn’t stink (he was formula fed, even; okay, I’m evil and stuff, whatever – that’s a different thread) until he started eating colored solids; colored as opposed to baby cereal. But my niece had the absolute nastiest poo EVER. She had me gagging more than a few times. Ew. Even now, I can’t change her diapers. Thankfully, I never have to.
That’s not to say my own kid’s poo smells like roses; he’s knocked me over a few times. Foreign Kid poo is just… different.
I was going to post almost the exact thing. My own kid’s poop doesn’t bother me at all. No big deal. But, my friend’s kid (who is five days older than mine)…getting within 5 feet of his dirty diaper grosses me out.
I think it’s a psychological thing. He’s my bub and I feel nurturing toward him. Just like I wouldn’t mind popping a zit on my husband’s back, but I would retch if some random asked me to do the same.
Interestingly, my husband is grossed out by anyone’s poop - our son’s or any other baby. He gets all dramatic if he happens to be the discoverer of the dirty diaper. I always volunteer to change it, because it really doesn’t phase me in the least.
My kids had baby (or more accurately, toddler) poo that was pretty bad, but it’s just one of those things. They also had poo that required cleaning up everything in a four foot radius. Again, one of those things. You deal with it. And other babies’ diapers never really bothered me, either. Not to say that it isn’t nasty sometimes, but they’re babies, they can’t really help it.
But fun? I think she may have picked the wrong word there. Reassuring, maybe, informative, maybe. Maybe even amusing sometimes. But fun? I’m thinking this must be a very young baby, or an extremely devoted mother.
I wouldn’t call it fun, but it’s surprising how quickly you get innured to it, especially when it’s 4 am and all you want to do is get back to sleep before work the next day: under those conditions, you’d agree to mop up Bhopal if only you could go back to bed in the next half-hour. Of course, I was blessed in having no sense of smell.
I was about to say that with the exception of their first BM, poo is poo. However it needs to get done, and bitching about it doesn’t make it better or make it go away, so you deal with it. Upto and including emptying the training potties.
The thought of changing a poo diaper before I was a parent made me gag. Now that I am a father, I have no problem with this task. Your whole life changes when parenthood arrives and you end up doing what has to be done. The intense love you feel for these little people makes all the nasty business almost enjoyable.
I’ve got five kids, and while their poop doesn’t stink when they’re very young, it’s still quite messy. I can’t imagine anyone realistically describing it as “fun.” Sounds like Miss Single Mother is trying to convince herself that her life is better with the baby than it was before.