Please Don’t Change My Diaper!

It is a beautiful snowy day outside, and the adorable toddler protagonist is excited to get outside and play with his family, friends, and doggy. He is determined not to let anything get in the way of his fun when disaster strikes in the form of a dirty diaper. Scared that all will be lost if he allows his mother to change his diaper, the toddler begs, pleads, and runs away in an attempt to escape the inevitable. Ultimately, cleanliness wins, and he must admit to how satisfying the fresh diaper feels – for now!

Please Don’t Change My Diaper! will be infinitely relatable to moms and children, and the pages are filled with humour and warmth. Babies and toddlers are notoriously squirmy and/or flighty when it comes to diaper changes, and so writing a book about the experience was a wonderful idea. The story gives a voice to the imagined inner turmoil faced by a child held back from adventures and is successful at articulating an example of how it must feel for little ones. What is slightly less successful is the text, itself, as the rhyme scheme is stilted and jarring, making it difficult to get into a rhythm while reading. It feels as though the dramatics and the conversational tone won out over the poetry of it. It may work better as a non-rhyming text, but it is very cute nonetheless.

The real treat of this book are the illustrations. The emotion added into the toddler's face is amazing – welling eyes, fear, despair, and eventual relief - so much is expressed through his facial expressions. The pictures show a great attention to a child’s perspective which is much appreciated since the book is written from a child’s point of view. The beautiful colour palette is cool and wintery: teals, purples, and mint greens. The star of the show is the puppy that is equally as expressive and always by the side of our brave focal character.

Please Don’t Change My Diaper! would be great to share with an older sibling of a baby so that the caregiver and child can share a laugh over habits recently outgrown but recognized in a baby brother or sister. A diaper change may not be the end of the world, but it can definitely be the beginning of a giggle.