Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Duct Tape....A Triplet Parent's Best Friend

Over a month ago now Scott and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary while Ella and I were visiting him in Hawaii. Nine years, really?!? Just a few weeks prior to that we finished off our first roll of duct tape. By now you are certainly wondering where this is going....? It just seemed very surreal to me that we made it through an entire roll of duct tape in our lifetime. I mean, I suspect that if we had not become the parents of triplets, that one single roll of duct tape would have quite possibly lasted for our entire married lives.


Having triplets certainly brings out the "resourcefulness" in a person. We started working our way through our rather fat, severely underutilized, probably-part-of-a-wedding-gift, roll of duct tape at the beginning of the summer when our three little stinkers wouldn't stop taking off their diapers at naps and bedtime every single day. I had read on the message boards about other triplet parents having to tape their kids diapers on and thought it just sounded awful, but after a day or two of cleaning sheets, beds, and children covered in pee and/or poop, we made the plunge.

All summer long at bedtime you could hear the girls saying, "No dup tape, no dup tape, pease." But it had to be done in order to keep those little tushies covered. Until I was forced to try it for myself, I couldn't even imagine how duct taping a child's diaper would actually work to keep it on... or how you'd keep from hurting their skin with it, for that matter. We ended up tearing the tape into strips and simply covering the tabs of the diapers. That was all it took, and they were unable to, or more likely uninterested in, removing their diapers.

Somehow, since the time that Scott left, they have become big girls. They may still be wearing diapers while sleeping, but they are so much more aware of what is going on with their little bodies that they wouldn't think of removing a diaper with poop in it. "Poop's yucky and smells yucky!", they now say. I don't know exactly when I stopped taping their diapers on them.... I just suddenly realized a few days ago that I hadn't taped anybody for quite a while.


I realized the change had been made when duct tape once again seemed a logical solution to a small problem here in our household... and I couldn't locate it anywhere near it's usual spot by the changing table.

Now that they are in big girl beds Sarah has realized that she can stretch up and turn on the lights whenever she wants. After Kate woke up screaming a few mornings ago because Sarah threw on the light bright and early when she awoke before the others, and I had to go in a couple of times to turn off the light and stop a party in the evenings after I'd sent them to bed, I decided something had to be done.

: Cue the handy-dandy duct tape:

Now at night instead of taping their diapers on, I'm taping the light switch plate. So far Sarah hasn't been able to remove the tape, and there's been no more blinding, screaming awakenings for Kate and Maggie.

Perhaps duct tape could be used to keep clothes on as well?!?
*I'm going to include this post over at Rock's In My Dryer's Works for Me Wednesday... as it may be useful for someone else with diaper removing, light blaring, bandits in the house.

13 comments:

Laura S. said...

Duct tape has got to be one of the most versatile inventions of all time. What a great story about how it has been so useful in parenting triplets!

Tara said...

I love it! One of my favorite post ever! I'm totally seeing duct tape in our future as well.

Dorinda said...

A duct tape outfit - if your girls start wearing it it will be all the rage! Please don't tell my girls or my husband. So far we've avoided it but my husband LOVES to get duct tape happy - if you let him at it I may never get their diapers undone!!

Anonymous said...

I've recently discovered your blogspot, and just love it! I've sent your post about the duct tape to my daughter, since she's been going through the taking-off-the-poopy-diaper thing with one of her twin girls! Your blog reminds me so much of my granddaughters, I always get a laugh out of it. The oldest (Sarah!) is 3, and the twins (Phoebe and Ellie) are 18 months. I just wished they lived closer... I'm in Texas, and they're in Illinois. I would love to be able to take the little darlings off their momma's hands every once in a while!

Cadi + 4 said...

I guess I didn't realize how lucky I've been that we haven't hit that stage yet. Brooke went through a short phase when she was taking hers off and peeing the bed but she can't get a onsie off so that solved the problem.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that we don't ever come to that but will definitely keep some tape on hand just in case.

You are so smart.

MaryBeth said...

Susan Marie,
I am sure your daughter wishes you were closer too... I don't know how we would have survived without my mom and all the other family and friends we have helping us. I'm loving the fact that now my girls are finally old enough for those folks to actually "take them off my hands" for a bit here and there so I can get things done here at the house. Thanks for your visiting the blog and leaving a comment!

Anonymous said...

Cute! Creative applications of duct tape.

Thanks for sharing!
Love your blog!

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Missy said...

MaryBeth, i have to share this with you. This is my Maggie

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2008/06/desperate-times.html

And I am saying a prayer for you right now. I had 4 under 4 at one time and you have topped even me. And with your husband gone...I know exactly how hard your days are. You are doing great just to be making it through the day. Keep it up, girl. God bless you.

Chel said...

That was great. I needed some duct tape when my daughter was little. That would have saved a thing or two. ooooooo!
You are funny!
Chel

Denise said...

That is hilarious and I am still duct taping diapers but only Lucy's. The boys don't try to take them off. I wonder if it is just a girl thing?

Anonymous said...

I can sooo relate to you. I have twin boys that are 4 and and my husband is also deployed to Iraq. Life is crazy most of the time! I'm sure my neighbors think I'm totally wacko chasing after my boys, who are typically naked. Maybe I'll try to duct tape their clothes on!!

Unknown said...

I swear by duct tape : )! The uses are endless!

Anonymous said...

Oh, we would not have survived those diaper-stripping nights without duct tape! It was absolutely horrible before I found out about that solution. :-)