Should babies give consent for diaper changes?
Child experts have suggested that parents should get "consent" from their babies before changing their diapers, and people are confused. But there is method to the "madness".
Consent is a lesson all parents should teach their children, but can babies understand the concept?
Researchers in Australia have sparked a debate online by suggesting that babies need to give consent before their parents can change their diapers.
Dr Nicole Downs and Dr Katherine Bussey, who are Early Childhood lecturers at Deakin University, say the earlier parents teach their children about appropriate touching, the better.
According to Raising Children, while many babies as young as 3-4 months can babble sounds like "ga ga ga ga", "ma ma ma ma" and "da da da da", many little ones "might say a few words and know what they mean" between 12-14 months.
Downs and Bussey say you can teach children consent before they can even talk.
"At the start of a nappy change, ensure your child knows what is happening. Get down to their level and say, 'You need a nappy change,' and then pause so they can take this in," they suggest in a piece written for The Conversation.
"Then you can say, 'Do you want to walk/crawl with me to the change table, or would you like me to carry you?'”
Parents are encouraged to observe them to see if they understand what is being said.
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Downs and Bussey also discourage parents from singing to children during diaper changes, as this can be a form of distraction.
"It’s important children notice when someone is touching their most intimate parts."
Parents can also help kids learn about consent outside of nappy changes by giving them simple choices.
"Do you want to wear your blue or your yellow shirt today? Do you want apple or pear? Do you want to go to the park or for a walk around the block?"
The report was published in mid-November, but continues to garner reactions from parents and non-parents online.
"Somebody please make these lunatics stop. This is too absurd," one X user wrote. Some argue that the baby crying because of an uncomfortable diaper is enough consent.
"Since a baby cannot talk, it cannot give consent, so the poor thing will be living in an overflowing diaper until it learns how to talk. By then, it will hate its parents, every adult on the planet, the world as a whole and itself."
Others even made fun of the idea.
"Sweetie, I know you don’t like your diaper being changed, but it’s been over a week, you haven’t been sleeping, you have insane diaper rash, and there’s maggots inside your diaper now. Can I please change your diaper now? No? Well, consent matters most!”
As crazy as the concept sounds to some, there is method to the "madness". Experts don't recommend leaving your child's nappy on for days just because you are waiting for consent.
It's more of a symbolic concept aimed at encouraging parents to make consent a regular part of their child's day-to-day life.
Something as simple as announcing, "Mommy/Daddy is going to change your diaper now," will help your child grasp consent cues. This will also make it easier for them to understand as they get older.
"These habits plant the seed of the idea that a child has the right to say what happens to their body."
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