The Hug n Hold (formerly change-eze) works well for parents who need extra hands to hold their baby down during diaper changing, and for all babies who have potential for rolling off the changing table, and for children with disabilities, and for parents who have disabilities.

Every baby goes through a stage where they don't want to lie still when having their diaper changed. Some
are easily redirected and distracted so that the job can get done relatively easily. Others are more strong
willed, and every diaper change is an exhausting battle that uses up your creativity for distracting activities,
and pushes your physical limitations. We are all born with only two hands, and some babies require three to
four hands to change their diaper. The H ug 'n' Hold acts like extra hands to hold a baby's shoulders during
diaper changes. It is made of soft cotton flannel so it is comfortable, and it is easy and quick to fasten. When
you start using it with a baby who is just beginning to roll, or even before it learns to roll, the baby just accepts
it as something that is put on when its diaper is being changed, and does not fight it very much. When you
start using it with a baby who has been crawling and walking, and is used to being able to escape, then they
will fuss about having the Hug 'n' Hold used, but will get used to it and accept it when they realize they can't
get away. Some older children get really mad when the Hug 'n' hold is used for the first time because it is
keeping them from doing what they want to do, which is escape. Eventually they get used to it, and it
becomes a good behavior modification tool to get the child to lie still. When they get close to two years old,
they can understand cause and effect, and understand that if they try to get away, the Hug 'n' Hold will be put
on, but if they lie still, they can keep it off.

Babies learn to roll over between three to five months old. Some begin as early as two months old. There
are so many stories from parents who say that they took their hands off their baby for just a second to grab
something that fell off the changing table, and their baby fell off the changing table. I have also heard stories
from parents saying that they did not know that their baby knew how to roll yet, and he rolled right off the table
with the parent right there, but unable to grab him. Then there are the babies who can not roll yet, but they
manage to push with their legs, and scoot off the top of the table on to their heads. It seems that changing
a baby's diaper can be a dangerous business. The Hug 'n' Hold solves these problems with it's vest-like
shape which goes over the chest and over the shoulders. It keeps a baby snug in position. When use of
the Hug 'n' Hold is started when a baby is young, they just accept it as part of their normal routine. The Hug
'n' Hold should not be used strictly as a safety device, and is no substitute for parental supervision. A child
should never be left unattended. It is meant to help the parent as extra hands, not to be the parent.

Many children with disabilities have poor motor movements, or very random movements that they are unable
to control. In some situations this can be potentially dangerous to the child with potential for injury. The
changing stations in public restrooms are one example of a potentially dangerous situation. The Hug 'n'
Hold fits onto most public changing stations and makes them a little bit safer. Some children have poor
sitting balance and may hurt themselves if they are in a shopping cart seat, so their parent is not able to go
grocery shopping with them. The Hug 'n' Hold works in shopping carts by putting the vest part onto the child,
and strapping the back strap onto the back of the seat. The chest part holds the child's shoulders back so
that they don't fall to the front or to the sides. It also helps the child develop his sitting balance and improve
his muscle strength by giving him some movement to the sides and front, and the child then has to use his
own muscle control to bring himself back up. It keeps the child upright, and keeps him from hurting himself,
but lets him play with a little bit of movement.

Other children with disabilities do not understand cause and effect, and take longer to understand a parent's
directions. They may also be harder to distract with toys due to a lack of interest in toys. The Hug 'n' Hold is
helpful for changing these childrens' diapers as you cannot reason with them, and they do not understand
cause and effect. It can work well as a behavior modification tool. If the child is old enough and strong
enough though, he will be able to unfasten the velcro on the Hug 'n' Hold. We will be happy to modify them
as needed for children with special needs using buckles to keep it safer and easy. Again, children should
not be left unattended.

Many parents have physical conditions that make it hard to hold a struggling baby down to change its diaper.
Some of these conditions could be Arthritis, Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Cord Injury, Head injury, Cerebral
Palsy, or any other condition that weakens or decreases muscle control. Changing a wiggly child's diaper is
difficult for a strong, able bodied person, and when you have other strength and coordination problems it
can be a very daunting task. The Hug 'n' Hold acts as extra hands to help you hold on to the child so that
your strength can go into changing the diaper instead of holding the child down. Again, the child should
never be left unattended.