Help me dress my 2 year old

[popapoppadum]

I have a very firey 2.5 year old who battles with me every morning to get dressed. We've tried nearly everything in the book; distraction, picking her own clothes, timer, stickers etc and nothing seems to help. We often have to resort to forcing her onto them but this often means I end up getting hurt as she kicks and thrashes around (and is quite strong). However she's now learnt how to take all her clothes off so whatever we force her into just comes straight off again. It's exhausting and not a nice way to start every morning. Ideas?

We play "tricks" on the other parent. So I'll say "I'm off for a shower, I'll get you dressed when I get out" and then her dad will say, let's trick mummy and get you dressed really quickly and she will be soooo surprised " . Then i come out of shower and overreact surprise that she got dressed so quickly, what's going on etc.
I mean, she's 3 so I guess it's reasonable she still believes it's a trick but we literally do it morning & night (for PJs) and she still thinks it's hilarious.
If that doesn't work I put a screen on....

Equally, be calm but no options. We can go for a walk when you are dressed. Each time she tries to engage with you, repeat, when you are dressed. Having said that.... Keep dressed really easy! Leggings and a jumper for example so it's easy to achieve!

Can relate, it’s so hard! To reduce the number of battles we often do next day’s clothes straight after bath. So pants, soft leggings/joggers and t-shirt for bed, then in the morning you only have to add jumper, socks, shoes.

Some good ideas, thanks all! She's honestly the most stubborn thing I've ever met argh.

I used to get my dc dressed by saying the leggings (or whatever) felt sad because they wanted to go on some legs/hang out with their bum who was their best friend/go to grandma's house with her, and make the item of clothing go all sad an droopy. Then when they agreed to out them on I would make them get excited and do a dance.

Stupid, I know, but generally worked.

Also used to do "getting dressed race" between us (I would then have to pretend to put my pants on my head or something while asking "is this right?").

Or pretend their foot is a rabbit and the leggings are a burrow.

Whatever works, I say!

If she is 2.5 yrs old or will be soon then you can start teaching her to dress herself.

Making it a race (sometimes) works for us. So who can get ready first and lots of shouts of I'm almost ready, I'm going to win etc.

Doesn't help with getting a jacket on when it's freezing outside 🙄

You’ve just got to sit on them at that age

I just got them dressed. I was watching the three day nanny the other day and there was a kid who always took his clothes off, they dressed a bear in the clothes required for the next day the night before and turned it into a game getting him dressed and staying dressed in the morning, seemed to work!

Does she just not like clothes, or those particular clothes?

I have one who loves to be wrapped up and one who's as few clothes as possible - shorts and t-shirt sort of kid - once I accepted that life got easier, no point in stressing over clothes.
I often carry extra for him, he likes a fluffy hoody, so I carry a rain jacket just incase he's cold or it rains.

I feel your pain. Sometimes clothes go on relatively easy but it's often just luck. I also have to just hold her down screaming while doing it ☹️

She's pretty capable of dressing herself now but she generally seems to not like clothes. Always trying to strip off and quite happy to be starkers even when it's freezing outside. Apparently I was the same according to my mum.

I only try and get her dressed when it's really necessary. If we are just at home she often wanders round in just a nappy!

I like the race ideas and the bear idea so will give those a go, thanks.

Maybe I should just accept that I have a little nudist on my hands..

My 2yo son is happy to get dressed if its something with trucks, fireman Sam or paw patrol.

Plain clothes cause a tantrum, clothes that match cause a tantrum...

I let him pick and then he's generally happy enough.

Are I have the exact same problem! It's fine on days he's not in nursery as we can play for a bit in his pjs and then persuade him to put clothes on later, which he seems more amicable to. Massive stress if we're in a rush though. Definitely going to use the "trick" trick from a pp thanks! For ours it's all about control.

How did your mum deal with you?
What sort of clothes are you trying to dress her in?

Things I'd try, joggers & shorts. I wouldn't attempt tights which probably rules out skirts.
T-shirt, no fussy long sleeved tops or vests with studs between the legs.

My fussy one hates jackets, especially lovely new stiff ones, kicked in, worn out, kept for the park, hand me down is a favourite. but generally he's in hoodie.

He's just started school, jacket goes in his school bag and is carried home, I hadn't bothered sending a jacket teacher must have thought he was a poor kid as 'sensitivity' asked about a jacket

My DD was just like this. I didn't have the patience for it tbh but DH was great at dealing with it. He would pretend to put her clothes on wrong, like put her leggings on her head and tie her jumper round her waist as a 'skirt', she would be in hysterics and loved correcting Daddy about how to do it right.

She is 5 now and sometimes still goes to him and asks to play the silly dressing game.

We do leggings and a t-shirt every day. She has tons of dresses that she never wears as she hates tights. They're comfy, loose fitting clothes so I don't think it's an issue with the clothes, just the toddler

I have a very stubborn 4 year old. Better now, but one that always works is, ‘fine, don’t get dressed, I’ll get dressed faster and I’ll be the winner!!’

She hates to lose so she ups her game!

Try joggers and shorts, definitely the clothes, not the toddler

Leggings are a bit clingy like tights, my fuss pot is a boy, but I know I'd never get him in leggings he doesn't like long sleeved t-shirt either.

I've had so many fights over clothes, and I'm gutted wee boys look so cute in dungarees but he wouldn't wear them.

Why can't she wear a dress over leggings?

Have you tried giving her an option of two and she has to choose one?

@ReturnOfTheBlackSheep

Why can't she wear a dress over leggings?

Have you tried giving her an option of two and she has to choose one?

I tried that with my fussy one.

Its cold outside do you want, this long sleeved top or that one - cue massive strop and child bolting under the bed. These trousers or those - back under the bed. Stuffing one leg in the trousers and before I'd get the second one in he'd be pulling the first out out.

Meanwhile the clocks ticking big kid needed to get to school and me to work.
I could have saved a ton of stress and fights if I'd accepted he'll layer up, in soft loose clothes when he feels cold.

Op pick you battles clothes isn't one to fight and stress over.

Ooooh this was my daughter from 18 months onward. Nothing worked and I was being kicked, screamed at and god knows what else daily. When discussing this with my MIL she suggested taking her out with nothing on, only her nappy. One day I snapped and did it (DD went to my mums in a small village a couple of days a week while I went to work. I took clothes with me obviously) I didn't make a fuss or have the daily row, I just said "OK no, problem I'll take you to nanny's like this" my DD never, ever performed about getting dressed again. Not my finest hour of parenting but it did the trick!

Something similar happened when we were toilet training. She was completely fine with a wee but wouldn't poo in the toilet through sheer stubbornness as her knickers was easier. Again, we tried everything. When she started the pre school attached to her now school (which she loved) she pooed in her knickers and they sent her home as she was in such a mess...... From that day forth, she has pooed in the toilet!