when can DC's dress themselves (averagely?)

[HeartShapedSaw]

DS is 2.7, I dont really know anything about children and milestones etc, and my only baby book ended at 12 months

I am not sure whether I am supposed to be teaching him to dress himself yet or if it is to early.

I also tried teaching him the alphabet but he refuses to believe letters exist and he thinks they are all numbers!

Maybe Im asking too much too young but some general advice would be appreciated.

Oh, also he cant jump yet! He only started walking at 23 months though..

At 3y 9mth, we have just had a parents evening for nursery. They are impressed at him being able to get dressed after a gym / dance session (they strip to vests and pants). Although I'm a bit shocked that they would expect to dress all of them, so most must be able to attempt things.
Trousers up and down are essential for potty training tho!
DS2 (22mth) can pull a teeshirt over his head if I help him with arms (on and off), and tries very hard with socks, but can't do anything.

Don't think your supposed to be able to jump til past 2 - as in both feet off the ground.

letters, numbers... hit and miss here. we had very little speech with DS1 til gone 2, so he couldn't have done anything before then. We just started with letters he had an interest in - so C for Captain Barnacles, P for Peso, O for Octonaughts, and X for name, and just took it from there.

They all do things at different rates tho, so unless you think he's behind in everything, I'd just go with what interests them.

Ds could reliably get all his clothes on if I laid then out from about 3y2m, DD has been able to do it for about 6 months, she is nearly 3. DS is still hit and miss, he is in reception and comes home after pe with trousers and jumper on back to front regularly.
Equally when he started reception he could only recognise his name. He knew no letters, couldn't write and couldn't read. They started phonics in october and he can now write phonetically and read simple books. Because she has been exposed via ds, dd can write her name and wants to be able to read.

Relax! DD3 can dress herself at 3, however dd2 is lazy choose not to dress herself sometimes at 5! (I help depending on how much time there is). They are encouraged to be able to dress themselves by the time they start reception (4-5y) but again there are some that will easily manage it and other for whom it will still be a struggle.

As for letters phonics is taught in reception (age 4+) if Ds watches alphablocks and recognises the sounds great, or learn the abc song fine but otherwise really don't worry. There is no real disadvantage when they start school. DD1 didn't knew a few letters age 4 and was one of the earlier free readers at school a couple of years later.

relax and enjoy him.

There's a difference between can and will as well.

Dd1 dressed herself from about 2.4yo. I was pg with dd2 at that age and had bad morning sickness, so she found things much quicker if she dressed herself. (pj, off, mummy is sick, vest on, pause for mummy to be sick, find pants, mummy runs to be sick, get pants half way on, mummy decides to do the rst of the dressing in the bathroom to be nearer to the toilet to be sick in...)

Dd2 was very determined. Despite having one hand, she could do all dressing except small buttons by the time she was 2yo, most by the time she was about 20 months. Socks were the last things she could do, and she practiced until she could do it.

Ds is 5yo (year 1)and would choose not to dress himself most of the time. He'd quite happily go out wearing nothing, or his pyjamas. But I know he can dress himself, if he wants to go somewhere he does-half of it may be backwards/inside out and the other half doesn't match. But he can do it.

DD1 is 4. She is only in the last 6 months understanding letters/numbers are different.

She was able to dress herself around 3. But still needs some help now.

dd2 is 2.3 and can dress and undress her bottom half
although she never actually does, apart from when she's been raiding her sister's chest of drawers, and reappears in an utterly bizarre outfit.

Dd1 18 months! She used to do fashion shows in her room and try everything she owned before settling on an outfit. Then changed several times a day because she fancied something different (Thank God for school uniforms!!)

dd2 She's just turned 3 and is good at undressing but we are still working on the dressing part. Trying to get her to be a little more independent.

Well ours is nearly 2 and a half and dressed herself fully for the first time ever, last week - I went into her room to get her ready in the morning, and she had chosen an entire outfit from her drawer and put it on, inlcuding matching socks and hat! Very cute! She chose everything in matching fuscia pink and purple colours right down to hat, socks and fleece! Of course it does depend on whether she wants to get dressed or not (she often prefers to stay in pyjamas all day at weekends or in fact on any day of the week, if we'd let her) and also depends how easy the clothes are to get on. Choose baggy or slightly larger size clothes with no fastenings (just on over the head type t-shirts etc) to make it easier for your child. Ours definitiely can't manage buttons yet - she hasn't got the patience!

I'd say it's very very pick and mix!
DD is 2 and a quarter, and can sing the whole alphabet and recognise almost all the letters (e.g I will say, "where's the e?" asking her to look for it in a pile of puzzle pieces and she'll find it and say something like, "e is for elephant"). She has always been very verbal, early talker, and she talks all day in full sentences and asks a gazillion questions, some of them alarmingly perceptive (e.g. "Mummy, is Daddy at work today? When he comes home, can we go for an icecream. Not now, later.").
She can't dress herself to save herself, can't really even pull her own pants down to go to the potty. She has just learned to jump with two feet.
So, mixed bag.

Perhaps start with getting him to be independent with his own trousers, putting on shoes and with doing up zips.

Ds is 3.4. Last few months has he been able to dress himself. He struggles with tops with long sleeves but ok otherwise.

As for the alphabet - I don't try and teach him it in isolation, just point stuff out when reading. He recognises some letters but knows his numbers very well. He can count very well.

DS is 2.4. He is very good at jumping, and has been from about 18 months. He knows about a dozen letters by sight (e.g. D for Daddy) but gets a bit confused if I suggest they might be the start of any other word (e.g. Dog, or Door). He knows number 2 because that is how old he is, and number 7 because that is what his sandwich looks like when he's eaten the middle out and there is just a crust left

As for getting dressed.... he can put his wellies on, sometimes on the right feet, and today for the first time he put his own coat on. Other than that, no. But he is very good at keeping his clothes on when he doesn't want to get undressed - he pins his arms to his sides and runs away shouting 'mummy, no!!!' as though I am trying to do something terrible to him, and then I feel as though I am.

my DS is 2.9. He is useless at trying to undress himself, if i get him to try and take a vest off for example he just pulls at it feebly and then says 'too difficult' won't even try and make an effort.

Letters and numbers is a different story, we've never pushed but these are his thing that he likes doing. He knows all letter names and nursery have said he also knows all the phonic sounds (which i don't even know).

DS is 21 months and can put on his shoes (snowboots) and take off sweaters that have zippers and t-shirts. He's been able to jump with both feet off the ground since about 18 months. He doesn't talk much yet, but recognises the letter D, as I told him once it was for Daddy.

Ds is 2.2. He can jump, put on croc shoes and undo zips. He knows numbers 1-10 and has phases of being very interested in letters, then forgets. He can take his nappy off. Which is not good.

Thanks for your replies.

DS can take off all his clothes no problem.. He can put on a snood and hat and pull a top over his head but legs and arms in holes he cant.

Im glad to see there is such a varied range of ability. Ill just crack on with teaching him the alphabet then!

so to summarise it seems like they are either very practical at getting dressed etc or advanced in letters and numbers but totally impractical !!

DD is 21mo and can put her socks and gloves on and take her boots off. She can pull off her t-shirt and leggings if I help a little and can pull her top over her head. Arms are beyond her but she does manage if I find the holes for her. She can pull up a zip but not pull it down.

She learned to jump this week.

She can count 3,4,5,6-8,9. 1, 2 and 7 are stubbornly ignored. She doesn't recognise the numbers though. Only letter she reliably gets is S. She is bilingual with significant hearing loss in both ears.