Help me persuade DD to wear two tops, please.

[peacefuleasyfeeling]

This sounds totally lame and uninspired on reflection, but we're all ill and I just can't think for myself!

DD (2.10) has this thing where she just won't wear two tops, as in wearing layers (no vest or t-shirt topped with a normal long sleeved top, or a lightweight top with something warmer over). She completely freaks out if approached with a cardy, fleece or sweater to go over her usual long-sleeved cotton jersey tops. She is a perfectly easy-going dresser in every other way and never makes a fuss about what she wears normally. But this insistence on only wearing one layer on her top half is causing her to get chilly in cooler indoor environments, such as at nursery, I'm sure. Now she's got yet another cold and I despair...

Does anyone have any ideas for how to persuade / incentivise her? Any ideas gratefully accepted.

Nope. Not a battle I fight. My son wears what he wears. He's 3.9.

Being cold does not make you ill. Viruses make you ill.

Does she watch you getting dressed and putting on layers? My 2yo DD is such an obsessive mini-me that she'll want to wear the same. Just a thought...

Will she wear a coat outside?

Thanks for indulging my frazzled brain. To be honest, Tee, I wouldn't normally pick this one as a battle of choice, but this has become a real bugbear with DP who enters into endless reasoning with her to no avail, and it always ends in tears.
And I do know about viruses being the culprits, not temperature, really.
Nope, Mia, she couldn't give two hoots about how I dress, she's a complete tomboy and has her own "thang" going already. Good idea otherwise.
Breathe, thankfully she has no problem with coats. It's more the places indoors which are a bit chilly sometimes.

Perhaps I'll make some kind of 'social story' to encourage her...

Will she wear a dress over her top? Could she wear a jumper instead of a thin top? Or warmer trousers? I wouldn't worry. My DD tends to look a bit underdressed compared to other children, but she is fine.

My ds went through this, I ended up putting two tops together first and then putting them on in one go, would that work? Do you get what I mean? Might be easier with boys clothes but I put a short sleeved tshirt over a long sleeved one and then he didn't seem to notice. It didn't last long, he moved on to only wearing one coat after that! Good luck

Just leave her alone. Both my DDs have strong ideas and neither likes two layers. I wouldn't dream of making them. Tell DP to back off. Small children have better circulation than us. If she's cold then she'll gradually learn the lesson.

My DD is very fussy about clothes and what she will / won't wear. I agree about not making it a battle - but obviously want her to wear appropriate clothes for the weather. I am lucky in that she will wear long sleeved vest and top, although refuses cardigans or jumpers. Because she is very 'fixed' about things, social stories help her - she is one for routines but it can take time to establish new ones. In the autumn I started preparing her by saying 'when it is winter we always wear vests becuase it is cold' - so now she wears them. Will have to do some serious work with her about sandels though before summer - she's been wedded to her wellies all winter and i can see her in her shorts and wellies at this rate .

Ah, thank you all, some blindingly good ideas! Have now tried a mixture of all, going for ts-hirt on top of longsleeved top, and prepping the night before by letting her make a mix and match selection as to what she will wear in the morning before she goes to bed. So far, so good. Thanks again!

Have you tried telling her that she absolutely not allowed to wear more than one layer?

Ha ha!