What do you do with a child that won't wear clothes?!

[ReallyGoodDrawer]

My 3 year old dd has always been a bit fussy about clothes, she has never liked wearing jeans for example. In the past couple of weeks she has refused to wear anything other than a skirt, a t shirt and socks. I have had to either wrestle her into weather appropriate clothes or let her go out in her skirt with bare legs and a bare bottom. She says pants, leggings and tights 'annoy her bottom' and anything with long sleeves is 'too bumpy'.

So is this a phase? Do we just wait it out? I've absolutely no idea how to deal with it so any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Wait it out. When she realises she's so cold that she's uncomfortable she'll change her mind. Or maybe she doesn't mind being cold?

She won't catch a cold from being cold, so let her come to her own conclusion

Not sure. 5yo DD is a bit sensory with clothes. She won't wear tights, skirts, jeans or dresses. She'd live in pants, crocs and a t-shirt if she had her way. I've always been like it too, I'd live in a bikini if I could. My work wardrobe is all stretchy and comfy.

I'm about to get her into her school uniform and she hates the trousers.

My DS was hypersensitive to clothes for years, he still has never owned a pair of jeans and he's 18 now. It is not uncommon, with varying degrees of sensitivity and in his case, it has improved over the years.
So here's what we did,
Always washed in nonbio and no fabric softner.
Fleece was good, as were tracksuits and natural fibres. He wore seamless socks for around 10 years, or we turned them inside out so that the seams were on the outside. Close fitting stuff annoyed him, too lumpy and bumpy.
Wears boxers for underwear, when he was much younger. he'd strip as soon as he got home and put on his pjs.
It made a big difference to his grumpiness levels if he was comfortable in what he was wearing, and once we found something he was comfy in, I bought several!
Perhaps she's just fussy, perhaps it's just a phase. Only you can work out what's the reality. Look at her favourite clothes and see what she likes and work from that point.

My son seems to never feel the cold. He's happy playing out in just a shirt and jeans when I'm bundled up to my eyes.

She knows if she's cold. So let her be.

I can't wear tights,leggings or jeans either. They feel awful when on.

What about tracksuit bottoms? Stretchy and comfortable.

Thanks for all the replies. She does complain about being cold but refuses to put any more clothes on! So I suppose she can't really be that cold! I'll keep on letting her do her thing then and hope it doesn't last all winter :)

I'll try tracksuit bottoms (although I suspect they'll be Too Bumpy!) thanks gamer chick.

I've been looking for seamless pants for her but can't find any in her size.

My DD was a lot like this!! Had many tantrums over clothes from when she was 1.5 to the occasional one now. I carried a winter coat for her when she accompanied us on the school run the winter before last and she usually put it on at some point! Also took a few warm clothes to put on out with us. Her comfiest trousers are a pair of fleece loose jogging bottoms which were from decathlon..actually I need to replace them as she's outgrown them. Also hats and gloves if she'll wear them!

yy to the coat carrying and getting looks from people. We have to reach sub zero temps for DD to wear a coat.

The looks are what bothers me the most really! Usually I couldn't care less about what people think of me but I do worry that they'll think dd is being abused or neglected

Good to know there are others in the same boat

One of the other Mums actually said to me DD looked cold in just her long socks!! I told her last time she wore tights her eczema flared up. Which was partly true. I ended up buying a couple of wooly dresses which she seemed quite happy to wear with leggings!

Have you tried Mini Boden pants? I know that they are not cheap, but with a discount code it's better. DD1 hated all the endless pants that I bought her for several years, then I bought her some Boden ones and she has never complained.

I bought 2 packs of 7 when she was in Reception, she is now Yr3 and is wearing the same ones, they wash brilliantly and last much better than cheaper pants, and best of all they appear to be comfy for her.

Also maybe try skorts - skirts with soft cotton (loose) shorts underneath. An extra layer and solves the pants problem.

I had this problem. A few decades years ago we moved from a very hot climate to a very cold climate in January during a cold snap. My kids hadn't even worn coats very often let alone snow pants, gloves and hats.

I still remember the looks and comments I got when my 2 year old refused to wear a hat when it was MINUS 22 degrees. (Plus windchill). I had to run him from the car to the house because it was so cold it was painful for him. He learnt eventually.

DD1 also refuses to wear tights, all winter even in the snow, she wears knee length socks that are always round her ankles at the end of the school day.

I don't think she has ever suffered due to this! I think she had 3 days off school in total last school year.

Dd was like this. Most clothes were rejected as too " wiggly". She grew out of it and is a comparatively normal 17 year old now!

Because she was aPFB I felt I couldn't wear a coat if she wasn't wearing one so was very cold a lot of the time............

Thanks for the Boden pants suggestion, I'll look into that. I can cope with bare arms and legs if she's got pants on!

That's a very determined child you've got their IHaveA!

Luckily my fussy dd is my dc2 so I'm not running around flashing my bare arse to the world to keep her company curlew!

I can't believe I just used the wrong there/their

I was a clothes refusing child. Not sensory issues particularly. Just preferred not to be too warm or sweaty. My Nan (dad's mum) used to go on and on at my mum for not making me wear more clothes but I would just remove the extra layers so even she gave up eventually. I think it may have contributed to (or perhaps been a sign of ) my general hardiness. I rarely get colds at all and don't need the heating on much. I still remove coat, socks and shoes whenever I can. Once my mum got over the comments and looks (bare feet in January) it stopped being an issue.

My daughter doesn't wear clothes either. The lengths of sleeves often annoy as do labels and she's never cold.

She sleeps naked on top of her sleeping bag when we camp even if its single figures.

I doubt she'll have anything other than bare legs all winter.

More naked children! Excellent. Life has been much easier since I've been leaving her to it although we have stayed in today because her skirt and t shirt are in the wash and she won't wear anything else!

Las night I was freezing. It was 6pm and I was huddled under a blanket. Both my children were sat on the floor in their pants. They don't feel it! Ds won't wear a coat so I will just let him be cold until he learns.