top tips for getting your 2yr old dressed in under 45 mins please!!

[ratbunny]

He is usually very happy, bubbly and compliant.
But he has recently started getting very stubborn - terrible 2s are definitely on the way.

Most of the time I can deal with him fine - I just ignore or distract or give him choices. But when he tantrums while I am trying to get him dressed I am stumped.

He will NOT letme take his clothes off, and when I eventually get them off him he wont let me put the new ones on. I have tried all my usual tactics and today resorted to giving him the choice - either get dressed or mummy goes on the computer .

Has anyone any tips? I have tried letting him choose his clothes, leaving him to get on with it, giving him a choice of get dressed upstairs or downstairs, putting him infront of cbeebies, and just wrestling him. I really need to get him dressed in under 3/4 of an hour!!!!

try buying an egg timer and make it into a game and reward him with stickers and lots of them

my ds is three and has just started with the 'i don't want to get dressed' tantrum......one thing which usually works is to see if he can get dressed as fast as Fireman Sam. The novelty has started to wear a bit so i'm going to put a sticker chart in his room and if he can get dressed as quickly as 'Sam' he'll get a sticker.

I feel I have exhausted all options with this, too

Some things work on some days but not on others (and we HAVE to get ready, as have the school run to do)

• Who can get dressed first? game... mixed results, as dd1 always wins which tends to provoke additional tantrum in dd2

• Distraction - ie me making up a silly song or story whilst dressing dd2 (but quite frankly struggle with this one at 8am)

• "I bet you can't take your PJs/nappy off/put vest on/etc etc" game (ok if loads of time but never seem to have any)

• Bribery - "let me dress you NOW and you can have another bit of toast" (high success rate)

BUT:

• Generally ends up with the old control-and-restraint method (me pinning dd whist she screams the house down)

Am watching for more ideas...

costumes. Can be ordinary clothes really but of the right colours to be whoever the child's heroes are this week

or leave them in the same clothes as yesterday. Just pretend breakfast was a bit messy (I think pyjamas are really a nonsense at this age) - take advantage of the days he wants a bath to change the clothes.

god this is so tricky.
Tried 'racing' him, but he was NOT interested in that.
In the end I let him look at the water heater in the airing cupboard while I put his trousers on, chased him to put his top on and pinned him to put his socks on.
He has eczema so I have to cream his legs and arms before dressing him, which as well as making him more slippery, puts an edge on putting his clothes on so the cream doesnt rub off on the carpet / whatever he is lolling about on.

I really dont want to have to resort to bribes, but it looks like I am going to have too...

We had a nightmare with getting dressed and out of the house with DS. I remember when DS was 2 (and I was heavily pregnant), ringing my boss and lying about traffic while trying to dress writhing DS1 and breastfeeding him as a distraction (not a tactic I'm recommending by the way!)

what is working (at the moment) for DS1 is a change of routine so that we have a special "morning book" after he is dressed and had breakfast. On home days, we don't bring out toys etc until after he has had his morning book. On pre-school days we have the morning book before we leave. He loves reading with me and this seems to motivate him to get dressed and be a little quicker over his breakfast. On school days I try - not always successfully -to steer him in the direction of a shorter book/chapter

I wouldn't say anything in advance because you don't want to give the impression that you see this as a bribe. The first day or two I did the usual wrestling, distracting thing and when he was finally ready said something along the lines of "look you're dressed and you've had your breakfast - goody - time for your morning book!". After that he cottoned on and stopped making such a fuss. If he is in a bad mood and I sense he is going to refuse to get dressed, I mention how much I'm looking forward the book and speculate about what he will choose.

good luck

My youngest DS just turned 2 is very good at getting dressed, he also put on this own coat and shoes, also tries to put everyone else's on for them. LOL.

My eldest DS however, age 6 yo and 9 months is a real pain to get dressed. I have to shout at thim every day over and over again to get dressed, also lazy at putting on shoes and coat when I'm trying to get out of the house in the morning. Hope little one stays as he is and doesn't follow suit