toddler, 32 months does not want to get dressed

[hrjrw]

Hi all, need some advice... my 32 months old toddler refuses to get dressed in the morning..which means we left for preschool this morning with almost 2 hours late..he spent his time in naughty corner, wearing only underpants, as he does not want to wear tee shirt nor trousers nor sock...I finally won but am exhausted..and cried so much too...
he did this for the first time last Sunday with his dad... and took him the same amouint of time to get dressed..
anybody had similar issues? any ideas and advices?? thanks all...
may be worth saying that I just come back from 5 days abroad with 6 months old baby for my gd mother funeral...and I know he found these 5 days very long...--me 2 actually !!

MAy be 'payback time.. for my trip abraod but still need some help to get this sorted... thanks

Does he choose his clothes, or you?

How about you start walking to pre-school with him just in his underpants - he might decide he wants to put some clothes on after all.

I try not to make this a battle with dd (2.4 ie 28m) - fighting, insisting and 'winning' are far more stress than I can deal with that early in the morning
we don;t use a 'naughty corner', just a kind of chill-out zone if she is tantrumming too hard to do anythign with.

I am usually ok as far as socks and vest but then if she then says 'no trousers' and/or 'no tshirt' I say 'oh ok then' and we go downstairs and carry on before it escalates.

once the pressure is off I can use various strategies eg
logic (but you can't put on your coat before your tshirt etc),
peer pressure (what will everyone say if you go out in your vest?),
silliness (where do these socks go? on your ears? on Mummy's ears? oh on your feet, well done dd)
example (look, dolly's got her cardigan on)
etc etc

if this fails then getting everyone else ready and opening the front door to the cold means she acquiesces pretty readily.

and yes it may be payback for the trip. Unfair but understandable.

Someone suggested to me that if you offer a choice - eg which jumper would you like to wear today - the blue one or the red one?slightly throws them - and they have to think about it - rather than just going into tantrum mode which is what I have had last few days - I did the cold door open routine which eventually worked along with me saying I am going out without you and walking down the path. All very stressful for both of us in the end!

i have the same with my toddler - i try and give her very fixed options - do you want to put your knickers on or mummy? Or do you want mummy or daddy to put on your shirt.

I also say something like do you want to go for a walk outside, or see a friend at nursery, when she says yes, say well you have to be dressed ....
this takes a few times with her then saying no, and me repeating to go to park/nursery etc she needs to be dressed ....

I am very prepared so once i start dressing her i put it all on pronto!!!!! I have evrythign ready, so that i get as much done as possible!

agree with mrsbadgers post as well ..... it invovles a fair amount of cunning and creativity most days!

i must say i cant wait for this phase to end. It is a phase I hope!!!!!!!