My daughter us always complaining about clothes being itchy

[AzurePoster]

Just like the title says, my daughter is 3 and has recently started complaining about her clothes being itchy. I haven't changed detergent and it's the same clothes she was wearing a few weeks ago with no issues. She is in a lot of distress and discomfort it seems and I think she has recently become sensitive to the feeling of the clothes rubbing on her skin and she just can't stand it. Even with loose clothing, it's the same, but this started with tights.

I'm wondering if other moms have dealt with this and how they've come out on the other side. Are there particular brands or clothes that helped, she has to wear clothes to nursery but wondering how we can make it easier for her to bear this.

Just wanted to add that when shes home, she wears just light Tshirts and knickers. She's always tried to avoid wearing clothes especially trousers but it's easier in the summer months as she can just wear shorts. It's much harder now.

Before I give my opinion and experience can I just say that I'm not trying to diagnose your child! I'm definitely not an expert of any kind.

My son is like this with clothes. He wears just pants and a t shirt at home , he won't wear full pyjamas , ever , and prefers to lay under a quilt if he feels cold. He's autistic and non verbal , so can't tell us directly why , but it's obvious he's uncomfortable if you try to get him to wear more at home. For school he wears a crew neck t shirt and jogging bottoms.

In your daughter's case could you have her choose her clothing for going out , and have a blanket available for when she's feeling cold?

This sounds like sensory processing disorder and it's entirely possible she's always felt it, but couldn't articulate it. The fact that she's resisted wearing clothes at home suggests that may well be the case (and if you've had sleep issues, it's possible it's related). SPD can be just related to one sense (touch in this case) or multiple senses (auditory, smell, taste etc). DS, for example could not be taken into coffee shops as a baby as he would go crazy. Even now, he's not a child who enjoys sitting in a coffee shop with a hot chocolate... and he's 13.

The thing that often triggers this is labels, so removing those is a good first step.

Figuring out what kind of clothes are more comfortable for her is helpful. DS found soft pyjamas the most comfy so he landed up wearing quite a few pyjama tops as long sleeve t-shirts for a few years (we got them from character.com so they weren't blatantly pyjamas - mostly spiderman, paw patrol etc). We also discovered that socks were a huge trigger for his overall feeling so when we found seamless bamboo socks (sockshop.co.uk), our life was instantly changed. He wore those until he started at secondary school!

Resign yourself to jumpers being a no go - no wool of any sort. Ditto denim. Soft trackies were always a good choice for DS. Coats had to be lightweight and very flexible - mountain warehouse or Trespass were good options - and were almost always worn with just a t-shirt under.

Also , I hated tights as a child. I'm most likely autistic too , never been diagnosed , but I have an autistic child and fit the criteria.

I have a daughter like this, she’s five now and still spends most of her time naked. Her sensitivities increase in times of stress so it’s a good way of her letting me know how she feels without having to say anything. We’ve always stuck with soft stretchy clothes including; leggings, T-shirts, hoodies, jogging bottoms etc. For her school uniform she’s got a grey jersey skater skirt and jersey polo shirts.

Oh, and re trackies - H&M ones were the ones he always found most comfy. H&M also used to do linen trousers in summer that could be buttoned up to become long-shorts and those were a godsend for us as he' dwear them long in winter and shorter in summer.

I am fairly certain I have very mild SPD and that so does DD - nothing like DS' but just subtle. She wears a lot of Zara trackies and H&M do quite nice jazz style leggings that don't irritate her the way regular leggings do.

Bamboo fabric is great. Cut labels out. Don't be afraid of having lots of the same garment that she likes and is comfortable in and basically dressing her the same every day

Just to add a different POV from the posters above.

I have VERY sensitive skin and hated tights as a child. I am very sensitive to laundry detergents and can only use powder designed for sensitive skin. Change of weather/ more central heating / moving from cold weather outside to hot dry air inside can make my skin itch. I suggest oilatum in her bath and speaking to your pharmacists about a good emollient (not E45 or aqueous cream as these are well known for being irritating to sensitive skin).

Is there any actual irritation/rash on her skin? (Obviously if she's scratching a lot then that in itself might cause visible skin irritation, I guess.)

Is it possible that your washing machine isn't rinsing the clothes as thoroughly as it used to, and hence there is more detergent residue on them?

Also - I hate to echo other posters, but there's a lot of neurodivergence in my family and all of us are incredibly picky about how our clothes feel...

I was actually coming on to add something similar to @thinkfast - definitely for me and DD, and possibly for DS, I found that products in the bath that do what I think of as "smoothing" my skin is helpful. We like bio oil - it is actually a really lovely bath oil (just one generous squirt into the bath) and it definitely also made wearing clothes etc a bit easier somehow, especially in winter when skin becomes espeially sensitive, x 100 if you have SPD.

This is a very good point too. Dry skin is rife in this weather. I recommend Aveeno cream or lotion if her skin is dry.

what about shorts or joggers? skirt or dress even if she has bare legs?

Im autistic and some fabrics are not just itchy, but feel painful. Tights and certain trousers always used to make me feel like i was getting bites all over my legs or little electric shocks.

I had this problem as a young child. As an adult I was diagnosed as autistic. I wouldn't assume this is necessarily the case though. I'm sure there are other possible causes but I don't know what they are.

I agree with pp. I have very sensitive skin and lots of material feels scratchy. I can't wear wool and buy cotton jumpers.

Conditioner may help, as well as taking labels out of clothes. Ecover no perfume is good.

Skincare wise I use Savon de Marseille olive oil soap which has no additives.

I have to use Fairy laundry detergent and no softener for both DD and DH, or they both complain of being itchy and DD actually comes out in a rash. So sensitivity to laundry products is definitely a thing. Me and DS are fine whatever I use. Both DD and DS wear only underwear whenever possible, they are both autistic, so sensory issues are also a possibility. But try changing laundry products first and see if that helps.

Oh and I always do an extra rinse as part of the cycle on the washing machine, try that too

As a PP said, bamboo fabric is very very soft! It's almost not there. The only thing is that it's not as hard wearing as cotton, but I think it's worth it as it feels so soft on the skin.

I'm very sensitive about my clothes. Another thing to look out for with your daughter is if shes uncomfortable having anything tight around her neck and feeling overly restricted in stiff coats and jackets (I prefer to wear cardigans or loose jackets).

You say she doesn't like tights, were they thick wool tights? They're a bit restrictive. I would try leggings for her instead, or footless tights.

If I find something I like I will buy it in several colours. I laughed when I saw a PP said that because I hadn't realised it was related to this.

I haven't got autism or anything to my knowledge, so I wouldn't worry about your daughter based just on this.

I have sensitive skin and can only use a couple of washing powders, Ariel biological being one and Daz Altho I haven't seen that around for a while. Fairy non-bio brought me out in hives. I use hypoallergenic fabric conditioner. I always use extra rinse on washing machine.

My skin is always drier and feel tighter and itchier this time of year. I have a small ceramic put thing that hangs in the end of your radiator to put moisture back in the air as I find this helps. My house isn't full of black mould either.

I have eczema and use aveeno lotions/ shampoo/ conditioner and put oats into my bath. Aveeno is based on oats so anything oaty is fine for me.

It's taken me years to work out that soft clothes don't make me itch, like soft jersey. I also hate things around my waist so by choice at home I wear dresses with short sleeves, hate long sleeves. If it's really cold then I wear pj bottoms underneath my dress to stop my legs being cold- I can just about put up with the seams, Altho I am aware of them.

For work I wear dresses with soft leggings underneath at this time of year as I find tights too tight and restive.

I also take an anti-histamine daily as I have so many allergies but you wouldn't want to do that for your 3 year old.

I also find Primark scoop tshirt the most comfortable as they're soft!

I have allergies and certain clothes and fabrics make me itch like crazy, including bamboo. Sometimes it's certain items regardless of fabric (a 100% cotton one the other day).

We can only use persil in our house or we all feel itchy.

Yes, lots of good advice above and always double rinse.

If it is a sensory issue, a really tight and smooth base layer under clothes can help as the feeling is constant, and the pressure can be soothing.

I suggest avoiding biological powder altogether (so for all washing in case traces remain in machine), checking fabrics in case any are worse (wool is often itchy), and using something like Oilatum in her bath.

Even if you have used a product for years, you can still develop a sensitivity to it. Manufacturers also make tiny changes to ingredients all the time. If you don’t have sensitivities, this isn’t something you notice.

if you are using a laundry soap or fabric softener with fragrance, I would switch to hypoallergenic products. If you are using something gentle already, add an extra rinse.

there is a good chance though it is the clothing itself. Cotton or cotton with a bit of spandex for stretch is good. No tags. As few seams as possible. No tight bands around the wrist or ankles. Definitely no tights. Socks need to have no strings. No collars. Stretchy waistbands. Avoid buttons and zippers.