Any hints on how to get resistant DD (3yo) dressed in the morning.

[thelittlestkiwi]

I found some great hints here for ways to get DD to brush her teeth. My current battle is getting her dressed every morning - even if we are going somewhere she loves. Any one got any good strategies? As soon as she sees me coming with clothes she is off like Usain Bolt. Currently she is hiding in a cardboard box in just her pants while I mumsnet.

The only thing that works for me (sometimes) is counting to 5 or 10 ie can you get these on before I finish she loves winning! My battle is all she wants to wear is leggings no lovely skirts or dresses I have lovingly made (apparently I was just as difficult - it is all karma)

What usually works with ds1 (3.2) is giving him a small element of choice, eg do you want to wear this top or this one and then if he won't choose or wants a different one I repeat a couple of times your choice is this one or this one and if he's still being difficult I say right mummy will choose then - that always gets him to choose quickly

Speed and strength! Pin down firmly and add clothes as rapidly as possible. There will be protests but you explain that, if she keeps running off, you have to strong-arm. Her choice then.

Thanks for the suggestions. At about 2pm today I cracked and used your approach Cogito. I think it has become a game and I may have to do this for a few days and hope to break the cycle. Sigh.

Have this on a regular basis with ds (5) - so far this year he has got on the school bus in his pjs (uniform in bag) and I have taken him into school twice in just his pants! Worked like a dream and the effects last for the rest of the term but forgets over the hols

In my his defense tho he has sen.....

Suggest that food/snacks etc are only available to people who ate dressed. Then sit and eat something yummy in front of her [evil]

We also use the 'let's see who can get dressed first' or 'can you get dressed before I count to 30' approach. It works for my DS (3.9) as he is really competitive!

I can hugely sympathise, my dd is exactly the same and also aged 3! :-) its a nightmare because we have to be out of the house by 8.30 to get ds to school so everything has to run like clockwork. I think dd knows this and not getting dressed gives her complete control over the situation. Choice doesn't work here, I show her two outfits she runs to her wardrobe and gets what SHE wants. Which is usually her sun dress when it's pouring with rain outside. I will watch this thread with interest... I have tried stickers, reward charts, sweets, races, you name it, she doesn't bat an eyelid.... And once she is finally dressed, I have to get her hair done...

My ds does this. Things which have worked are:

racing him to get dressed
timing him to get dressed (either counting or with kitchen timer or dh's stop watch)
rewards when dressed (eg those who are dressed by 8am can bounce on the trampoline for 5 mins)
pretending to leave him in the house on his own in just his pants (would never actually leave but did go out of the door and lock it )
praising his dsis for being dressed so quickly and giving her huge cuddles for being so good
making up charts of what he has to do in the morning and getting him to tick things off as he gets them done
bundling him out the door in his pjs to make our way to school - he was back in and dressed in seconds

We're gone for the leave with clothes in hand and child in just pants. Only works if you're going somewhere in the car of course (otherwise they'd have to keep stopping to get dressed) but it works every time. And doesn't happen again for a long time

Choice of 2 is good - giving them a choice but one with limited alternatives and of appropriate weight/style for the weather.

Sometimes, when he's chosen completely by himself he does things like choose odd socks - but if he wants to wear odd socks rather than a matching pair, who cares. Certainly not me - life's too short!

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try racing tomorrow. I think I've indulged her a little cos I still dress her. Maybe she is too old for this at (just) 3.