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Parenting

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Original poster

How can I get my children to get dressed in the morning without me being physically present?

21 replies

Caligula · 04/05/2006 09:56

DS is nearly 7, DD is 4.

Morning routine is: get up, have breakfast, then showers. I get the children to have the first showers, then me. While I'm in shower, tell kids to get dressed, I've laid all their clothes out for them.

Do they bloody get dressed? Do they hell. They go and fart about playing Star Wars and potato-head-rangers and so I come out of the shower 4 minutes later and they are still naked and fighting, I scream and rant and throw vests over their heads, then say "I'm going to get dressed, I want you two dressed by the time I come down, whoever is fully dressed will have a sticker."

5 minutes later I come down and it's descended back into potato-head-rangers.

Technically, both of them can get themselves dressed. All I want is for that extra 10 minutes where I can get dressed and put on some lipstick so I don't frighten the horses, knowing that when I get downstairs they'll be more or less ready. Is this an unreasonable, unrealistic aspiration, or does anyone else manage it? And if so, how?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

BettySpaghetti · 04/05/2006 09:59

Expext you've tried it but how about getting dressed races? Invest in some sort of stopwatch so they can compete against each other? Or use a kitchen timer to see if they can do it before the buzzer goes off?
DD(6) loves races -otherwise shes like your two -the slightest thing distraccts her

KBear · 04/05/2006 10:01

Bribery is the answer! My two are the same age exactly. DD the oldest and has a pathological fear of being late for school so I say get dressed or we'll be late and she's off like a rocket. DS is more easily distracted so I have to supervise him a bit more closely.

My routine is I get ready while they eat their breakfast and when I come down they get dressed.

We're having a blissful day off today as it's election day and the school is shut!

DumbledoresGirl · 04/05/2006 10:03

Try taking them out in their pjs one day and see if that gives them the incentive to get dressed by themselves from then on.

No I have never actually done it, but I have threatened to do it and my children dress themselves (except the youngest who is 3). There is still loads of farting about and I don't know that they wash their faces very well or brush their teeth at all, but I long ago came to the conclusion they had to be left to do it themselves or I would melt in a pool of hot wax.

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Katemum · 04/05/2006 10:04

Where have you laid the clothes out?
My 5 yo gets himself dressed in the morning but i can see into his room from my room so am shouting encouraging things at him while I get my makeup on. It sounds like you could do with them a bit closer to you for a while until they get in a routine of chucking their clothes on before the playing.

puddle · 04/05/2006 10:04

Our rule is you get dressed before going downstairs for breakfast on a schoolday. I put clothes out the night before. They are both keen on brekkieso it galvanises then into action.

Also, they can watch 10 minutes of tv before school but only if they are completely ready for school - dressed, teeth cleaned, faces washed, hair brushed and shoes on.

Enid · 04/05/2006 10:05

I let mine (6.5 and 3.5) watch telly for 5/10 mins after they have eaten breakfast and got dressed (includes shoes and hair brushing).

works a treat.

Original poster

Caligula · 04/05/2006 10:07

I've tried races, but that descends into screaming and fighting "he hasn't won, he hasn't won, he hasn't won, I want a sticker, I want a sticker, I want one, I do, I want one" by prima donna tantruming 4 year old who is still in her knickers and vest while idiot 6 year old jumps around making faces and shouting "I've won, I've won, and you-ou-our-ou're stinky!"

OP posts:

Bugsy2 · 04/05/2006 10:07

Mine are the same age Caligula & I can see no way of them getting dressed without my direct supervision. Why don't you make them both come into your room or the bathroom or wherever you are putting on your make up & make them get dressed there, so you can do both things at once?
I find if I assist mine, it takes 5 mins whereas if I try to get them to do it themselves, I ask more times than I want to & then get cross because they still haven't done it or have only half done it. Easier all around to spend 5 mins helping them wrestle their wriggly limbs in & out of clothes than all the stress of endless asking & temper loss!

Enid · 04/05/2006 10:08

god races would be a disaster here

agree with helping them then buggering off to do make up and get dressedw hile they watch telly

mrsdil · 04/05/2006 14:15

Do they shower themselves? Maybe you should switch the routine?

Example:

7am - You shower first whilst kids 1&2 muck around in the bedroom.

7.05am - child 1 in shower - you get dressed, child 2 keeps on playing.

7.15am - child 1 out of shower, child 2 in. Child 1 is encouraged that if he dresses extra quick then you will let him play for a bit..if not will have to help dress the other child.

7.25am - child 2 out of shower, child 1 playing in room as promised. Child 2 not allowed to join child 1 until dressed.

Not ideal but could work and you could switch the children each day.

Alternatively could you not bath/shower them at night and then in the morning YOU could race the pair of them getting ready and then they will both have won?

i race my 5 year old every morning otherwise he would be sat watching power rangers at 8.30!!

madamechocolat · 04/05/2006 14:18

via walkie talkie

dinosaure · 04/05/2006 14:19

I bribe mine, with cold hard cash. Works a treat. (Doesn't work with the little one yet though, lol.)

Enid · 04/05/2006 14:21

missed showers in morning

that would throw our house into chaos

(dh and I have one but the dds have a bath the night before)

Original poster

Caligula · 04/05/2006 14:38

Both still wet the bed, so I have to have showers or baths. I used to do getting dressed first, but then they would spill food down them, and we'd have to do it all over again.

OP posts:

Tortington · 04/05/2006 14:47

YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES THEN YOUR GOING IN WHAT YOU HAVE ON.

put their shoes on and start to lead them outside.

tell them

" i have had just about enough of this behaviour. how dare you act this way when i am out of the room.

if you are NOT DRESSED tomorrow. you will absolutley do to school looking exactly as you do at the time when we are about to leave.

now without ONE SINGLE word, get back to your rooms and get dressed. you have exactly 5 minutes.

carla · 04/05/2006 14:48

You can't. But if you manage it, please let me know how.

Don't get me on mornings ......

SaintGeorge · 04/05/2006 14:52

How about the classic MN solution of putting them to bed the night before in their uniforms?

carla · 04/05/2006 14:53

SG, lol!

DumbledoresGirl · 04/05/2006 16:37

Lol, I knew Custardo would second my approach!

glassofwine · 04/05/2006 17:13

My three 6,4 &3 all dress themselves in the morning - I lay the clothes out the night before downstairs. They come down and get dressed and watch tv while I'm in shower. When I come down if they are not dressed the tv is switched off and I am strict about it. If they've got dressed they carry on watching while I make breakfast and them tv off. It works.

MrsBadger · 04/05/2006 17:16

am with puddle - no breakfast till cleaned and dressed.

we have aprons to eat in to stop spills .

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