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Original poster

3 year old only wearing pyjamas

58 replies

Dominate2016 · 03/04/2019 12:08

Hello

I have a 3 year old DD who is absolutely wonderful.

BUT......

She only wears pyjamas. She flatly refuses to wear ANYTHING else..and its not any pyjamas, she only has three pairs she'll wear. She's not at nursery yet, she starts in September.

This all started after/whilst potty training about two months ago and it hasn't got any better. I did try stopping the potty training in case it was all too much for her, but she refused and wanted to use the toilet and potty.

She did go through a phase of about a week refusing to wear any clothing and refusing to leave the house. In the end i got her to leave but only in pyjamas and its stayed like that ever since. If i forcefully dress her she kicks and screams then ends up taking everything off, and tbh i dont think its worth getting her that stressed over it. But it's stressing me out now. She is my first girl and has a wardrobe FULL of beautiful clothes and shes growing out of them and tbh its heartbreaking to me, because i feel like a complete failure, also i have to constantly keep her pyjamas clean and in rotation and with two other children its stressful to constantly juggle the washing. My mum told me today that shes 'never heard' of a child behaving like this and to be honest has made me feel so shitty. I feel so judged when i take her out because she looks so messy, she wont let anyone cut her hair, and she rarely lets me brush it so she looks totally neglected.

I've tried giving her clothing options, playing games with her, bribery, pretending to emotional blackmail (lol)...i.e. pretending to cry. Ive even left the house in pyjamas myself to make out how 'silly' it is and nothing!!!

I even told her i was going to give all her clothes away and she said no at first then started to help me pack them up in bin bags!!! (i didnt actually give them away)

Can anyone help me!? and has anyone else gone through this? Im worried because summer is approaching and shes going to be boiling in pyjamas!

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Creatureofthenight · 04/04/2019 13:49

Why does she like the PJs so much? Is it that they are comfy? Does she like the colour, the characters? If she can articulate why she likes them then that can help with finding some day clothes that are similar that she will like.
I think throwing the PJs away would be very cruel.
She is old enough to start to understand that we have day clothes and night clothes, but tbh if she goes out in PJs it’s not the end of the world.

flapjackfairy · 04/04/2019 13:52

Has she got any other issues going on ? Could there be some kind of ASD underlying it . My son has Aspergers and was always v choosy about what he would wear . Even now as an adult he can only wear certain things. Sensory issues can be v hard to understand and deal with.

madcatladyforever · 04/04/2019 13:53

I'd wear pyjamas all day given half a chance. Don't think my boss would tolerate it though.
My sister only ate rice and peas until she was 4. She absolutely would not even look at anything else and short of a funnel or nasogastric tube we couldn't make her.
Luckily she grew out of it before school and without being malnourished.
I think the others are right the only solution is to get rid of the pyjamas and replace with tracksuits or similar. Tell her you'll get some new pyjamas when she decides to be a big girl and wear clothes during the day. This can't really go on.
My niece is similarly wilful and my sister was almost in tears the other day trying to get her dressed and out. It's very wearing but I'm pretty sure it is only a short lived phase so I wouldn't worry too much.
Peer pressure will kick in when she starts nursery.

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ApolloandDaphne · 04/04/2019 13:53

Can you take her to Asda or somewhere with a large selection of children's clothing and get her to choose some new 'pyjama's'. Show her a larger range than just pyjamas. Add in leggings/joggers and t-shirts/sweatshirts. If she chooses them she might wear them.

Blewbird · 04/04/2019 14:37

Throw out all the pjs. Tell her she wore them out. Take her out in just pants and let her get cold. Then put the clothes on.

LIZS · 04/04/2019 14:40

How des she know what is pjs and what is not. Lots of leggings/shorts and tops look and feel similar. Stop giving her the opt out and maybe offer choice of outfit a or outfit b.

SnowWhite26 · 04/04/2019 21:25

I dont really know what to suggest but I just wanted to say I really sympathis.. i am a strong minded woman who will not be won over by a child. I am strict but fair and try and give options etc. Unfortunately much like ur chikd my 3 year old girl is also willful and strong minded just like i want her to grow up to be. But when they decidebtheu dont want to do something no end of bribes or making them do it or dragging them kicking and screaming makes a difference. The only thing i find works us to ignore it. As its attention. My little girl will not for the life of her poo on the toliet just nappies. She has held it for a week when i took them away! I thought it was a fear of the toliet but now i think its purely that i can not make her. Its so infuriating!!! I really feel for you and hope that you manage to ignore it until she gives up. X

notsosureaboutthatthough · 10/04/2019 14:02

Any update op?

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