2.5yr old tantrum getting dressed every day

[Boiledeggsforlunch]

My dd is 2.5 and very feisty and independent and fiery. Which is amazing but when it comes to getting dressed each day the world falls apart.

Any tips?

Every day is a battle regarding getting dressed and I can’t see a way around it…it’s just something we have to do. she kicks screams hits cries tantrums runs off …it’s so stressful. I try to be gentle, give choices etc but she’s just fuming at the thought of getting dressed.

im due a new baby soon and can’t see how I’ll ever be able to leave the house.

Some things that worked for us:

Give a five minute warning that she is getting dressed soon

Allow her to choose outfit (A or B)

Let her dress herself

Pick your battles and if you’re staying in don’t push it

Praise her when she does it well

Why is she tantrumming? Is it sensory? Are you taking her away from something more fun? Is she tired and sees getting dressed as something that means she can't rest or sleep?
Is she ok when you get her ready for bed?
Different issues would have different solutions.

We had this at the same age and I found that making it into a game helped; pretend to be a chatracter from her favourite tv show, pretend to put trousers on her head, make it a race while you get dressed, pretend to dress her toys instead of her. I know it sounds a pain and you just want them to do it without a fuss but it’s honestly quicker than the tantrum.

We went through a phase of this, it's still a slog but now less screamy. The key thing for us is letting her get herself dressed, thank god now she pretty much can and is more willing to accept help for the tricky bits because she's done most of it

TV is pretty limited in our house. We therefore unashamedly use it as a bribe in the morning to get ready. 15 minutes of something has stopped what was once a 30 plus minute battle chasing a naked screaming toddler round the house. Probably not ideal, but survival is key, especially on nursery/work mornings. Currently he is fine with the TV going off as soon as he’s ready…I’ll get back to you if that changes!

Ours,same age, is the same,it's awful,but improving slightly as she can now put on her trousers and socks herself so will do that,and if given a choice of top and jumper she is ok with it.id definitely try giving a choice between two things then they find it more positive and not being made to do something.ours is also much happier if a jumper that doesn't go over her head,so a zip up.

Kids 10 minute timer on YouTube and race against the clock
Choice of clothes
If you've got another person, race against them getting ready (we had DD1 against the baby a fair bit!)
Bribery

My 4th child had this. Best solution ever: get rid of pyjamas.

Put her to bed in clean clothes ready for the next day. Choose comfy soft clothing. Sorted.

Try putting your clothes on her and her clothes on you. The getting dressed together seems to help a bit and the ‘silly mummy doing it wrong’ helped the rest of the way. If you put DH pants on her head saying they are a hat you will likely get fits of laughter

I'm afraid I use TV on nursery days as we all have to get out of the house quite early. Getting dressed in front of a short cbeebies programme from iplayer (currently hey duggee). I pause it if toddler is messing about or making a fuss and don't hit play until they start cooperating again.

Has she got a doll she could dress? You could get the doll out, pick an outfit, start the job lots of "good doll, that's right, we need to get you dressed to keep you warm" etc and help her finish the job. Good practice for when the baby arrives.

Yep, make it a game. Make her laugh:

Oh, where's your arm? (Put in sleeve)It's disappeared! Pop! Oh there it is!

Where do your trousers go? Do they go on your head like this? Oh silly mummy ..

Tickle your feet.... socks on... etc ...

you get the picture.

My LO does this. Instead I pretend to put it on myself, like hold the head hole open and wiggle my head about then she comes running a sticks her head through, then I do the same with arms.

Then I wait a minute or two and start the same with trousers. Usually helps if I sit her in front of me so she can see my legs wiggle to come up and 'go in'

We had this and used most of the above. The most effective was a gro clock type thing and a sticker chart. If she was dressed by the time the light changed, she got a sticker, and once the chart was full she got a new book. Still using the same for bedtime now at 4.5. She may have been a bit older than 2.5 though, I can't remember. I'm not sure if my current 2.5 year old (who for the time being is much more biddable!) would get the concept or not.