How do you deal with your child wanting to dress themselves in

[sillybut]

violently clashing clothes.

DD is 2yrs 7 months and is now dressing herself but her colour combinations are awful. We're talking bright pink with orange or red. She also chooses strange combinations of clothes - e.g. skirt AND trousers or wooly hats with summer dresses. If I have the audacity to interfere she throws a major tantrum and rips off whatever I try to change her into.

I'm obviously pleased she's getting the idea of dressing herself but should I really let her go out in her chosen combinations (this morning it was a fairy dress from the dressing up box, a thick stripy jumper, a pair of trousers, odd socks pulled over the trousers and sparkly pink shoes). She also dressed her large teddy in her rain coat and announced she was taking him for a walk!

you will not win this battle

dd2 has gone out with a mermaid top ON HER HEAD before

and wears her manky pyjama top to the park sometimes

who cares?

save your breath imo

I put my foot down on the occasions it matters (ie rarely), other times they can wear what they want

My dd1 is 5.5 and her colour combinations are no better. I just leave her to it tbh and let her decide.

I'd let her go for it for a while.
Maybe you need to intervene if you're going somewhere important, or if her outfit is really impractical for the weather.
But I think her chosen outfit for this morning sounds fab!

what does it matter? today's outfit sounds lovely, and practical for a chilly start to the day (as it has been here).

I think letting them choose their clothes is a totally harmless way of letting them feel in control of something. They have so little real choice over anything, do they?

and colour combinations are just a matter of taste - if your DD likes orange with pink, that's her taste.

I'd let her go with the flow unless she wants to wear a swimming costume in the snow or something. And IMO toddlers can carry off pink with orange/red in a way that adults generally can't. I think it's their innate confidence in the rightness of their own decisions that does it.

Let it go. You cannot win, and it doesn't matter anyway. The only restrictions are clothes that are far too cool for the weather (jelly shoes in December) or special smart clothes being worn to school.

Ds at that age took to going to nursery in his older sister's outgrown Barbie pyjama top. Every day for about 4 months.

Dd2 favours boys shorts accessorised with knee socks. She's also partial to waearing her vest over her top.

It does not matter.

i think orange with pink sounds nice

my kids wear all sorts of odd stuff

i honestly cannot be bothered to stop them

dd2 used to hate wearing her wellies

so one day, sick of bribery, I let her go in her stupid shoes to the park

30 mins later, with wet feet, she put the wellies on (which clever mum had brought along)

same with coat arguements, let them freeze, they will soon be begging to wear it

no probs with wellies now, sometimes they need to LEARN things the hard way

take out the innapropriate clothes (woolly hats/jumpers in summer, her best party dress etc) and put them away, out of her sight.

My DD and I have chats of the " (me)I think I will wear my blue top today, to go with the blue stripes on my skirt" kind, and she is now getting into matching colours herself, and often chooses very well (and sometimes very badly imo, but I don't worry for nursery and that sort of place)

I think pink + orange is fab!!

Yes, you will not win, I'm afraid. Let her go with the flow, and be happy she is getting herself dressed.

Dd (nearly 4) has always been like that btw. I'm worried (and feel a bit guilty) that clothes seem to be so important for her.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll go with the flow for now. She's enjoying herself choosing and saving me a job in the morning so why should I get wound up about her unusual choices!!