Help! spent 1 1/2 hours trying to get 2 yr-old dressed this morning - Page 2

[Mom&BabyChiro]

What a great discussion! We also struggle off and on with getting our 2 year old dressed. The majority of the time I just do it anyway, despite protests. Sometimes I will give him another option which seems to work. He doesn't like clothes, diapers, training paints or underwear that are at all scratchy or uncomfortable, and will keep complaining and pulling them off until he succeeds. But as long as the clothes work for him, he is usually over it quickly.

Our current issue is the opposite. He gets very attached to whatever shirt he is wearing and doesn't want it to come off. To the point of screaming, scratching, trying to bite and physicallly doing all he can to hold the shirt on. Not his normal behavior at all, it kind of baffles me. I let him wear a pajamas shirt for 3 days straight last week because it hadn't gotten dirty and he freaked out every time I tried to take it off. But since then have been trying to be more consistent with "I'm sorry, it has to come off because it's wet or dirty or..."

[jennybear]

I try to be playful and give DD choices (she's going to be 2 in December) when appropriate, but I work full time outside the home so there is no option to take 90 minutes to get dressed. Sometimes I have to do a diaper change/get her ready even when she REALLY doesn't want it to happen. That's the way it goes sometimes.

[coffeegirl]

AndreaOlson, we have also found the "hokey pokey" song very useful in getting our toddler dressed. :) Or putting on a diaper. It distracts her and she likes the music enough that she forgets to fuss about the indignity of having her arms put through the holes of a shirt....or the dreaded 2 seconds when the onesie/top/dress has to go over her head...or the boredom of being still and not flipping over for 5 seconds while I try to get the diaper on her lol.

[mambera]

Originally Posted by reezley   If one of my boys is not getting dressed, I have many times just sat them in my lap and done it for them.  Not angrily... just getting down to business.

For everyone who is saying "just dress the kid"... so do all of you have the type of child who will just accept this?  I had been relying heavily on "Count to three and then I will help you do it/do it for you" but at this point I am really no longer physically able to wrestle my large, strong, tantruming 2 y/o into her clothing (btw I am 9 mo pregnant right now).  The last time I managed it she just ripped everything off the second I had her dressed.

(Right now my system is to pretend I'm going to leave the house without her unless she gets ready right away- it only works if we are the only two at home though, otherwise she is like fine I will hang out with Daddy.)

I mean, OK maybe you can still physically force them into their clothing for a period of time but how do you force them to keep it on?

[mamazee]

My 2-year-old is really easy going and does just let me dress her if it comes to that, and she doesn't take her clothes off. The joys of an easy child.

The older one was not easy going at all and did rip her clothes off at any time. I think I had some default fancy dresses that I'd put her in when she didn't want to get dressed because even when she didn't really want to get dressed, she'd usually put up with a fancy dress and sparkly shoes.