Please help....

[WonderWild]

What can I do to make getting ready in the morning easier. He does breakfast and brushing his teeth fine. It's the changing diaper and getting clothes on that he struggles with. I try just asking (repeatedly). I try just saying "this is what we must do now". I try talking to him about the friends that he'll be playing with at day-care. I try doing the race thing "I can get dressed faster". I try playful singing "Garrett doesn't have his pants on, Garrett doesn't have his shoes on". By the time all this does not work I am frustrated and LATE and have to wrestle him into them with him screaming "stop mommy". (breaks my heart) What am I missing? What can I do so that we are not leaving the house frustrated and crying in the morning? Please help. I yelled at him this morning while changing his diaper. He was rolling around & laughing and I asked him to please lay still several times. Then I got so frustrated and yelled "STOP!" and he broke down crying. I grabbed him up and hugged him and told him I was wrong to yell at him and I was sorry. He moved past it pretty quickly I think. He then went on to resisted little later when I asked him to put his pants on. What am I doing wrong?

[cmb123]

"He moved past it pretty quickly I think. He then went on to resisted little later when I asked him to put his pants on. What am I doing wrong?"


Although I know a 2 year old is CAPABLE of getting dressed themselves, I've noticed that most of them will not typically just go get dressed when you ask them to. It really has to be something you do together.
I know how it feels to try to get out of the house in the morning with kids. I am a single parent of 3, and some mornings just don't go as planned. One thing I started doing was getting up earlier myself, so that I am ready, and can really give my full attention to the kids. My youngest really needs my help some mornings (and she's almost 5). Another thing that works is to talk to them continually about what is happening next (after breakfast, we're going to go put your clothes on...I'm going to dry my hair, when the dryer goes off it will be time to get you dressed...etc..) I find that when I am consistant with this it really helps. If I get distracted, they get distracted. If I say we're getting dressed when the dryer goes off, but then I sidetrack and start doing something else...then my kids get distracted, then I lose them.
Most of all, try to be light hearted when you can. I know some mornings it's hard, especially if you're running late, but if you can have a little fun with him it'll make the morning less stressful.

[MsMoMpls]

I'll tell you my best secret.... I don't believe in PJs. If I were having this problem, I would dress him the night before and then just do a diaper change the minute he wakes up. He's only 2, he can't really care about what he is going to be doing next- he lives purely in the minute. He is doing what he wants to do and kids hate to be hurried. I start with our least favorite chores in the morning and then make the last few minutes fun by running around the front yard for 5 minutes. My kids don't like the car but they like being outside so I focus on that and then we have this silly game for getting in the car and then we sing in the car. They love their daycare provider but don't think about her until we get to her house. My 3 year old is just starting to be able to anticipate and now we play this silly game about "What is Vicki saying?" We say she is saying, where is Joey? where is Zach? I wish they were here so we could play. That helps him transition but it only started recently. Good luck. I think having mornings go well are important for setting the tone for the day.