https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Jul 2026 03:45:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340356 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:18:16 +0000 hilsy85 2340356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At 2, I think we usually got him dressed while he watched a short video on our phones! not the best method, but it worked. It was either that or muscle him into clothes. He also never cared about picking his outfit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340338 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:08:10 +0000 Rockies11 2340338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I do a lot of stuff, but my best trick by far is that I pretend to be the clothes monster coming to put her in her clothes and sort of stomp over there and she runs a bit and giggles, but it lightens the mood when I am stuffing her in her clothes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340288 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 13:13:48 +0000 ShootingStar 2340288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unfortunately he doesn't really care about clothes. One shirt is the same as the next. And choice of location doesn't work either 😕. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340285 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 13:10:25 +0000 Golden 2340285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Let him pick his clothes. Also, DD knows no milk or cartoons until she gets dressed and goes potty. We just make it a known rule. She comes in to "wake me up" dressed for the day. If it's snowing and she's wearing a dress we just tell her she can stay in that until after breakfast, then it's time to change. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340266 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:51:27 +0000 MoreCoffee 2340266@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This was a struggle for us, too...we too resorted to putting him to bed in his clothes for the next day for a while. Now I also let him pick where he gets dressed. The night before, I bundle together his outfit for the next day, hand it to him as soon as he gets out of bed in the morning and say "good morning, do you want to go potty and get dressed in your bathroom or the downstairs bathroom?" Then distract distract distract until he's already doing it. I find if there's any down time he'll decide he'd rather do something else and it will be a saga. It mostly works. On days where he flat out refuses I will force him, but man, I hate doing that. Angry toddlers can be VERY STRONG. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340233 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:25:18 +0000 catlady 2340233@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been going through this on and off for a few months now. Here are some of the things that have worked for us (Also one general strategy is to mix up all these other strategies so she doesn't catch on):<br /> - Dress her as soon as she gets up (only works if she is still drowsy)<br /> - Offer choice of two outfits, if she doesn't want one, try two more, etc.<br /> - Offer choice to change locations ("do you want to get dressed in your room or downstairs in the living room?")<br /> - Sometimes I have to offer a specific thing (for ex. right now she really likes clothes with pockets, in the past it was wearing boots)<br /> - Sometimes I say "let's find clothes that are like Mommy's" and she will agree to wear something that is the same color or style as mine </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340211 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:15:51 +0000 kodybear 2340211@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i started dressing dd at night... she wears comfy clothes like leggings and t shirts so i just change her at night and in the morning no struggle!! just get out of bed and ready for the day. now at almost 3 shes alot better about changing in the morning. it just takes her forever to do it. but shes motivated by pretty dresses and characters now so its alot easier than it was when she just turned 2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340190 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:08:25 +0000 Alivoo01 2340190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Truth Bombs: LOL!!! Fortunately, DS doesn't go around showcasing his shirt off to outsiders yet, just me and DH. But that's cute. Things we do to get things done.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340182 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:05:27 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 2340182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh we had an awful time with this a couple of months ago. It's still hit or miss right now (power struggle for sure), but it was truly awful. Several days resulted in me just holding her down while I got her dressed (if we had to leave the house) or letting her stay naked (and miss out on fun things like the park).</p> <p>Letting her pick her clothes helped, and getting excited for certain clothing items. Plain old bribery worked occasionally as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340163 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:49:34 +0000 Truth Bombs 2340163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Alivoo01: For a period of time my friend could only get her son dressed by psyching him up for whatever was on his shirt that day. Which meant that as the rest of us moms dropped off at daycare he would proudly tell us SO EXCITEDLY what was on his shirt when we got there. "MY GOT MY FOOTBALL SHIRT ON TODAY!!!!!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340126 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:22:31 +0000 Alivoo01 2340126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is into airplanes and animals so when he refuses to change, I tell him very excitedly "look! This shirt has an airplane on it! *gasp*" And he'll be like ooo! airplane?! Yep! Airplane!! He'll say okay, and change. </p> <p>Or he'll tell me he wants a particular shirt. Sometimes, I'm like ugh, but if that's what he wants and it'll make things easier, then fine. I just have to make sure said shirt isn't dirty in the laundry or something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340125 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:22:20 +0000 catomd00 2340125@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I give a warning, that in x minutes or after you finish x we are going to change. I also let her pick her clothes out. Otherwise I just chase her around while I get her clothes on. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340103 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:09:23 +0000 PurplePeony 2340103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD is in this phase. It often helps if she and I get dressed together (mommy puts a leg in my pants, A puts a leg in her pants! Now let's do the other one!). Giving her a choice between two shirts doesn't usually work, but if I say "go get a shirt from your drawer" she'll usually put it on without too much fuss. So I've given up on cute, matching outfits for now and am embracing the color clashes. :wink: Basically, giving her as much autonomy in the process as we can is the best strategy we've found. Some days are just a battle, though, no matter what we do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340079 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:49:28 +0000 rattles 2340079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD1 went through this. So frustrating! Daniel Tiger's "Pick the Clothes that are Right for You!" episode/song helped us some. We'd talk through what we were doing that day, then I'd sing the little jingle and we'd pick clothes for the day/activities together. It's still a power struggle every now and then, but eventually it stopped being a big thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ds-refusing-to-get-dressed#post-2340047 Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:23:58 +0000 ShootingStar 2340047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is almost 2, and I'm really struggling to get him dressed in the morning. There are some times that I can manage to get him dressed after breakfast, but there are days like today when he's completely peed out of his diaper and soaked his PJs and I just want to get him changed ASAP.</p> <p>I used to be able to motivate him by asking if he was hungry or wanted to do something else downstairs, and he'd agree to get dressed so he could eat, or whatever. But now he just ignores me, runs away, or says he's not hungry.</p> <p>Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? I feel like he's a little too young to understand sticker charts. But I'm getting pretty desperate to stop having this gigantic fight every morning. </p>