Reply to 2 year old refuses to get dressed in the mornjng

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Reply to "2 year old refuses to get dressed in the mornjng "

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[quote=Anonymous]I love how many of these responses are like "well obviously the way to handle this is [x] how could you not know this" and then everyone is contradicting each other.

It depends on the kid and your family and how your life works. If the kid is home with you or a nanny or goes to daycare, just saying "okay wear your pajamas" could work and short circuit this battle and be an easy solution.

If they go to a daycare with specific clothing requirements, or part of the "getting dressed" battle is not wanting to put on outdoor layers that are required for the weather, that won't work. Maybe in that case you need to change the incentives, provide options, mix up your morning routine (kids this age often respond well to a routine where they know what's coming -- "we're going to go eat peanut butter toast and apples for breakfast, and then put on your clothes" -- because just having a sense of what is happening next makes them feel more in control than just abruptly announcing that it's time to get dressed, even if you do it every morning), etc. You have to figure out what works for your kid and for you.

Ignore the people saying "oh, just put the clothes on him, you are bigger and stronger." This can work for some kids but not others. It's also more likely to work with a 25 mo old but not an almost-3 year old. At best, it's kicking the can down the road. At worst, it will just make the problem worse because if you are engaged in a power struggle, applying more force tends to escalate, not de-escalate.

Be curious, because this is a common battle ground but not the last one. This is a chance to find out what motivates your kid, how they respond to different strategies (some kids love options, others get overwhelmed, some do well with a picture checklist, others will derail that approach, etc.). Then you can apply that info later when their independence grows to other things, like food, going to school, bedtimes, etc. Every kid is an individual and they will respond differently to different strategies. Two is when you really start figuring your kid out, and it really ramps up at 3/4 in most cases. And by 5/6, things will calm down, at least on stuff like getting dressed, eating dinner, bedtimes, etc. But don't forget the lessons you learn because you will have to level up again as the move into puberty. Good luck![/quote]

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