2 yr old not wanting to get dressed

mlee116

Hey ladies, 

I need some help/tips to make our mornings easier.  DS never had a a problem with us getting him dressed on weekday mornings...until the last week or so.  Now it is a battle every morning.  It's like dressing a tornado!  I guess its just some kind of phase because nothing in our routine has changed.  We get dressed first, then he gets up and after a few minutes of letting him "wake up" and snuggle time, we get him dressed.  I've tried letting him pick him the clothes, trying to get him to help, etc. I find myself getting frustrated with him and I just hate having that extra stress right before we all leave for the day, you know? Any ideas?

TheBorg7of9

Dress him the night before? Or take him immediately to changing tae upon waking?

TheBorg7of9

Have a special toy that's just for dressing time. Or special game ... I use 'this little piggy went to market'

snicksnack

my daughter did this for at least a year.  If I knew we had to be out by a certain time she went to bed dressed.  worked for us and she loved it.

jennyelf

Sometimes I've made it into a game. "Does this shirt fit mommy? No! It's too small. Does it fit LO? Let's see!" It takes a little longer than when LO is being willing, but it's faster than when LO starts to take off all the clothing as we put it on. Distraction with other objects also works well.

MommyAtty

My 20 mo just went through a phase where she wanted to be naked and she loved to be chased. (Heck, she's probably still in the phase!) So I would put on her shirt, she would run. I would catch her. I would put on her pants. She would run. One sock. Next sock. You get the picture. So now the moment she is out of bed, I change her diaper and put her clothes on her while she's still on the changing table. She doesn't get down until she is fully dressed. I have to say I'm impressed with her athleticism. I think she could be an all-pro running back with how fast she is and how able to escape someone's grasp!

mlee116

@MommyAtty, no kidding about the athleticism!  I don't know how someone so small is so strong!

I love the idea about getting him dressed the night before!  Plus there'd be less laundry for me since I won't be using pj's

emberlee3

Change him when he first wakes up, then snuggle.  I've had the kids get dressed the night before when we have to leave very early for a trip, but I don't quite understand it for every day.  Clothes don't seem as comfy as PJs.

Virgo17

I think getting him dressed immediately upon waking would be easiest.  Lay him on the couch, maybe put a cartoon on, and in the two minutes it takes for him to be fully awake, he will be dressed!

cecilyandgautam

I get the least resistance when she's still groggy. So maybe don't give him a few minutes to wake up? Just put a shirt over his head, pull on some pants (all in like 30 secs flat), and then have snuggle time?

MaggieF516

See it's worse for when he just wakes up, he just wants to snuggle for a few minutes. I actually make it the last thing I do before walking out the door.  I actually let him lay in bed watching tv while I did it this am and it seemed a lot easier.  I don't even think he realized I was doing it LOL

mlee116

Thanks for the ideas, everyone!  I didn't think about clothes not being as comfy as pj's so I guess I will scrap that idea unless we have to leave early or something the next day.  Tomorrow I'm going to try it when he's still groggy and see if it helps!