Upstate NY Babies

The battle over PJs has started

He doesn't want to change out of his PJ's in the morning. To the point where he screams bloody murder about not wanting to get dressed. It's been going on since we started back to school/work this week. Today, DH got him dressed, but he kept following me around the house with PJ's in hand telling me he wanted them back on. I told them that if he could get his clothes off and PJ's on before we had to leave, then he could wear them (knowing full well that doing this would be a struggle, but I was wondering if he could prove me wrong).

He got his jeans off with no problem, but it was funny watching him try to fit both legs through one pant hole and think it was cool to walk around like that. Needless to say, he was not ready in time, and surprisingly, was OK with putting his jeans back on.

Score one for Mommy, I guess, but how long does this phase last?

Re: The battle over PJs has started

  • Does he like to be naked? Maybe you can let him run around naked for 15 minutes and play and then get him dressed. That gets his pjs off. And then he gets dressed or if he fights it you could dress him while he watches tv (that's how I do dd's hair).
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  • I don't have any ideas but I just wanted to say good for you with your response! I probably would just have said "no" and had to deal with the ensuing meltdown. Hope it is a phase that doesn't last too long!
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  • Nope. Actually, he's the opposite. He'll complain that he's cold, even when he's bundled up in blankets. There are lots of changes that he's going through this week (going back to DC after being home for a week, new room at DC, switching to undies instead of pull-ups at night). Hopefully this will be short-lived once he gets back into routine.
  • Greyson doesn't like to get undressed right away so if it is going to be a struggle then I try something else. If we have time, I let him play if not then I give him a choice do you want to brush your teeth or get dressed.

    I know your little man is older but we try and sign, play, look outside, read a book anything that will distract him. 

    Maybe he would be more excited if he were more involved... pick the clothes, do the zipper etc. 

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  • imageMsZoeB:

    Greyson doesn't like to get undressed right away so if it is going to be a struggle then I try something else. If we have time, I let him play if not then I give him a choice do you want to brush your teeth or get dressed.

    I know your little man is older but we try and sign, play, look outside, read a book anything that will distract him. 

    Maybe he would be more excited if he were more involved... pick the clothes, do the zipper etc. 

    I'll have to suggest that to DH. He's usually the one who gets him dressed in the morning. I'll have him let Ian pick his clothes to see if that will make things better. Even if we set limits and tell him he has X number of minutes until he has to get dressed/brush his teeth/whatever, he will come up with 1001 excuses why he needs to continue what he's doing. It's a lovely little game we have to play each day.

  • Maybe a reward/sticker chart of some sort.  I knew that Gavin would be up in plenty of time for school, but i also knew he'd stall and try to 'just play for 5 minutes' etc all morning...so I put a little numbered chart in his bathroom.  1 - Go potty, 2 - Get dressed, 3 - Brush hair, 4 - Eat breakfast, 5 - Brush teeth.  He has to do 1-3 before he even  leaves the bathroom in the morning, and then we go straight for breakfast.  After he's eaten and brushed his teeth, he gets a sticker and can then play or watch tv until it's time to leave.
  • Sorry - didn't mean to post that yet.  Maybe put two outfits in the bathroom and in the morning, he has the choice of which one he wants to wear and has to get dressed before leaving the bathroom (without tears/arguing/etc) to earn a sticker?
  • Neither of my kids will wear jeans, at all!  They like to be comfortable, it is really hard to climb and play in jeans, even hard to climb stairs when your legs are short.  So Tyler wears sports pants or lined wind pants with elastic waist band, also makes it way easier to dress themselves.  Like these:  https://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/boys_47/bottoms/pants/athletic/PRD~807740/Jumping+Beans+SideStriped+Microfiber+Pants.jsp  or these:  https://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/boys_47/best_sellers/PRD~811678/SONOMA+life+++style+SideStriped+Tech+Pants.jsp

    I am all for comfort over style, especially in a preschooler.  They also never wear buttons or collar shirts.  Brianna likes her fleece pants, but girls fleece pants can be way cuter than boys.  Another thing I have found, is Brianna will NOT let us dress her, she has to do it.  And when she is ready.  I will actually go put Tyler in the car some days with her in the house nude still, but when I come back in, she is 100% dressed and ready to go!

     I don't know if any of that will help.

  • I was going to suggest letting him pick out clothes too.  Although warning- it's also a great opportunity for them to stall. Rosie helps me pick out clothes for preschool the night before. That way we're not facing as big of a time crunch trying to pick in the morning.

    I also find playing a game helps. I either do something silly, like call her pants a shirt, or we try and race, where we see how long it takes to put something on. We also do things like pretend to be an animal or a princess and her clothes are her costume. 

  • TPB - Thanks for the suggestions. There are days when he actually prefers jeans over sweatpants, no matter how hard I try to get him to wear them (like on days when it's raining and I know they won't be going outside). He has a couple pairs that I think he looks really cute in, but he won't wear them.

    Olivia - He may get into the games. It's worth a try. DH is usually the one getting him dressed in the morning, and he has a "you're getting dressed now and you're going to deal" approach to it all. I know that he gives him choices of what to wear, but today there was no diversion that would get him to change his mind. It's only started in the last few days since vacation ended, so I'm hoping that getting back into a routine again will help it go away quickly.

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