Elli has finally discovered the joy of dressing herself. This comes as a relief because now I can hand her her pajamas and she can put them on herself while I change the baby. I remember this being a huge burden lifted off my shoulders when Sammi transitioned into dressing herself for bed, and then for the day.
I say burden because by the time we’re getting ready for bed, I’m exhausted! It takes so much focus (which I seem to lack at the end of the day) to get all the kids in their pajamas with their teeth brushed and their bladders empty and finally settled in bed. To have Elli dress herself is a huge step toward simplifying this process.
The downside to this new discovery is that it is just that, NEW. And every time I turn around, she’s changed her clothes, again. While I’m lamenting the extra laundry, I have to smile at the outfits she puts together.
Helping your little one learn to dress
- Be patient with the extra laundry!
- Provide clothes with give: elastic waistbands and shirts with loose sleeves and necks.
- Let them struggle a little with the clothing, but intervene before full-blown frustration.
- Sit back and let them be in charge. Sometimes I have to occupy myself with another task so she has the room to struggle with her clothes without me hovering over her.
- An older sibling’s clothes can be just right for learning to put on and take off clothes.
- Dress-ups are another great way to practice.
- Enjoy the crazy outfits that come your way!
My little one is there too! It is certainly fun and tiring:) Juliet is very independent and doe not want me to help at all, which leads ( like you said) to major frustration and then in her case, to a fit. Do you have any suggestions as to how to “help” her? Thanks. Glad you’re back blogging.
Thanks, Hilary! Glad I’m (somewhat) back. I do a lot of role reversal as a teaching method. I like this because it puts the little one in charge. So I’ll put my shirt on wrong and ask her if it’s right. Then she laughs and tells me it’s wrong. So I ask her to help me do it right. Then one of two things happens. Either she doesn’t know and I get to teach her and then we move on to her getting her own shirt on. Or she figures it out in trying to help me and then she gets her own shirt on. Also, by showing her that it’s fun for her to help me, then she knows it can be fun for me to help her. Also, I’m reading Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen and I love his ideas about using play to connect with our children. Helps tremendously in all this emotional growth they go through between now and, uh, adulthood!