How can I get my 5 year old to get dressed?

Question

Every morning is a fight in our house. My 5 year old does not want to wear any kind of pants, socks, or shoes. She says they squeeze. There is not pattern to the type of material, type of pants, type of socks, etc, we've tried it all. She doesn't want the seam in the sock and I can't find seamless socks. I don't really want to have to spank her everyday to get her to get dressed but that's practially where we're about to be. anyone else go through this with their kids?

Answer 1

Lay her clothes out and tell her she as 15 minutes to get dressed. If 15 minutes goes by and she's not dressed, spank her.

Answer 2

You can make a game with the socks. give her some markers and let her decorate them. She can make a pair to be proud of. See who can dressed the fastest. How about taking your five year old shopping with you let her pick out a pants and a shirt, she will feel proud that she did it and will have a good day with mom in the process. make a big deel about how nice it was and have a fashion show when you get home. I found the more I let my kids chose their own cloths for the day. The day I stopped worrying about whether socks matched and stopped getting upset that the new socks I bought were decorated with their names, flowers, whatever was important to them at that moment, the more I just accepted their five and within reason they are gaining their independence and there is nothing I can do to stop it. The faster I got out of the house. The less screeming there was in the morning. The funner I had finding out what they were going to do next. Six is right around the corner. Good Luck.

Answer 3

First of all--STOP catering to this nonsense. You said "We've tried it all." So STOPSTOPSTOP!!!! Let her know in no uncertain terms that you're not going to argue with her about it anymore, and if she can't pick out some clothes and get dressed herself, then YOU are going to pick them out for her. Then do it. Set the clothes out, and set a timer for 15 minutes, and tell her that she has until the timer goes off to get dressed, or she's going to have to go straight to her room after school and stay there for the rest of the day, AND go to bed an hour early. NO TV, no video games. Then leave, and let her fuss all she wants. Then FOLLOW THROUGH on the warning. Yes, it's going to stink to have to make her stay in her room a whole day, but she'll live through it. You will probably only have to do it for maybe 2 or 3 days at the most, then she'll see that you mean business and the nonsense should stop.

Answer 4

make it a game that is the only way i've ever found affective! Tell her just in the begining of the process that she can pick what she wears and make sure she has clothes that she likes and feels comfortable in. If ever she finds a pair of pants she likes get many pairs of them slightly diffferent! You wouldn't want ot wear somthing you felt uncomfortable in either now would you. If she's complaining that they are too tight and she doesn't like the seam i had the same problem and what really worked was turning the socks inside out it makes the seam less noticeable!!!!! i promise you it really did work for me... good luck!!!! :)

Answer 5

If you can , allow her to help select clothes that she chooses feel good or fit properly. Take time with your daughter at night and choose clothes for the next day this will limit the arguements and spankings b/c she chose it. My daughter is nine and we go through this daily. I get her up twenty five minutes earlier than everyone else for the same reasons. I lay out the clothes SHE picked out the night before down to the shoes, reminder her to get dressed and leave her in her room with reminders to get dresses every now and then.

Answer 6

Dont fight --just pick the kid up and put the kids britches on, u may have to tickle behind the knee to bend knees.
Dont say a word , just do it.
Dont dare spank the child for this...the child is growin and learnin.
Just dress the child til the child is ready to dress herself.
The child is not a minature grownup, remember that.
Your gal will be grown up way too fast and u wish she was little again to dress.
Be mature and think positive, turn the radio on christmas music instead of fussin and fightin

Answer 7

I guess I'd be sure she doesn't have some kind of allergy to the materials, but other than that....I'd let her wear her PJ's to school a few times, explaining to the teachers that she gets to make a choice what she wants to wear to school, so that you can get out the door on time and without starting the day with a terrible fight. I bet if you stop making it a battle...after less than a week of letting her choose what to wear as long as you are out the door at "x" time.

Answer 8

She's 5 years old, you are the mom, she is 5 years old, you are the mom, she is 5 years old, you are the mom. Get it yet?? Tell her to get dressed or you dress her. She is not old enough to make these decisions, and she is too young to send to school to be embarrassed!!! If she doesn't want to get dressed then she gets punished, there is her choice. Be consistent and don't let your "poor baby" feelings get in the way.

Answer 9

Set a timer like a stove timer.
Tell her she must be completely dressed
by the time goes off, or else go to school like that.

Once she shows up at school a few times not
perfectly dressed, she'll be embarassed and be
sure to get dressed after that.

Also you could make it a game and have the timer going off
and you and she could be dressing at same time (and let her
win)

Answer 10

try letting her pick out her own clothes the night before, then in the morning you can set a timer or make a game out of it. my children pick out their own clothes and it is pretty easy for them to get dressed.--good luck