Learning to Dress

As a toddler, your kid is very interested in all that is happening around her. In fact, she may be more observant than you think. She enjoys imitating your actions. One such action is the art of dressing and undressing by herself. In fact, she learns the art of undressing by herself even before she learns how to dress herself. Most toddlers consider undressing by themselves a sign of independence. Usually, your toddler accomplishes the art of undressing herself when she is between 1.5 and 2 years old. Once she does this, she is most likely to enjoy running around the house undressed. However, she will also soon learn to dress by herself. Usually, this is a bit more complicated and your toddler will master this by the time she is around 3 years old.

Taking a long time to get dressed can make your toddler restless.

Tips to get your toddler to self-dress

• Hug her as you undress her and just before you begin to dress her.
• Start with dresses which are simple to wear. Minimising the buttons and avoiding zippers in her dress is a good idea.
• Distract her by talking to her about her upcoming activities for the day. This can be about her calling a friend over for a play date or even about herself.
• Encourage self dressing in your toddler using a size bigger than her actual clothes and those which are very simple.
• Allow her to dress her toys just like how you dress her. However if she has her own style of dressing, encourage her to attempt various ways to complete the dressing.
• Turn the dressing process into a game. One way to do this is by pretending to search for a while for different parts of her body as you put the dress. For example, you can pretend to search for her right hand. After sometime, express your joy in finding her delicate right hand and slip her hand through it. Another way to do this is put her dress on and tell her what part of the body you slipped through her. You can put her left leg through her underwear and tell her "You just put your left foot in". A main advantage of playing such games with the baby is they also help in developing her cognitive skills.
• Give her a choice of two to three dresses and ask her to choose one. Do not give her the whole wardrobe to choose from as it may confuse her. She may even end up choosing winter clothes for a bright sunny day.
• If your toddler appears to be uncomfortable or sensitive to a particular dress, get her some soft and comfortable dresses. The irritation may be due to a tag or an elastic in the dress.
• Reward your toddler with hugs and kisses each time she attempts to dress herself. Remember to provide your child with your patience, help and encouragement as she struggles through the art of dressing.

If you have to get your toddler ready for kindergarten, try getting up a little early. This way, you can help your toddler dress herself rather than having to take over the task from her. Also, this makes dressing an enjoyable time for both of you.