With each milestone, both parent and child celebrate as that child becomes more and more independent. Getting dressed without help is one of the biggest milestones a child can reach, and it can sometimes be one of the trickiest. That may be because of the construction of the clothes as well as how they are stored away. Here are a few tips that can help ease your child into a full-fledged big kid.
Organize the Closet And Dresser
Although the thought of this may seem overwhelming, having everything organized can not only save time, but it can also make getting dressed for your little one that much easier. For starters, simply having everything neatly organized will help make picking out the clothes much easier for your child. However, labeling rows or sections of items such as socks can help tremendously. A picture of socks, for example, at the head of the sock row is a great way to help little ones get dressed without making a huge mess searching through the drawers.
Choose Easy-On, Easy-Off Clothes
Clothing with elasticity is easier for children to work with, not to mention that stretchy fabric tends to have the additional benefit of comfort. Pants that have an elastic waistband are much easier for a child to pull up and down as opposed to pants with a button and a zipper. This works especially well for children who are potty training and who may need to pull their pants up and down multiple times in a day. Buttons can be a bit tricky as well, so pullover shirts are a great choice when choosing easy clothes for your child to put on.
Start in Reverse
Many children learn how to remove clothes, especially pants and diapers, long before they learn to put them on. This is okay as it can at least give your kids an idea about half of what they should be doing. After a while, your child will want to put the clothing item back on as well. While this may often be sort of a game, this “playing with the clothes” is a great and fast way for children to learn how to get dressed by themselves.
Teaching your children how to dress themselves does take a little time and patience. Although you may be tempted to do it for them, especially if you are in a rush, investing that little time in teaching them now will pay off greatly later on.
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