Oh the joys of morning madness…. The key to smooth mornings is ORGANIZATION. Getting a non-compliant four year old to get dressed can sometimes be a challenge. Young children are egocentric and unpredictable, which can make them very hard to live with sometimes. Here are some strategies for you to try:
- Stay calm and try to not make a big deal of getting dressed. A sense of humor can also be helpful
- Get dressed as soon as they get up and not right before you want to leave
- I would suggest giving your son two clothing options the night before. He chooses which one he wants to wear and then there is no further discussion on the matter (unless there is a weather surprise!)
- If your child insists on wearing the same clothes, consider buying more sets of the same clothing perhaps with different colors. They will eventually become bored with the ‘uniform’ they have restricted themselves to wearing
- When getting dressed, distract him with a story or talk about the events planned for the day
- Ask for your child’s help to get them dressed (reverse psychology sometimes works!)
- Try using reward charts and lots of positive reinforcement
- If they refuse to get dressed, consider taking them out in their pajamas. Pack clothing to take with you
Parent Tips
Catherine writes: ‘My four year used to make my mornings a living hell. I was so stressed and angry, I felt like I was bribing him constantly and nothing happened without the promise of a treat. Mornings left me feeling like a parenting failure. A friend suggested I let my child go to sleep in the clothes he wanted to wear in the morning. I thought it was ridiculous but I tried it and it was great. Eventually he started asking to wear other clothes, but it helped us get through a tough time. Talk to other parents, we all have our challenges!’
Crystal suggests: ‘My four year son had major issues getting dressed in the morning. As a family we started having fun ‘dressing’ games on the weekend. We would put a set of clothes at one end of the room and each family member would take turns hopping or crawling down the room in a relay and putting on the dress-up clothes and running back. We played it in teams and timed as individuals and I think it made ‘getting dressed’ a fun thing to do. In the end I think the games plus a star chart and leaving him to do it without me fussing over him helped. Looking back on it, I can’t believe it was such a major issue for me, he is older now and we have NEW issues to contend with’.
Related Tips
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- Milestones - preschooler 4 years old
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