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Kathryn
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 1:18pm | IP Logged
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What do you do? I think I have 3 main areas to deal with. I thought we had this under control last year but in the last couple of weeks it's started again. Mainly b/c we're changing seasons and she has it in her head that it's still "spring/summer" b/c we live in TX so it's not freezing every day. Sometimes she changes 5-6x a day. Her room is a constant wreck b/c of it and it's making me batty. I can get her to clean up but I've found very dirty clothes mixed with the clean and I just don't like waiting for those 2x a day we do a quick clean-up. She shares this room with her big sister so space is already limited so it just looks like a wreck all day.
I left her with a couple of capris and t-shirts if she was "hot" in the house but she's still constantly changing betw. the winter clothes we start with and then might change shirt or pants or skirt b/c it might get a teeny, tiny something on it. Then she puts on pj's or ballet clothes and then puts on several different dress-up clothes and then if it's time to go somewhere, she shows up ready to go out, not in her original winter clothes, but "spring" clothes.
Last year she only wanted to wear skirts and dresses and this year it's just pants but I have all these skirts and dresses now! Then she doesn't like to wear the tights or socks (even when it IS freezing) b/c "they're all crinkly" around her toes.
1: Do I *make* her wear weather appropriate clothing? Yeh, right...how do I do that? I've literally had EVERYONE in the car waiting on her and she comes out with shorts and a t-shirt and it's 35 degrees. Or she'll go outside to play appropriately and then sneak back in to change or take her coat off.
2: Do I remove all her clothes and give her one outfit a day? If so, where do I store all the other clothes? It seems she finds them or it becomes a hassle for me to get them. Plus she's just as likely to sneak back outside with her ballet tutu on if there's no other clothes.
3: Ideas on when kids don't like the seams of tights and socks?
Ohh...and she doesn't have THAT many clothes. A couple dresses, few skirts, 2 pair pants; quite a few shirts.
WHEW...
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 1:24pm | IP Logged
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Maybe buy some footless tights or leggings she can wear under her skirts?
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 1:36pm | IP Logged
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I soooooooooooooo remember my dd being like this! Does she layer like crazy? Promise not to laugh at some of the stuff I tried, OK?
My most over-the-top was when we actually had a "ceremony" to put her winter clothes away to welcome summer clothes. It didn't work but it does make for a funny story now  . But something like this might work for some kids.
I did store her off season clothes in bins out of sight.
We instituted family rules for clothing. Clothes must be clean, weather appropriate, and event appropriate. I also stressed that it is a privilege to choose your own outfit, not a right. The privilege can be lost and Mom can say no to an outfit that doesn't fit the 3 rules.
The seam thing...that's a big clue to me that she may fall into the "spirited child" category...she's probably intense and sensitive  .
That all that's comes to mind off the top of my head. My dd is now 19 and dresses in clean clothes that are weather and event appropriate plus she has a fabulous, creative style all her own.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 2:10pm | IP Logged
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Angie Mc wrote:
| Does she layer like crazy? |
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YES! I ended up taking her to urgent care last night (double ear infection AGAIN!) and she came out with seam-less tights that she found (ratty as they were), SHORTS, a t-shirt and a thin button up sweater that was put away for her baby sister so obviously too small! I was busy getting the other 3 kids to a neighbor and calling urgent care since DH wasn't home and really worried about her b/c she had broken out all over her face in hives so I didn't supervise her "get ready to go" outfit.  It did make me laugh b/c she looked...well, not very well put together! I was able to get her to change the shorts into a skirt and that's how she went. I looked across the waiting room and thought "gosh, she doesn't match AT ALL and looks like a vagrant child". Oh well!
Angie Mc wrote:
Does she layer like crazy? Promise not to laugh at some of the stuff I tried, OK?
My most over-the-top was when we actually had a "ceremony" to put her winter clothes away to welcome summer clothes. |
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The ceremony might work. however I've made a VERY BIG DEAL about now it's winter and I get "uhh...I don't think so, there's no snow outside."
Which leads us to:
angiemc wrote:
The seam thing...that's a big clue to me that she may fall into the "spirited child" category...she's probably intense and sensitive .
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YES!! I guess in some ways she is more compliant when instructed to right her wrongs than my son was (they're like 2 peas in a pod though) so I've never realllly thought of her as spirited but I suppose she most def. is.
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 2:26pm | IP Logged
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ah.. this is the age I keep threatening to get them a button to wear that says "I dressed myself" 
I put away anything that I don't want them to wear.. and don't worry about color or matching or odd combos skirt over jeans and a non matching top with a clashing sweatshirt.. oh wait that's my 11 yr old..
Even if it's warm enough to get away with shorts, it's likely cool enough that pants are also perfectly resonable to wear without overheating.
Seriously look around and you'll probably find this age in the grocery store wearing a superman costume or ballet costume or total mismatches etc.
honestly around here i do put things under lock and key(winter coats for one) And the out of season and wrong size clothes are stored in the garage in totes and stacked. So not easy to reacquire.
I'd also make putting away clothes as easy as possible. Even if it's just something like.. here's a tote for clothes that have only been worn once.. that way at least they're not on the floor and not in the laundry and you have a chance to sort and help them get put back where they need to go.
I have never found a solution for the "I got a small spot and I must change right this minute" though. Because my kids will still take off the offending item and run around without. But it usually pretty short lived. And some of them go through a stage where you can't get the clothes off them to get them clean again so it all balances out. 
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 5:10pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| Maybe buy some footless tights or leggings she can wear under her skirts? |
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I have a few issues. First, I've never found any that are as thick as her tights and along with that it just seems like her ankles should be covered. Then when she's barefoot her feet and shoes get stinky. Last and possibly most important, she has a birth defect on her left leg and it's shorter so she toe walks on that foot. With that she has constant cuts on the ball of her foot from walking barefoot outside that look really gross and dirty always. We clean and put ointment on it every night but I'm afraid it's going to get infected and become a serious health issue. I keep thinking she needs to get used to covering and protecting and caring for her feet/foot. We tried putting moleskin over the cuts and that doesn't last long at all.
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Dec 23 2011 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| I put away anything that I don't want them to wear.. and don't worry about color or matching or odd combos skirt over jeans and a non matching top with a clashing sweatshirt.. oh wait that's my 11 yr old.. |
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jodielyn wrote:
I'd also make putting away clothes as easy as possible. Even if it's just something like.. here's a tote for clothes that have only been worn once.. that way at least they're not on the floor and not in the laundry and you have a chance to sort and help them get put back where they need to go. |
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THAT'S THE BEST IDEA EVER!!
jodielyn wrote:
| I have never found a solution for the "I got a small spot and I must change right this minute" though. Because my kids will still take off the offending item and run around without. But it usually pretty short lived. And some of them go through a stage where you can't get the clothes off them to get them clean again so it all balances out. |
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Ok...this is all too funny. At least I know it's not just her! My DD 12 was never like this. My DS 11 only wanted "patterned" shirts. So, 3rd child and I've never quite had to deal with this much in the clothes dept.
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 24 2011 at 7:05am | IP Logged
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I have this issue with my dd as well. She will change often, and on some mornings we have crying in the closet because, "I don't know what to wear". This can go on for quite awhile. Suggestions from mom only make her cry more.
Well, at least the Spirited Child book has a whole chapter devoted to Getting Dressed, so we are not alone!
One thing I remember from the book is: Take everything out of the closet that you don't want your child to wear. I think Jodie covered this. If shorts aren't available, she can't put them on.
I have weather issues here, too.... some days quite chillly and others in the 70's. Yesterday my dd (7) wore a blue and brown polka-dotted skort with a purple flowered short sleeved shirt. Very interesting. But since it was a 70's day, and she had a top and bottom on, I let it go. Otherwise I would have had 30 minutes of crying. But I have to remember to put away that skort....
I find my dd goes through phases... all dresses, then only stretchy pants, etc. So I never give up on clothes until she outgrows them.
I have also given up worrying what other people might think about the way she is dressed. I provide clothing that is modest and fits and is clean.
I can't control the "color blocking" and "pattern mixing". I think of it as fashion forward
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: When your 4 yo DD is a clothes hound!
