Getting your toddlers dressed.....

This is a task many parents struggle with, including me. My daughter, Abigail does NOT like clothes, lol. After a bath, she's cold, so she'll keep her jammies on for a while. That is until she gets warmed up and then off come the jammies. My youngest daughter, Sierinity doesn't mind clothes, but hates socks. So again, after the bath, even though she's cold, she rips those socks off and exposes her little toes. I assume she likes the wiggle room.

Here's a few tips i've learned in my near 3 years of parenting....

Give your kids options! Most parents think little ones arent capable of pick

ing out a good outfit, or maybe they just want them to wear something specific that day......this is why most of the time, children are eager to get those clothes off. Every night before bath time, i pick out 3 jammy sets, and i lay them out on my bed for Abigail to choose. I find, even though it may take a few minutes for my indecisive girl to pick out a perfect pair of night time clothes, she wears them longer and i think, it's because she's in something she likes. Now my little girl isn't old enough to pick yet. I know this because every time i try to give her a choice, she takes them ALL and holds them like their stuffed animals, lol. Since she's not one to want to go streaking yet, i don't worry too much about it.

During the day, most mommy's don't want to give their kids the pick of the bunch because they're afraid they'll pick a crazy, non-matching outfit that they'll be embarrassed to go out in. So what?! They're children, they don't have school, work, and they certainly have nobody to impress. I think it's insanely cute when i'm at the grocery store and I see a little girl in striped tights, a long sleeve polk a dot dress and a white t-shirt. If anything, it shows how patient of a parent you are. One BIG thing about letting your kid go out in public with mix matched clothes is, make sure your child is clean and has his/her hair brushed. There's a difference between cute and homely. Now if you absolutely do not want your little one wearing multiple crazy outfits, give them a choice of a few pre-matched outfits. Much like our night time routine, lay out a few outfits on the bed, and ask your child to pick what they think would be comfortable for the day. Try to make it simple, make sure each bottom will match each top, that way, if they want to be independent and pick one pant from the set with a different shirt, they can.

Kids need to make choices so they don't always rely on you. You probably already pick the clothes for them at the store, and match them up in the closet, so if you pick what they'll wear too, they'll never learn how to do it on their own. Dress time shouldn't be a battle, it should be fun! There's so many things you can do with an outfit to make your child happy and adorable. Right now, my Abigail is wearing a long sleeve pink 'everybody loves me' shirt, blue jeans, sparkley pink belt, princess light up tennis shoes, and her favorite, piggy tails. Sierinity is wearing a white long sleeve rocker shirt, black and silver polk a dot leggings, and hot pink tutu, with of course, piggy tails. They look ADORABLE and so far, they've kept all their clothes on, lol

choices, mix matching, and tutus,

The Wiles Family