Getting dressed
By now your child's already probably pretty good at removing their clothes - I'm sure you'll have experienced dressing them up in their best clothes to go somewhere, and not five minutes later you've a naked toddler running around! But getting dressed can be a little trickier.
However as a toddler's sense of independence grows you'll probably find that they are keen to do things themselves, and picking out their own clothes and getting dressed is a key part of this.
What's this all about?
At around 15 months most toddlers recognise themselves in the mirror, and of course clothes form a key part of how you look. Many adults use clothes as a way of expressing elements of their personalities, however at this stage, for children it's more about feeling a little more grown up and independent.
That said some children become very interested in clothes from an early age and are keen to express themselves! My cousin told me a funny story about her little girl who's now 26 months old.
They'd been having a go at potty training, so weren't too surprised to find her in different clothes when they picked her up from nursery - the nursery keep a box of spare clothes in case of accidents.
However, the next day when they picked her up she was in different clothes again, but somewhat mysteriously her own clothes didn't seem to be damp.
She spoke to the nursery staff and they said that she'd been using the spare clothes as her own dressing up box, and that she'd not had any little accidents at all! The staff figured that there was no harm in her dressing up games, so just let her carry on!
How should you handle it?
Getting dressed is a key life skill, however of course all children are different. Some (like my cousin's little girl) will be very keen to have a go and will get the hang of it quickly.
Others may find it a little trickier, and may get frustrated if they can't succeed.
When your child is first learning to dress themselves keep it as simple as possible. Finger and hand coordination will develop over time, but for now avoid anything too fiddly - trousers or skirts with elasticated waists, soft jersey tops which can be pulled on and off and shoes with velcro fastenings are all good choices.
You can then gradually introduce more complex things like buttons, press studs and zips as time goes on.
The most important thing is to be patient, and prepared to demonstrate a few times before your little one gets the hang of it. If they get frustrated be on hand to help and comfort, and remember to celebrate and congratulate them as they improve. As Winnie the Pooh says: Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.
Play & Pretend
At Mini Ps, we provide lots of material and props for the children to play with. Help improve your child's finger coordination with a game of Dressing Up.
