Help! DD will not keep her clothes on!

[deadheadbelle]

DD is 20 months old & cannot stand to wear clothes. This is OK during the day at home as I usually put a pair of shorts on her with no shirt & she's happy. She's OK with clothes when we are out & about, so no real problem there. The real problem I have is bed time. I put her pajamas on & she drinks her milk. I put her in her crib & when I go to check on her before I go to bed she's sound asleep in nothing but her diaper. Her blanket has been thrown from the crib. I try to get at least the pajama top back on her, but she usually wakes up & if she doesn't, when I go to get her in the morning, she's nakey again. I worry about her being cold. I put her blanket back on her when I go to bed, but I'm sure she kicks it off during the night.

Anyone have any ideas?

DH is very concerned about this behavior as he is already worried to death about having a daughter, much less a daughter who can't seem to keep her clothes on!

 

[slo]

Have you tried the pajamas that have the top and bottom that snap together. Generally there are 2 snaps in the front and 1 in the back. This would be more difficult for her to get out of. I have used these with both of my DD's and I feel they are great.

 

[deadheadbelle]

Originally posted by slo
Have you tried the pajamas that have the top and bottom that snap together. Generally there are 2 snaps in the front and 1 in the back. This would be more difficult for her to get out of. I have used these with both of my DD's and I feel they are great.

Unfortunately, those make her really MAD. She is determined to get those suckers off & she will not give up! She is a bit of a Houdini .

I cannot believe this. I just went down to check on her before going to bed & she was COMPLETELY naked, no diaper, no nothing. This is a first. I put a diaper on her, she woke up & looked at me like I was nuts for interrupting her peaceful sleep.

 

[RNMOM]

Some children aren't comfortable with anything that is binding like elastic waists. Some are bothered by the tag at the neckline.

If it were me, I would consider a nightgown that is very soft cotton. Maybe even a boy's undershirt type of T-shirt with the tag removed. She may be more willing to wear something like that.

My son has ADD and when little REFUSED to wear anything too tight at the waist, elastic that was not covered, as in pants. I did find brands that had covered elastic and he was fine. He is still very sensitive about what he will wear and he is 17.

Hanna Anderson's soft cottons were what saved me all those years ago.

 

[deadheadbelle]

Originally posted by RNMOM
Some children aren't comfortable with anything that is binding like elastic waists. Some are bothered by the tag at the neckline.

If it were me, I would consider a nightgown that is very soft cotton. Maybe even a boy's undershirt type of T-shirt with the tag removed. She may be more willing to wear something like that.

My son has ADD and when little REFUSED to wear anything too tight at the waist, elastic that was not covered, as in pants. I did find brands that had covered elastic and he was fine. He is still very sensitive about what he will wear and he is 17.

Hanna Anderson's soft cottons were what saved me all those years ago.

I have the one-piece Hanna Anderson's that DS used to sleep in. She gets outta those, too. I might try a soft t-shirt.

 

[oogieboogie]

Let her go au natural. What harm could it do? my 1st DS was the same way for a while. We just let him run around the house nekkid. It actually helped potty train him too, cause we told him, if he wanted to go naked he would have to use the potty. One week later, he was potty trained at 21 months.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Some people including kids just run hot.
Was camping last week with dd (3) in NH. I was wearing wool socks, shirt, pants,fleece jacket with hood in my sleeping bag. She was perfectly fine next to me with just a sleeping bag.
She gets that high metabolism from my DH but even he was cold that night!

She would never wear a down jacket or snowsuit. MIL and i put her in one once and had to stop the car to take it off her because she screamed so loud. Basically all winter long i follow her carrying her winter coat so i won't get arrested for child neglect.

Her older brother is the same way. He wears the lightest nylon pants and t-shirts all winter with a light weight coat. The only time he has ever asked to wear a coat was at the top of Mt. Washington in a Blizzard. I of course was following him around carrying his coat. He was 3.

 

[Talking Hands]

Forget the pjs and let go without. Not worth fighting over. When she is ready she will put them on. My girls never wore clothes to bed when they were younger and now wouldn't think of not wearing them.

 

[kadaten]

deadheadbelle
What if you just closed the a/c vents in her room to keep it a little warmer? Then you wouldn't have to worry about the cold anyway

If it helps, most kids go through this stage and grow out of it eventually DS decides to go nakey late in the afternoon, about half the time. He hasn't figured out how to get the diaper off yet. Thank goodness, since he's not potty-trained! It's almost like around 4pm he decides "I've worn clothes long enough today!" and off they come!

Lucky for us both, they're not doing it in public

 

[MinnieM21]

I used to be that way when I was a baby. My mom got tired of putting my clothes back on and just let me go free around the house. It could be that she doesn't like the way the clothes feel against her skin or the tags could be bothering her. That was my problem when I was little, I couldn't stand the tags or anything rubbing against my skin. I'm still picky to this day about the tags in my clothes and how clothes feel!

I would just let her take her clothes off. Also, maybe cut the tags out of her clothes, that could be bothering her. Maybe also try to find clothes that are very soft, let her run around in a soft nightgown or something like that. Clothes that aren't restricting.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Ahhh, yes. The "Nakie Stage" as I called it. Maddy HATED clothing AND diapers. It was very common to go into her room in the morning grinning with nothing on. She figured out the snaps on her outfits and rip them off, then off went the diaper. All I could do was wait for her to outgrow it.

 

[nealymouse]

My 11 yr old DD never wore cloths to bed as a baby. Hated them. She also was a hot sleeper and when she did start wearing pj's to bed most nights winter and summer I ended up taking them off she because she was sweating.


Hated her diaper too but that was a bonus because she was potty trained very young.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

DD also does not like clothes. She is a big sweat ball at night even with nothing on. Personally, I don't think it's worth the fight.

 

[LisaZoe]

I have to agree with the others that say not to worry about it. I doubt you home is cold enough for her bare skin to be a concern. My DD also went through a stage like this. I don't think it had much to do with her not wanting to wear clothes as her being able to undress herself... and she liked to practice. Also, she'd often kick off the blankets and I'd be tempted to put them back once she was sound asleep. However, after seeing the perspiration on her forehead, I know she's fine and can also pull a blanket over her if she does want one at night.

One thought, though, if you do want to keep her in her PJs through the night. Have you tried letting her pick out some? My DD definitely has her favorites (the pretty nighties, of course) and often is very excited to put on the ones she got to pick out from her drawer. This way she feels more like it is her choice to wear them and not something Mommy makes her do.

I will admit, though, that I'm not too picky about what she sleeps in as long as I think they are comfortable and safe. Tonight, for example, she fell asleep in the car after a zoo trip. Her clothes were too dirty for me to feel like letting her sleep in them so they got stripped off and she's only in her diaper. She sleeps so soundly that she doesn't even wake up enough to be aware when I'm undressing her. That's also why she still wears a diaper at night - even though she's been potty trained for most of the year.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I agree with let her go without pj's. Obviously she is uncomfortable in having a layer of clothes and a blanket or too warm or she wouldn't be tormenting you this way. Don't worry about her being too cold, she generates enough body heat to keep herself warm. A rule i was taught was, If you are cmfortable, match the type of clothes the baby wear to that of your choice. (i.e. you put on a t-shirt and shorts, the little one does not need to be in a sweater or fleece)

Do you put her in 100% cotton jammies? The CPSC does require that 100% cotton pj's are snug fitting - think fit like long underwear. They look uncomfortable as heck, but it's for the child's protection in the event of a fire. She maybe sensitive to the fabric if not cotton (kids pajamas are 100% polyester to be flame retardant kids). My first thoughts when I started reading your posts were - she too warm and she doesn't like the tag.

 

[deadheadbelle]

Thanks for all the responses everyone!

I had pretty much given up on PJs, I still put them on her at night, she just takes 'em off. I am a "hot sleeper" too, so I guess I understand. Maybe I'll let her pick out a pretty, soft nightgown. Of course, during the day she may pick out a dress to wear & be so excited....for about an hour, then off it comes.

Thanks again!