Monday, April 16, 2012

Toddler Dressing Olympics

So getting my toddler dressed in the morning has gone from a quick 2 minute process to a full blown race around the house. Then it dawned on me, there are many ways the sport of toddler dressing can take form.

The cooperative toddler: The time when your precious bundle of joy is actually willing to put that pudgy little arm in the shirt sleeve, or lets you put on shoes that fit just right. However, I rarely see this until half way through the dressing sport.

The run away toddler: My toddler's personal favorite event in the sport of dressing. She loves to let me get her undressed, get her new diaper on and then she flips over and runs away. There is a lot of, "Come back here." and  "You need to get dressed, Mommy has to go bye-bye. Don't you want to see Papa?" Typically all of these statements get a simple, "No." response. Then I have to get up, and chase after her while she runs into the nearest corner in a feeble attempt to hide from me. After I retrieve my darling toddler, I have to fight the thrashing and crying to get her pants and shirt on. The shoes typically are more fun for her, she likes to watch them get put on.

The could have been cooperative toddler: Once in a while, my sweet little girl will do exactly as I ask, "Go lay down in your room, you need a butt-butt change." She'll go lay down on her bedroom floor all nice and sweet and the second I grab the diaper and wipes out comes the kicking, screaming, fighting toddler. Typically this occurs more when there is a diaper rash or something...but she still kicks and fights getting dressed. I'm fairly sure that is where a good portion of the bruises on my legs have come from.

The half dressed toddler: Usually I can manage to get a diaper changed, pants and socks on my toddler easily. I'll sit her up to put the shirt over her head and hike those tiny little jeans up over her no butt, and she takes off. She laughs running around the house without a shirt on, belly hanging out. Typically I have to chase her down and get the shirt on over her head before she collapses to the floor in one of her typical morning fits.

The distracted toddler: Similar to the cooperative toddler, but instead of helping she is distracted. Be it the tv, a random toy she's yelled, "Me!" for, or a stuffed animal she's mauling for the 100th time, she's a bit more cooperative until the shirt has to get put on.

Anyone else have a fun toddler dressing story to share?

1 comment:

Veronica said...

Oh hun, James is nothing but the could have been, but I know its only wishful thinking, cooperative Toddler! lol He HATES having is diaper changed, and has for a long time! Now he's to the point of telling me when he goes poo, and usually even runs to where I tell him to lay down. As soon as I get everything together and go to take his pants off, the fighting begins! The kid has bruises on his legs regularly from me attempting to hold his legs still so he doesn't kick me in the face, the chest, the stomach, the... lol you get the point! (And I usually ahve random bruises also!) Once the great fight is over and the diaper is on, attempt 1 to escape happens, no mommy I don't want pants. Then the shirt fight is about the same as yours. Floowed by shoes, he again acts like all is going to go easy, but then just as the sock is barely touching his toes, he flips and bolts!! On the other end, Keirnan does just what I tell him, though he's always distracted so I might as well be changing a dead weight!