Getting your child dressed should be the easiest of tasks, but all too often it turns into a armed combat between you and your toddler. Even if you are telling them to don their favorite sweater, a control-hungry toddler is very likely to shout a definite "No!" if it was chosen without his or her being consulted and approving the choice. This can make dressing your child a major challenge for the parents of toddlers. Next time you face this challenge ....



Offer choices. Granting your toddler total control over the contents of his or her wardrobe probably isn't a very good idea and definitely isn't practical - unless of course you're happy for them to be wearing a bathing suit and flip flops on a freezing winter day, or a tutu and wellies on a trip to the mall. Offering them even a little control over what they wear though, can avoid major arguments when you're dressing your child. So, offer your toddler a choice between two or three outfits. If she comes up with a weird and wonderful selection of her own come up with a compromise if at all possible - why not offer to let her wear it under her other clothes? To minimize the chances of unsuitable outfits being chosen when you're dressing your child, then pack out-of-season garments away.

When you go shopping for new clothes, allow your child to choose the garments he prefers from a few that you've already decided will be suitable. This won't give you a cast-iron guarantee that he'll wear them, but it will improve your chances!

Don't offer your toddler too many options. When you're dressing your child, if you offer her a wardrobe stuffed with choices you're just about writing the script for confrontation. Too many options will overwhelm and frustrate your child - she simply won't be capable of a decision. So keep her choices down to two or three at most.

Praise his choices. Compliment your child and make them feel good when they've chosen a suitable outfit, but try not to criticize him when his outfit is mismatched and, from your point of view, ill-chosen. When dressing your child make suggestions if he's open to them, "that red checked shirt would go well with those red dungarees, don't you agree?" but don't worry if he doesn't follow your suggestions. He has plenty of time to develop good taste and develop his own style.

Lastly, when the challenge of dressing your child threatens to get you down, try to keep your sense of humor. You're going to need it. Although once the toddler years are past wardrobe choices should get less stressful, eccentricities are certain to reappear and multiply with a vengeance once the teenage years are upon you!