dress themselves?

Before potty training my two could get their pants on... Not always the right way and a lot of times both legs in one pants leg but at least they tried! Well, not so much anymore. <_<

So I'm thinking that we really need to work on that. They know how to work a zipper and most buttons.

When were your kids able to dress themselves, shirts, pants, shorts? I'm talking about you laying them out and they hardly need any help... How did you help teach them this?

Mine can put on their socks and most shoes by themselves.

Thanks in advance!!

 

I'd say mine started around the age of 2. To actually do it themselves kinda varied. I'd guess around 2.5, but they were in long sleeves & pants at that time, so they sometimes put things on backwards or had problems with sweatshirts & stuff. By age 3, they were proficient, though. Occasionally now they'll have issues with socks, but not often. They also have a hard time doing a button on their pants (most of them snap, though) & they obviously cannot tie their shoes yet (I only buy velcro anyway!). I love just laying their clothes out & having them get dressed on their own! Mine can also do their coats, snowpants, boots, mittens, & hats...they just need help with their scarf! It's so nice ! Hope your kiddos get proficient soon!!

(Side note funny story: I had laid the boys' clothes out last summer for daycare & told Conner to put clean underwear on when he got dressed. We got to daycare & he had to go to the bathroom & that's when I noticed...he hadn't put any underwear on! To this day, I check to ensure they're FULLY dressed !!! LOL)

 

My 4.5 yr old could do it without supervision around the age of 4, but even now at 4.5 she sometimes needs help with her zipper on her pants or getting a shirt over her head

 

DS doesn't care, DD has been able to put on pants for about 2 months (obviously sometimes backwards or inside out)... they both could do shirts if they really tried but we still help.

 

They both can do it now but one is better then the other. If I tell Mitchell to do it himself it usually will get put on backwards. Just in the last couple of months they can go to the potty on their own...turning on the light, pulling down pants, putting up lid and then pulling pants back up and flushing. It is so nice!! Since They were potty trained really early I had to help them with everything for almost a year so I'm glad they've reached this milestone

 

Shirts were the hardest -- they learned that around age 3. (They still can't really do buttons, unless they're really big.) They still get things on backwards fairly often, just because with some dresses it's hard to tell which is the front. (DH has trouble with this too. :ibiggrin: )

However, having the motor skills to put their clothes on and having the willingness to actually do it are two completely different things. They're 5, and I still dress & undress them nearly all the time because it is just so much faster than nagging them to do it on their own.

 

What Alden said. My two have no desire to dress themselves. At all. Maybe they'll put on their socks and shoes, but most likely they won't and would rather sit there and whine about having to get dressed and "I don't want to wear white socks" and "Not that shirt."

 

Around 3 we started expecting them to do it themselves, except for buttons and zippers.

DH taught them how to lay their shirts on the bed front down and pull it up over their heads. I had no patience to teach them that (they'd freak if it got stuck on their heads, but for DH they were cool with it). We also told them to put the underpants/pants on the floor with the tag/writing on the floor and then pull them that way. As for buttons and zippers, they recently learned those.

Now at almost 4 they do it all themselves... in fact they won't let me help them, which can be super frustrating for me when we are in a rush :wacko:

 

ours don't do zippers and buttons so well, but they will pull shirts on over their head or the button down style like coats and pull pants up and pull their underwear up... that's so cute to see!

but like today, I look over and my ds had his button down shirt on inside out... whoops.

usually I just keep repeating "tag goes in the back"... and they say that about everything. at least it gives them a starting point as to how to put the item on.

 

Like Alden said, ability and willingness are two different things! Just the past couple of weeks the girls have decided that they are going to dress themselves. And they still need me to stay with them and encourage or they get distracted and get no where fast! Before that, I got the "I caaann'ttt" Even though I *knew* they could. Wasn't worth the fight at that point.

But Ellie informed me the other day that they were 4 now and could do it. And they really are doing a good job. Can usually do buttons, some zippers. Snaps/buttons on pants are still hard for them.

 

Ditto this... This post got me worried that my 3 1/2 year olds should be able to get themselves dressed by now. But honestly I haven't really given them a chance to do it on their own, because they won't. It's just easier to do it for them.

 

I want them to dress themselves but we've never tried it. Maybe we will. I can't believe how early you guys' kids are doing it! Wow!

 

My oldest DS still likes me to help him get dressed! LOL But he has been able to independently dress himself (with some help on buttons) since he was around 4.5. My twins, 3, show absolutely no desire and I haven't really encouraged it yet. I don't mind dressing them, keeps them "babies" a little longer!

 

Jori, not only does it keep them as babies, it keeps me from flipping my lid!! I'm a little, um, anal-retentive about being punctual and by dressing my two, it still takes less than 2 hours to leave the house.

 

DD can mainly dress herself (can't do buttons or zippers though) and does not like to pull the shirt over her head, so I have to put the shirt on and then she does the rest. DS, however, can pull his pants and underwear up and down, will not put on a shirt himself, can take it off himself and has a difficult time taking his pants and underwear all the way off. He says, "It's too heavy" :unsure:
They also have trouble getting socks on but have no problem getting them off.

 

Ours learned how around 2.5. I found a new job and had to leave the house well before the kids and DH got up. DH got tired of helping them get dressed so he taught them how to do it by themselves. I get their clothes out every morning, but they dress themselves. We still have issues with zippers or buttons sometimes, but overall they do a great job.

 

Love all the feedback!! It sounds like we're like a lot of you, I really haven't given them a lot of chances to do it.

I totally get the want to do something and the ability to do it! My 10 year old would still prefer that I pick out what he wears so he doesn't have to do it :laughing:

 

Mine are 4 and Addison could care less - she tries to dress herself and does fairly well - with the occassional shirt on backwards. She can even zip her coat by herself . Ava Grace ALWAYS dresses herself but the problem with that is she only wants to wear things that are HER style and trust me her STYLE is not suitable for leaving the house!! She LOVES her candy corn colored striped tights and according to her they match EVERYTHING. if those are not available it may be princess pj pants with a shirt that does not match and her black tights underneath. and maybe her swimsuit by itself in January. and of course her sparkly ruby red slippers with every outfit LOL! but she has a hard time with zippers and buttons. some parts of dressing themselves are nice while others are frustrating!!

 

Yeah, I don't even give them clothing choices - so they could care less what they wear! I love it! :laughing: My oldest DS, by this age, had very strong opinions on what he wanted to wear (and it drove me insane) and I blame it on the fact that I would give him choices in which shirts and pants he wore. What was I thinking? :lol:

I'm with you - it takes me forever to get out of here in the mornings - I don't want to add any additional time onto that!