picking out their own clothes

zigi

Fri, Aug 22 2008, 5:04 pm

fyi, I did not dress dd today. dh also has fashion sense. she threw a fit and wanted to wear a pink shirt with a heart a purple and green plaid skirt and pink and purple argyle knee socks, over a bathing suit. dh didn't want to fight with her. do you force your kids to wear what you pick out? ds picks out his clothes. I taught him what matches. one day he went to the store wearing a camp tshirt over a bigger undershirt and swim trunks. they should have buttons that say I chose my own clothes today.

stem

Fri, Aug 22 2008, 5:28 pm

I have a deal with my preschooler that she could wear what she wants on vacation days, but on school days I pick out her clothes.

gryp

Fri, Aug 22 2008, 6:01 pm

I usually always choose my kids' outfits but the one day my oldest insisted on wearing what he wanted I sent him to school with a Mitzvah note about how he got dressed all by himself including getting his own clothes out. It wasn't a terrible outfit though, or I wouldn't have let him.

Pickle Lady

Fri, Aug 22 2008, 6:22 pm

When my kids insist on picking out their own clothes I give them a choice like this shirt or this shirt. If they are not going anywhere they need to be presentable sometimes I let it slide. My 2 year old sometimes puts on very interesting outfits.

mandksima

Sat, Aug 23 2008, 3:01 pm

No one in their right mind would fight with my 7 year old DD about this.

That said, sometimes she matches, sometimes she doesn't and really the thing that bothers me more is that her clothes are always getting stained, not that they don't match. I tell her the "rule" of picking out one piece solid color and the other can be a pattern.

cubbie

Sat, Aug 23 2008, 3:08 pm

My older dd started to pick her own clothes out when she was 2!!! So I taught her about what matches and what doesn't if she would pick out a skirt and shirt that didn't match I would pick out other things and explain that if she wants to wear this shirt she needs to wear it with one of these skirts but if she wants to wear this skirt she needs to wear it with one of these shirts and she was fine with that. Now she picks out not just her outfit but her baby sister's too!!! She has great taste and the great thing with her was that at age 2 she decided for herself that she doesn't wear pants anymore, I was really happy that the decision came from her and not from me.

shopaholic

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 7:26 am

Most nights I leave the clothes out for the next day so there's no problem. Still, once in a while I forget so I let them pick but they know that I have the final say. I don't make a big deal out of it. JUst non-chalatly say, "Get the red shirt" or "take a short sleeved shirt"

Mimisinger

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 7:57 am

Well ds sometimes chooses his tops, never his bottoms, so I usually just pick some shorts or pants that match the shirt. That said, many times, he's not appropriate for the weather, ie long sleeves or sweaters in 100' weather.

Helani

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 7:57 am

My five year old dresses herself. Sometimes I help her pick. Other times it's strange combination. My only real rule is that it has to be tzniusdik, otherwise I'd rather have her dress herself than have one more kid to dress.

Amital

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 8:05 am

I let them do it, with a few rules.

For example, one pile is Shabbat shirts--not for every day. Otherwise, I have all the short sleeved shirts in a drawer (or long sleeved in season), and let him pick any one he wants. He can choose the bottoms, too, which are all pretty staid: jean, khaki, etc...

I only have boys, so it's not too terrible. I guess if I had girls, if might get trickier!

flowerpower

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 10:35 am

I prepare the clothes and tell ds to dress. He couldn't care less what he wears and just puts on what I give him. I do count my blessings on that one.

mandksima

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 4:18 pm

flowerpower wrote:

I prepare the clothes and tell ds to dress. He couldn't care less what he wears and just puts on what I give him. I do count my blessings on that one.

My son is like that so B"H I don't have two kids that must decide on their own. During the summer, he picks out his clothes really fast when he wants to go outside and play and sometimes I don't catch him until he's dressed already in unmatching clothes. He doesn't make a fuss if I want him to change though.

During school days, he's so tired from waking up so early, he eyes are still closed when I get him dressed. LOL

greenfire

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 4:27 pm

I used to have the outfits folded as such ... besides you want to teach them good matching skills at a young age -give them choice A or B ... now wonder there are clashing adults running amok ... although these days it can be considered "artsy" ...

zigi

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 4:34 pm

I fold the clothes into outfits, dh doesn't always stick to it. he said that he asked dd what do you want to wear. oops. I usually let her pick from two acceptable choices. its interesting to see what the dc will put together.