Dd5 wants to wear dresses. every. single. day...

[Aubrey]

1. The morning mantra goes like this:

 

"G, go get dressed."

 

"Can I wear a dress today?"

 

:001_huh: If I say yes, I have to check which one she chooses. I've tried to explain play dresses vs. dressy dresses. And sometimes, I. get. tired. of. it. Leave me alone already & just GO. GET. DRESSED. Kwim?

 

Otoh, I hate saying no. I mean, she's a girl. She wants to wear a dress. That's great! And I *know* that saying yes is better than saying no.

 

So here's what I'm thinking. I'll take the dressy dresses out of her closet & hang them in baby's room. On appropriate occasions, she'll know that she can choose a dress from there. The rest of the time, the answer is, Wear what you want. (From your closet.)

 

W/ regard to the Absolutely Adorable Tshirts that I hate to see go to waste & that I hate to give away since I really love them on her, I may just sew skirts to them all. So she's all dresses all the time. No fuss, no hassle. And all play dresses, for that matter.

 

The only thing remaining is--why aren't skirts just as good??? And she's SO adorable in shorts & jeans & such. But...I know that's selfish. I mean. Not nec. in a bad way. And I can always leave her a couple of those to choose, too.

 

So what do you think? Any other suggestions? Honestly, I know I'm lucky. I'd rather have a girl refuse to wear shorts & jeans than one who refuses to wear skirts & dresses. And I *love* how happy twirly skirts make her. So I'm not sure why I'm posting. I've just been brainstorming a solution for a while, I'm sitting here folding laundry, & just thinking of asking you guys for advice...well, I put all these pieces together. I guess what I want to know is, does this solution fit?

[Remudamom]

I think your idea is good. Just move the ones you don't want her into and make dresses out of shirts for her. Dresses are cooler anyway than pants.

[Sharon H in IL]

Good plan. Just remove the ones that aren't appropriate so her available choices are always OK. And if you're up for it, sewing her T shirts onto skirts is a great way of getting the mileage out of them you need to.

 

Good job, Mama! Don't worry, be happy!

[Jen500]

I think your idea is good. Just move the ones you don't want her into and make dresses out of shirts for her. Dresses are cooler anyway than pants.

 

:iagree:

Sniff sniff. I love my boys, but sometimes I miss some of that girly stuff. I myself find many dresses more comfy than a skirt and top. Sometimes the waistband is too tight or too loose in the skirt.

[Tammyla]

It may be a phase or just her girl thing. I agree with removing everything that you don't want her to wear. That way each day is a simple...Go get dressed, no muss no fuss.:grouphug:

 

fwiw, my dd went through a dress only phase. :001_smile: Her favorite was the Snow White one from Disney Land. Oy...What a sweet memory;).

[Parrothead]

Yeah, move the fancy dresses to another closet. But I can see you having to say, "from your closet," every day.

 

My dd always preferred to wear dresses at that age. Even now at almost 9 she enjoys wearing her dresses. The only time she wears pants or shorts is when she wants to play outside. Last year she tried a dress with snow pants, and finally realized that I was right about it not working too well.

[Melinda in VT]

I think your idea to move the dressy dresses out of the closet is great.

 

As for sewing skirts on the t-shirts . . . I'd just encourage you to keep some just t-shirts. In my experience, it is right after I switch the entire wardrobe over to what the child has been insisting on wearing for months that the kids do a complete 180 on me and refuse to wear whatever they had formerly chosen. :tongue_smilie:

[Sophia]

My 12 y.o. was like that for years.

I had two dressy dresses for church and the rest were playclothes.

My mom made her bloomers to wear under them so she could still play however she wanted without thought of who was seeing her undies (yes, she cared.)

I bought her dresses at resale shops so I didn't fret about them getting ruined or stained.

I think she preferred dresses because it was so easy to get dressed-slip it over her head and she was done.

It's actually less laundry, so rejoice!;)

 

She still likes dresses, but prefers capri's now.

[sagira]

Ah, because I was going to say she can maybe wear a T-shirt over her dress?

 

Nnot the fashionista here, I know.

[Tracey in TX]

Enjoy this stage. Most little girls enjoy it until they hit school-age (approx 6-7y/o) and then you just might find yourself begging her to wear a dress :)

All my girls loved wearing dresses at that age. Utterly adorable. Then they became "cool" and only one of the girls would wear a dress (oddly enough, it was my tomboy?!).

 

They have all returned to skirts, but only one will wear an actual dress unless I threaten with brute force:lol: Enjoy this stage. Enjoy this stage. Sear it into your brain before she discovers wonderful world of fashion!

[Jugglin'5]

And while you're at it, buy or sew her some of these:

 

http://www.amoretti-designs.com/theskirty.html

 

My youngest daughter is a dress wearer, and these have made my life easier.

[Niffercoo]

My 9 year old went through a phase like that when she was about the same age. I think it lasted 2 years, and she wouldn't even wear pants in the winter. I stocked up on cotton dresses and tights or leggings. In the summer, she wore biker shorts under the dresses. All of a sudden one day she asked to wear a pair of pants. I was so shocked, I actually took a picture of her wearing the pants! LOL Now she wears a wide variety of clothes.

 

It wasn't a hill I was prepared to die on. And with this child, I have to be very mindful of that! ;)

 

I think putting the dressier dresses in the other closet is a great idea. And maybe now and then, pull one out on a non-dressy occasion to surprise her and let her know you're the best mom ever! :)

[~Tara~]

My 4 yr old enjoys dresses too. Though, she also likes skirts. And isn't opposed to shorts/pants/capris. But anyway..she really REALLY does like her dresses and twirly skirts. Anything that was fine to wear for play is kept in her drawers. The closet is only for 'good' clothes. Everything else is kept in her drawers for easy access. That way she can easily differentiate...drawers = play/around the house and closet = good/dressy (can be seen out in public in :p )

 

And I gotta agree with the others who have said NOT to get rid of the other stuff. I just know in my house as soon as I did that, all heck would break loose and preferences would change. I just *know* it! No way would I chance that. hehe

 

But if she needs a few more dresses, by all means, convert a few tees. I just wouldn't ditch them all.

 

Enjoy the cute little twirlies :D

[GailV]

We were All Dresses All The Time for a while.

 

As a matter of fact, I even let her wear her Easter dress whenever and where ever she wanted once Easter was over. She wore it to the playground, in the sandbox, through the sprinkler, in the mud. Oh, she loved that Easter dress! Oh, she had so much fun wearing it almost every day. And we still have the tatty remains of it -- it's such a treasure now, and we all smile and laugh when we see it, remembering the neighbors being so aghast to see her running through the sprinkler in a frilly dress.

[Erica in PA]

That sounds like a good plan to move the fancy dresses. I wouldn't give up too quickly on the tshirts, though. Try to find a couple really twirly, long, pretty skirts, and dd might love finding different combinations! I know my 5 yod certainly does. The best investment I ever made in her wardrobe was finding three long tiered skirts at the consignment shop: one dark blue denim, one black cordoroy, and one green cordoroy. It's amazing how many shirts go with those three skirts!

She doesn't refuse to wear pants or shorts, because it's pretty much established that I have the final say on what she wears each day, but they would never be her first choice. I try to let her wear what she wants to whenever possible, but there are times when I have to overrule her preferences because of what we are doing that day, etc.

 

Erica

[Peek a Boo]

We were All Dresses All The Time for a while.

 

As a matter of fact, I even let her wear her Easter dress whenever and where ever she wanted once Easter was over. She wore it to the playground, in the sandbox, through the sprinkler, in the mud. Oh, she loved that Easter dress! Oh, she had so much fun wearing it almost every day. And we still have the tatty remains of it -- it's such a treasure now, and we all smile and laugh when we see it, remembering the neighbors being so aghast to see her running through the sprinkler in a frilly dress.

 

this is where we are too.

it took dh a few months to get his head around that idea, lol.

 

thank God for thrift stores!!

 

and yeah-- the dresses have to be twirl correctly,

and skirts aren't good enough.....

 

and she changes from one dress to another about 5 times a day.

but she's having fun.

 

i was soooo hoping to have a tomboy!!

God is laughing at me. hysterically.

[3lilreds in NC]

Yes, it's probably a phase. Both my girls went through this, and 7yo dd still wears dresses often. For her, it's simplicity, I think - she doesn't have to try to put together an outfit, an area in which she is challenged, LOL. Most of our dresses are jersey knit material, and we wear them for church and play (unless they stain them or tear holes in them, etc). We do have a couple of fancy dresses and I have had to draw the line at wearing long-sleeved velour in July and August. :D

 

My girl LOVED the dresses my grandma made for them with tank-tops and a bit of fabric. They wore them until they were absolutely, without question, too short to be worn any longer. I think sewing quick skirts onto the shirts you love is a great idea!

 

And, FWIW, I've decided that what they want to wear is not a hill I choose to die on - within reason, of course. I won't allow inappropriate clothing, but if they want to wear plaid with stripes and they think they look good, well, no one thinks *I* chose that outfit! :lol: I will tell them that they don't match and they should change one piece, and if they choose not to, that's up to them. I have friends who cannot stand it when their children put together eccentric outfits, but you know, there will come a time when they care so much that it's crazy-making.

 

Dresses are cooler, too, when one lives with a dearth of AC.

[Jenny in Atl]

We were All Dresses All The Time for a while.

 

As a matter of fact, I even let her wear her Easter dress whenever and where ever she wanted once Easter was over. She wore it to the playground, in the sandbox, through the sprinkler, in the mud. Oh, she loved that Easter dress! Oh, she had so much fun wearing it almost every day. And we still have the tatty remains of it -- it's such a treasure now, and we all smile and laugh when we see it, remembering the neighbors being so aghast to see her running through the sprinkler in a frilly dress.

 

This sounds like my two - both went through this. It was just not a battle worth fighting. Boy did they love those cotton dresses (Hanna Anderson). I got most of them used. Such a wonderful age. :)

[readwithem]

1

So what do you think? Any other suggestions? Honestly, I know I'm lucky. I'd rather have a girl refuse to wear shorts & jeans than one who refuses to wear skirts & dresses. And I *love* how happy twirly skirts make her.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

Go give that girl a big kiss. Right now.

 

Love your solution BTW - you are so creative! :)

[beansprouts]

1. The morning mantra goes like this:

 

"G, go get dressed."

 

"Can I wear a dress today?"

 

 

 

At 4 years old my dd informed me that the word "dress" meant to put on a dress, and I should tell her to "shirt" if I wanted her to wear a shirt :lol:

 

I purchased some pretty, and inexpensive fabric and made several simple play dresses with matching shorts. She loved them and wore them until they were rags.

[beansprouts]

We were All Dresses All The Time for a while.

 

As a matter of fact, I even let her wear her Easter dress whenever and where ever she wanted once Easter was over. She wore it to the playground, in the sandbox, through the sprinkler, in the mud. Oh, she loved that Easter dress! Oh, she had so much fun wearing it almost every day. And we still have the tatty remains of it -- it's such a treasure now, and we all smile and laugh when we see it, remembering the neighbors being so aghast to see her running through the sprinkler in a frilly dress.

 

 

Suit yourself. I just can't bear to see a $30-40 dress in the sandbox. :eek:

 

My dd was okay with the idea of "play dresses" as long as they were flowy enough.

[WTMindy]

Oh yes, I do remember that stage.

[Alaska Mom]

"Choose your battles wisely"

[Starr]

I always figured I could wash dresses just as easily as jeans. :)

[sleepy]

Dresses, schmesses... when ya gonna have that baby? That's what I want to know! :tongue_smilie:

[PeterPan]

Aubrey, maybe you could curb your enthusiasm for the cute tees by replacing them with some equally cute dresses? My dd is in the last size for them now (sniff, sniff), but she's worn a lot of Hanna Andersson stuff that is unbelievably cute. In fact, the dresses are so cute that some of them go from day to church just fine. And they make these cute matching tights and little clogs and cotton underwear and slips and... Well I never could get my dd to wear all those things. But the dresses, she has loved the dresses all the way till this year. Now everything is skirts, gotta be skirts. (enjoy it while you can!) But I already bought her dresses ahead for fall, hehe, when they were on clearance... But it's her last year.

 

Don't know how I'm gonna get used to boy clothes if we have a boy. Maybe they make cute stuff for them too?

[Kuovonne]

Sounds like my 5 year old.

She has a closet full of clothes, including t-shirts and pants,

but she always dresses herself in dresses every day, with

the occassional skirt thrown in.

All of the dresses in her closet are play dresses, even though

they are quite pretty and even appropriate for church.

She likes them becase they have puffy sleeves, and full,

long twirly skirts. I like them because she happily dresses herself

each morning without my involvement, and they costed me less than $10 each.

 

Any dresses that are difficult to wash or that she can't put on all by

herself are kept in a different room that she doesn't have access to.

She knows that they are only for special occasions.

 

I also make sure that she has enough shorts to always have a pair of

shorts under her dress. Most of her dresses have matching shorts, but

some do not, so she just picks out a co-ordinating solid color pair of

shorts for those.

 

This system has worked for me ever since DD5 started dressing herself.

Fortunately, we live where the climate is mild and I don't have to change

out her wardrobe for the seasons.

 

-Kuovonne

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Suit yourself. I just can't bear to see a $30-40 dress in the sandbox. :eek:

 

My dd was okay with the idea of "play dresses" as long as they were flowy enough.

 

Well, but consider this: Instead of 24 "wears" out of this dress (the twenty Sundays that comprise the rest of the warm weather season, assuming she wore the dress EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY), she gets, say, 48 "wears" out of it. (This assumes she wears it to play in twice a week all summer, which is more likely to happen than that she wears it 24 times just to church, right? And here I'm assuming that Sun. night and Wed. night services are much more casual than an Easter dress warrants.)

 

Your $40 dress, worn every Sunday for six months cost roughly $1.66/wear. Using it as a play dress, it only costs about $.85/wear. Much better value that way. And it sounds like this kiddo probably wore the dress more than just twice a week.

 

:)

 

It's the same reason I justify using my best dishes for everyday. I cannot afford to have spent that much money and use them three times a year. I Just. Can't. do it. So my Christmas dishes came from a thrift store.

[newbie]

Dresses, schmesses... when ya gonna have that baby? That's what I want to know! :tongue_smilie:

 

Me too.

 

Jet

[beansprouts]

Don't know how I'm gonna get used to boy clothes if we have a boy. Maybe they make cute stuff for them too?

Oh, definitely!! Those little shirts with the clip-on neckties "just like Daddy wears" are the cutest :001_smile:

[beansprouts]

Your $40 dress, worn every Sunday for six months cost roughly $1.66/wear. Using it as a play dress, it only costs about $.85/wear. Much better value that way. And it sounds like this kiddo probably wore the dress more than just twice a week.

 

:)

 

 

This would be a good point, except I have the petite little girl who hasn't outgrown a dress in two years :lol:

[Aubrey]

Aubrey, maybe you could curb your enthusiasm for the cute tees by replacing them with some equally cute dresses? My dd is in the last size for them now (sniff, sniff), but she's worn a lot of Hanna Andersson stuff that is unbelievably cute. In fact, the dresses are so cute that some of them go from day to church just fine. And they make these cute matching tights and little clogs and cotton underwear and slips and... Well I never could get my dd to wear all those things. But the dresses, she has loved the dresses all the way till this year. Now everything is skirts, gotta be skirts. (enjoy it while you can!) But I already bought her dresses ahead for fall, hehe, when they were on clearance... But it's her last year.

 

Don't know how I'm gonna get used to boy clothes if we have a boy. Maybe they make cute stuff for them too?

 

Dresses just don't seem to go on sale as cheap as shirts. And the shorts & jeans? They just *grow* in the drawers, so they're free. :001_huh:

[justme]

This is a very cute phase, but I just have to tell you about my sweet ds. He went through a phase where he always wanted to wear a tie like daddy! It was the cutest thing. He had a small collection that he kept in his 'lockbox' of all places! He looked so cute and dapper!

[Aubrey]

This is a very cute phase, but I just have to tell you about my sweet ds. He went through a phase where he always wanted to wear a tie like daddy! It was the cutest thing. He had a small collection that he kept in his 'lockbox' of all places! He looked so cute and dapper!

 

You know what? Ds7 has just started this! Only, it's a belt. W/ EVERYTHING. Very awkward looking at times, but he wants to look like Daddy. (Who, come to think of it, has been known to look awkward at times, but that's another story, lol. I'm afraid ds won't be inheriting good fashion sense from *either* of us! :lol:)

 

But you're right. It's very sweet. Dh wanted to correct the belt ensemble on an occasion or two, but I objected. I figure he'll outgrow it too soon.

[Philothea]

My DS5 wants to wear a belt every day too!

 

Why?

 

So he can be like Daddy, of course. How funny, it must be a little boy thing. I can't tell you how many times he has wrecked my "getting ready" schedule because he is behind, trying to put on that confounded belt or whining because he cannot find it.

 

But then again, I remember wanting to walk just like my dad did when I was little. I think it annoyed my mother a bit that I never wanted to imitate her.

[clane]

I have this issue with my DD (5 yrs) as well. We have hung the "special" dresses on the left of the closet, then shirts, sweaters, etc with the playdresses on the right. She and little sis share a room, so the only other closets belong to DS, DH and myself (I know I am NOT sharing closet space!)

 

DD will wear a shirt and skort in lieu of a dress. How does your girl feel about skirts (with built in shorts)? Those are a delightful compromise here and park appropriate!

[Aunty Social]

My middle dd went through the same phase. All dresses, all the time. She, however, did NOT like tights. Luckily, I was able to find leggings that went under her dresses (it gets cold here in the winter!)

 

Sounds like you have a good solution worked out. Enjoy the phase while it lasts. Now I have to beg to get my dd to wear a dress unless it's Easter or Christmas. She still likes the really fancy ones:001_smile:.

 

I miss the girly princess phase....but the current Harry Potter/Spy girl phase is pretty fun too!

[Angel]

I haven't read the replies, but enjoy it while it lasts. My dd went through a similar phase for over two years. Now at 7, going on 8, it's pretty much over. I miss those cute phases (though I absolutely know & understand what you mean by having lots of cute clothes that she won't wear!). First no clothes, then only swimming "soups," then only ballerinas, then skirts and dresses.... Now she thinks it's cool to wear her big sister's hand me downs which are still too big *sigh*

 

Don't sweat the small stuff, it's over far too fast.

 

Angel

[6packofun]

Sounds like you need to find or make some of those t-shirt dresses! LOL I haven't made them myself but am sure they're pretty easy to do AND you could dress them up a bit with cute buttons, ribbon, little rosettes or iron-on applique things. Or not. LOL

[chaik76]

Sounds like your idea of removing the dressy dresses is a good one. I wouldn't make wearing other clothes a hill to die on. She may grow out of the dresses phase (then again she may not...I've never grown into a dresses phase!).

:)