Versteckis

The instant I get to my office this morning, I sit down, boot up the computer and search "getting toddler dressed in the morning." It has been another round of me asking A to come to get dressed and her going to play with something else. After getting up with plenty of time, after setting the timer and discussing what will happen when it beeps, after making sure there is some time for her to play, and still I got:

beep beep beep

Me: Ok A, let's go get dressed now.

A: Nein! Five more minutes.

I about lost it. my voice went up, and I went into upset-mama mode. Now, looking back I think our discussion about me giving her 5 more minutes to play when I come to get her at daycare, got mixed up with the getting dressed once the beep beep happens. But, it could have also just been a request for more time. And once I've bent over backwards to structure the time, and the request hits my ears, I'm a goner. So part of this is my issue.

But, before I get a lot of suggestions about "giving her choices" and "waking up earlier" and all of that, here is a post I found that sums up our situation. This kid gets to choose, I don't care what she wears to school. And she can throw a shirt or pants off in seconds if she's in a mood. She wants to be a baby longer, too, sometimes, so the "big girl" encouragement doesn't work. I'm already operating at toddler-dressing-level-7, at least. And it isn't working for me.

Well, at least others have this issue. And I really appreciate that poster, for how she was feeling about getting all the level 2 and 3 advice. Tried it. Been there. What else, interwebs? Let's hear from the ninjas who have faces toddler non-dressing ninjas and survived.

So, back to google. And again.

One more page.

Wait. A story about a kid going off to hide for getting dressed which the mom was first angry with (thank you, o honest woman, for admitting it got to you, so I feel less alone) and then turned into a game each morning. Ding!

My kid likes Versteckis (hide and seek), and running and giggling. And I'm thinking that if I make it a case of "If mama or papa finds you put one item on",  it may work really well. It combines more play with one of us, which she also wants in the mornings, with getting dressed, and I can leave off the play time in the mornings, still get up at the regular time, and leave in time for the bus.

As for "5 more minutes", we are trying that for the first time this afternoon at daycare pickup.

p.s. one warning, if you go type "getting dressed" in Amazon.com, because, say, you are one of those people who likes to have books to read with your kid about things like this, do the search in Kids' Books. Because, apparently, people can list amateur porn image books like "Buffy showers and gets dressed"....not really what I wanted to see a listing for.