Your darling preschooler has developed a sense of style. The problem is, it isn’t your style. Preschoolers can be quite stubborn, especially when you are in a rush in the morning to get out the door. So, what do you do?
First of all, you need to choose your battles. Does she want to wear something totally inappropriate for the occasion, or is it just an outfit that doesn’t really match? A summer dress in the winter can be a problem. But, it is also easy to solve. Allow her to wear the dress with a long sleeve shirt under it and a pair of tights. Preschool teachers have seen it all, so don’t be embarrassed at what your child thinks is a great outfit. At this age, it is really a blessing that your child is showing an interest and wanting to choose her own clothes. This shows that she is developing some independence and wants to have some say in what she can do. However it is important that you lay down some ground rules and stick to them at all times. For example:
Costumes are never allowed to be worn to school unless there is a special costume occasion; or costumes may only be worn at home, not at school or the supermarket.
In the winter we must be dressed warmly enough, such as long sleeves and pants or tights.
If your school has a rule that closed shoes are required, chose a few pairs of shoes and let your child know that these are the shoes that can be worn to school and no others. We must be safe at school.
Clothes need to fit, if they are way too big they can be dangerous, you can trip over them or get them caught in doors, etc. If they are too small you won’t be comfortable.
Certain clothes are not for school or outdoor play; perhaps you could put these outfits on a separate shelf or use a different colored hanger for special occasion clothes.
Don’t worry about whether clothes really match or not. Children will often want to wear stripes with plaids or colors that totally don’t go together. But, these outfits are not hurting anyone and if your child feels happy wearing them, there should be no problem. There is nothing worse than a child feeling all proud of what they have chosen and you squash it by insulting her choice.