She's only 3

I think a simple solution to keep her from trying to choose weather innappropriate clothing to wear is to go through her clothing and take out all the clothing that isn't appropriate for the season you're currently in. Put those clothes in storage for when the season change again. If she doesn't see shorts in her closet or drawers then she can't choose to wear shorts when it's cold out.

My daughter used to want to wear shorts in the middle of winter, too! I used to buy her those thick shorts (wool! or very thick cotton) and culottes styles (knickers, too) just because she insisted on asserting her authority. I made her wear thick tights with them. Limiting choices is an excellent idea. I would do two also (and put a third choice somewhere out of site, just in case). Good luck.

hello tlawrey, Wow! your daughter must be so concious in what she wears. She's too young to select clothes that she wants to wear. But when she grow up, she is always in fashion. Giving her an option is really a good idea so she can see the difference and the right clothes to wear in every season. That way, she will learn more.

my son is 2 years old & he wants to wear dress of his choice , so i have kept the dress according to climate in his room & has hided other clothes , so he has very little choices , u can hide her shorts

Well she is really cute by arranging what she will wear at the age of 3 . I like her. I think parents should not give too many their own thoughts and views on kids . Just let them judge their life at the very beginning . But you are right that she cann't wear shorts when it's cold outside . In this situation you've got to tell her why she cann't . Kids needs being reminded for many times , i think.

I think that giving her a choice of two or three is a great idea. Children love to feel like they are still making a decision, even if it is a limited one. It also, in my opinion, starts to help them learn a sense of responsibility. They can do it by themselves, and they feel so happy and like a "Big kid" for doing so. I would also say that you could definitely eliminate the entire problem of choosing season appropriate clothing by putting away the clothes that aren't appropriate for that season. Then, she can choose whatever she wants to wear, and she will feel so good about being a big girl and doing it ALL by herself! Who cares if she doesn't match (unless you are having a family portrait done or something), everyone will probably understand that she dressed herself. Best of luck!

My gran daughter will be 3 in November and she has for the past 2 months or so,gotten up and immediatly went to her drawer picked out her clothes and got dressed.There are plenty of times that we have had to take those clothes a way from her and showed her what she can wear.I have tried to give her options,but she beats me to it,she says what she wants or shows me.

hi, when my daughter was 3 did the same thing... but then I told her that I will give her another treat if she does what I tell her. she agreed. now she never picky at all... she choose her own clothes to wear before her dad up and take her to school. she is 4 now she can dress her own, brush her own teeth and also wear her own shoes. plus sometimes she put tooth paste for her dad and water too... how smart.

That's the solution I used when my daughter was little. I would choose two or at the most three outfits for her to choose from. Sometimes I could mix and match a little so she could choose any one of the tops and any one of the bottoms and still match! It's great because it iliminates the fussing and gives her an element of choosing.

Great idea! Giving her LIMITED options is good. It gives her SOME restrictions, and it gives you SOME control. So it's a win-win situation for both of you. I hope it'll be like that for the majority of her first 20 or so years with you. I think LIMITED freedom/options is important when it comes to parenting. That way the child can start deciding for his or her self - while you as the parent are still guiding her to the correct path.

My daughter was the exact same way when she was that age. She is six now. For the most part, we kept her clothes out by season so that when she got into her drawers, she was able to pick out whatever she wanted and it was weather appropriate. I can't say that the colors always matched or anything of that sort, but she was comfortable for the season. I believe that a part of letting your child grow up is to be able to express their view and by letting them choose what they are going to wear is an important step in that process. The idea of letting her choose between two outfits is great.

Hi there, I too have a very indepedant 3 year old. Well actually he's not quite 3, but he will be in another month or so. Anyways the first thing he does as he wakes up is changes into his "day clothes" thats what he calls them. He usually chooses shorts too, although its still hot here. I like his individuality, he likes to take initiative. I have to light a fire under my 8 year old (figuratively speaking) in order for him to get ready for the day, but the almost 3 year old does it first thing without any complaining, or without anyone having to tell him to. He also is trying to get dressed all by himself so he tries to pick out clothes that are easy for him to do independently. Aren't kids great though how they sometimes are so different from their siblings! Have a Blessed Day!