Hints And Tips For Dressing Babies

Snowsuits in August. Pullovers put on in reverse. Boots on the wrong feet. Once a toddler starts getting into the dressing act, there are plenty of fashion no-nos to come, and these are as inevitable as the squeals of 'I want to choose it myself'.

Nevertheless, self-dressing is an important part of your toddler growing up, and getting them involved in the whole process is a critical component of you letting go of at least some well-entrenched mothering/fathering instincts. It is quite possible to entice that involvement without creating some of the sorts of fashion howlers that will have all those other mums stifling their giggles in the high street!

Once we have spent twenty or thirty odd years in the habit of dressing ourselves, grown-ups tend to take the mechanics of self-dressing for granted. For toddlers, however, even the simplest components of dressing oneself can provide a significant challenge.

Help yours meet those obstacles with some straightforward dressing tips.Your child will find it considerably easier to differentiate the fronts to the backs of garments if, for example they only have designs on the front. When they don't, teach the toddler to look for the label, which is almost invariably in the back of an item of clothing.

Clothes that don't have labels can be marked with a laundry pen on the inside. (One cracking idea is to mark the inside with a 'B' - thus cunningly giving your young genius an early insight into the alphabet.) Boys will have a simpler time than girls when it comes to underwear, since pants and shorts come with a distinctive front; for girls, perhaps try to choose designs that have either a bow or some image or other to make the job simpler for them.

Arranging poppers or buttons starting at the bottom is the most straightforward way to ensure that they end up being the same all the way up to the top.

Since buttoning itself is beyond the fine-motor capabilities of most toddlers, you can begin teaching this act by demonstrating how you line up the bottom button with the bottom button hole.Let them practice buttoning, snapping and zipping skills on his or her own clothes and in addition provide some sort of book or doll that has poppers, laces and zips to practice on.

It's important to teach careful zipping, especially for boys, who run the risk of catching a particularly sensitive part of their body. Even if they are not doing the zipping themselves yet (but especially if they actually are) show them how to operate the zip well away from their skin.Matching the right shoe with the right foot (and left with left) is one of the hardest parts of dressing, and most children will still find this a challenge well beyond toddler-hood.

A way to help understand this process is firstly, to show that Velcro and buckles usually go towards the outside of the shoe. Secondly, you could draw a little picture on the inside and show your child that this always goes on the inside.

Or, thirdly, leaving the shoes laid out in ready-to-put on position will be a great help.Cold-weather clothingWhen it's below freezing outside, a hat is the best thing to keep a toddler warm, as a great deal of body heat can be lost through a bare head. Insist that it's worn when temperatures plummet, and it may help if you wear a hat yourself.

Also have a scarf around their neck to keep that warm.Layering is a good idea as your toddler needs to adapt between sitting in the pushchair and running around in the playground. Start with long thermal underwear, move to a turtle-neck, a cardigan and warm trousers. Or consider a fleece or sweatshirt. Then, finally the coat. Obviously you don't necessarily need all these layers, but this just gives you a guide. Wool is warming, but can irritate sensitive skin.Buy mittens (or gloves) in bulk.

These are absolutely essential in cold weather because fingers are prone to frostbite. Buy duplicate pairs, so that if one mitten goes missing, you can discard the mate. Carry spares along the way, so that you can replace lost or wet ones.Insulated boots are best for cold weather, rather than shoes; make sure they're waterproof and snug around the top.

Thermal socks will keep your toddler's feet extra comfortable rather than cotton ones that stay wet once wet.Warm-weather clothesWhen it's hot, light-coloured, lightweight clothing is the most comfortable.

When playing in the sun, though, tightly woven, darker fabrics protect against the sun better. If you're dressing your toddler lightly, put sunscreen on under the garments.