Toddlers are notorious for wanting to do everything “all by myself.” Getting themselves dressed is something we absolutely want to encourage. Here’s a trick I learned many years ago when teaching my first child how to dress himself.
We’ve dealt with snow and below freezing temperatures every winter for our entire lives. Winter coats, snow pants, mittens, hats and scarves are just a way of life. When my first child was a toddler I taught him how to put on his own coat by himself and his daycare provider was so impressed that she taught all the kids in the center how to do this, too!
Toddlers are very observant and pick up new skills with lightening speed. My kids were able to put their own coat on without assistance after just a few tries with these three simple steps.
Step 1. Start by laying the coat on the floor, with your toddler at the head of the coat.
Step 2. Ask your toddler to squat down and put both his/her hands into the sleeves (just his/her hands, not his/her whole arms!).
Step 3. As your child stands up, show him/her how to flip the coat over his/her head as he pushes his/her arms into the sleeves.
Zipping the zipper or snapping the snaps will take longer to learn, but at least he/she has his/her coat on now and is super proud of himself/herself!
If you don’t wish to place the coat on the ground or floor, you can also hold the coat upside down in front of your toddler and repeat steps 2 and 3 (no need to squat though).
It’s a great idea to give toddlers some independence when it comes to dressing themselves. Will you try the steps above and let us know how it goes? Leave us a comment below! We’d love to hear from you!
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