The Dressing Song

We've been having a significant problem with Chloe for quite some time.... um, and by 'quite some time' I mean ever since she was born. The girl hates getting dressed. She screams rather loudly until her face turns purple.

Now, I know what the majority of you are thinking. Chloe? No.... She's always so happy!

And to those of you who think Chloe is always happy, let me redirect your attention to this photo....


Yes, she can be a very pleasant and happy child... as long as all the stars are aligned in her favor. But when she gets unhappy (which is quite often) she is not shy in letting anyone within a 5-mile radius know about her discontent. This activity is not uncommon. In fact, it happens many times throughout the day:

When she wakes up.
When she gets dressed in the morning.
When I lay her down to change her diaper (she thinks I'm about to leave her).
When I put her in the highchair for breakfast.
When I do her hair (oh, that's the worst).
When I first put her in the carseat.
When someone other than me tries to hold her (ok, I take it back, that is actually the worst).
When I put her in the high chair for breakfast.
When we do exercises.
When we do stretches.
When her therapists try to get her to do exercises or strethes.
When I put her in the high chair for dinner.
When she gets bored.
When she gets overstimulated.
When I take her clothes off to get in the bathtub.
When I put her in the bathtub.
When I put lotion on her.
When I get her dressed in her pajamas.
When I lay her down to get a book to read.
When I'm trying to get her to sleep.
When she is asleep and I lay her down in bed.
When I try to get her back to sleep.
When she is asleep and I lay her down in bed.
When I try to get her back to sleep. (this can be repeated multiple times)....
When she wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes I'm not holding her.

Keep in mind several things. I'm not trying to complain or make my situation seem harder than any one else's. I know all toddlers can be like this and that all children can be difficult. And even though Chloe is like this, she is quite easily returned to a happy, smiley disposition. Those are the moments when I snap the pictures. I just wanted to set the record straight.

So..... back to the subject at hand. Getting dressed. Her therapists and I have been trying to come up with a solution to this particular problem. A few different techniques worked temporarily, but she got wise to them. Our latest technique has worked now for two days. I consider it a success. I simply play a song every time she's getting dressed (this includes diaper change, lotion application, hair styling, and putting clothes on/taking them off). It took me a few days to find the perfect song, and consistency is key, so I had to find the right song before I attempted this technique. Well, I finally made my decision:

We love this song. Tonight it got Chloe from just out of the bathtub, looking pleasant but skeptical:

to giggling with her onesie on:

to smiling with her pj's on.

When Chloe's happy, Mommy's happy.

Mommy is happy.