My son won't keep his clothes on, especially when he's in bed. HELP!

Shawnn - posted on 06/06/2012

Laura,

We must have been posting at the same time, either that or I didn't read yours first...otherwise I'd have just said "ditto"!

Shawnn - posted on 06/06/2012

What's wrong with sleeping naked?

3 yo's LOVE to be naked! I think a lot has to do with figuring out how to get out of the clothes, it's a challenge. But, seriously, what's wrong with sleeping nude?

We aren't born wearing clothes, so he's only exhibiting natural tendencies...and by making such a big issue, you make him think that he's doing something bad. Don't make his body taboo by teaching him that "naked = BAD". By "punishing" him (taking his blanket) you're reinforcing that negative image.

Seriously. Pick your battles. This is NOT one.

Lisa - posted on 06/06/2012

sherri my friend did that and her child still got out of them. A determined child is going to find a way to escape something.

Sherri - posted on 05/31/2012

Cut off the feet from feetie pj's and put them on backwards. He won't be able to unzip them.

Laura - posted on 05/30/2012

..Wow, it seems to ,that some of we moms think that there is SOMETHING WRONG here..we must understand that KIDS JUST NATURALLY LIKE TO BE NAKED ! it is natural to them.............. I am a Dr.of Naturopathy ,a child counsellor,and advocate.......I encounter this type of question all all the time ........

Now these little one's have not been yet been programmed with the old worn out decrepit Victorian cultural-paradigm that teaches that that nude body means only one thing : SEX!..and thus is unacceptable.

......So we moms must stop ascribing our ADULT psyche ,putting THAT off on to these little kids who don't know what sex is .

.......Well,many moms have been perhaps bowing to these warped social dictates (i.e.) that the BODY is NASTY , bad or,in any case must be hidden ..( see my comment on "naked toddlers"--it will be a real "eye opener" of the better,wiser approach...)

Now what logic or sense does it make,for a little one to hide his body from his own flesh and blood....can you learn something better?, to finally see with the EYE of PURITY and BEAUTY for what the Creator has created,,,,and realize what I say in my lecture tours a lot..

........"Our greatest teachers are our children,,,"

,,,,,,so a good thing would be to take your little boy aside one day and just explain in very simple terms that it is ok,,that the body is beautiful,and that you will not restrict him, but RESPECT him and allow him to be his-self...and so let him be free in the privacy of your own home...

........you see when a parent gives negative signals to their child concerning their body or genitals, it can saddle them with SHAME and GUILT for life,,,allow him to have his freedom...

.....your son is very wise,to refuse to allow himself to have his freedom taken; so one really must respect that...so tell him ,yes my son, you can be free.

{ I hope that this helps,-my very best to you and your Loved ones....}.

anyone,please feel free to contact me { Laura Mornings ,Administrator of Nature Moms community} ..to join,or also contact me via private message

Alisha - posted on 02/02/2011

i ahvea 3 year old and a 1 year old and they both just sleep in panties i only put jammies on them if its super cold other then that thay take them off if the issue is that he is compleatly naked i suggest finding a light pair of underwear take him to the store and let him pick out his favorite cartoon on them and tell him these a special undies for bed only! other then that i agree nothing wrong with it i get alittle weird about my kids running compleatly naked they have to atleast have undies on.. it might help every kid likes to be apart of there own thing if u let him choose which ones he wants to wear maybe he will wear them...

Nadia - posted on 02/02/2011

pick your battles... every child i have ever known has gone through the naked stage. my oldest (almost 5 yrs) still hates wearing socks and will occasionally just strip down and play with her dolls in the buff. And when she was 3??? that summer i don't even know why i owned clothes for her or bathing suits! lol she NEVER put clothes on (thus i rarely left the house with her lol). I really woudn't worry about it. my MIL tells me stories about my husband's little brother going to kindergarten and her having to fight with him in the car to put clothes on before they went inside! so really, we've all been there, and it's just a phase :)

Trish - posted on 02/01/2011

My daughters also spent a good bit of their childhood in the buff. My mother in law worried that they would go to school naked. When its hot and summer I really wasnt worried and my girls were hot sleepers too. I did insist on nappies at night because of the wet beds and you just have to be forcefull about it. No nappy, no story sort of thing. I believe pre school childhood is really the only time kiddies can enjoy the freedom of being naked. Niether of my girls have joined nudist colonies in their adulthood and yes they did wear clothes to school. As they get older they become more aware of the fact that other people , especially children they might want to play with, wear clothes. 3 years old know more than we think and he will understand that if you want to go out he has to get dressed but when he comes home he can be naked if he wants. I enjoyed watching my girls little white bums busying themselves around the section and its a thing they remember about their early childhood too. Im sure your wee lad will soon wrap up when it gets cold enough.

Deanna - posted on 02/01/2011

I think we are all in agreement. Pick your battles. Sleeping naked is not an issue. My 3 youngest sleep naked. They will even wear clothes around the house most of the time, then as they climb in bed for the night strip naked and go to bed. Not a big deal to us. We even let the youngest 2 run naked in the house to as long as it is just us. (mom, dad, sisters)

relax. breathe, and move on. it is a phase. he will grow out of and if not you can slowly work your way up to clothes all the time.

Danielle - posted on 02/01/2011

I think it is just a stage toddlers go through.

My son went through this faze too. He is not yet potty training but we would make a habit of going back into his room after he is sleeping and slip a diaper back on him.
That way we weren't woken in the middle of the night to change the sheets and everything that comes with it.

I wouldn't worry about bedtime. My son still sleeps in the nude and when we are lucky enough to wrangle him into pj's he would wake up in the middle of the night because he was too hot, and thirsty.

Kate CP - posted on 02/01/2011

What's wrong with sleeping naked? Look at it this way: it's less laundry for you to do if he has an accident at night. Instead of having to wash sheets, blankets, and clothes, you just have to wash sheets and blankets. Give the kid back his blanket and let the boy be nekkid. I agree with Sylvia on the waterproof mattress pads...but you need that anyway if he's wetting the bed regardless of whether or not he's wearing clothes.

Sylvia - posted on 02/01/2011

My DD used to be a nudist, too. I pretty much just went with it. In fact, she still sometimes takes off her pyjama top during the night, and she's 8 now and sleeps on her own (under a big duvet, admittedly). I'm afraid I'm just not seeing what, apart from the bed-wetting, is the problem here. And for the bed-wetting, I can only recommend waterproof mattress pads ;)

Amy - posted on 02/01/2011

My son is 4 and has slept naked for over a year. He gets very hot and complains that the clothes irritate him. The bigger fight you make it the longer it's going to last, my husband still tries to get my so to sleep in clothes. I agree with the other ladies you have to pick your battles and personally that's not one I wish to fight over.

Lissa - posted on 02/01/2011

I am with the other ladies, he doesn't need them and it's not worth battle. It wont do him any harm to go to bed naked if he want's to. All of mine went through a phase like this, they get over it.
You say he is recently potty trained but also say he is constantly wetting the bed, most children take longer for night time dryness than for daytime.Is it possible he isn't quite ready for night time dry, three is very young for a boy to get the hang of it.

Amber - posted on 02/01/2011

I'm with Amanda...he doesn't need to wear clothes to bed. My son did this around that age too. I just let him do it. I told him he had to put on his robe to come out into the rest of the house. We put a small heater in his room that didn't get hot to the touch and let him be.
Now, at 4, he loves picking out his favorite pjs. Let him be naked if he's that adamant about it. It's really not hurting anything.

Amanda - posted on 02/01/2011

Why does he need clothes on while sleeping? Esp if you are taking away his blanket (Clearly the issue isnt that he will be cold since you are making him even colder). Pick y our battles, clothing is NOT a battle.