Daughter Sensitive to Labels, Elastic, buttons...uggh.

My daughter is this way. (5 years old). She begged me for a shirt, got it home tried it on...as soon as the tags came off she realized it had a tiny little glitter string though it (for looks) and she wont wear it. Anything glitter makes her itch. She is VERY picky about how things fit and feel.

You have to just find what works. Its a lot of trial and error and can get expensive. Try some second hand stores to try different materials and such. My daughter loves stretchy pants and skirts or dresses. She only owns one pair of jeans and rarely wears them.

My daughter is starting kindergarden and has to wear a uniform. I was so scared!!! But she actually loves it, thank goodness!

It's called sensory or tactile defensiveness. It's real. When kids have it most grow out of it unless it's extreme then you have additional issues. Just do what you are doing and go as seemless, tagless as possible. Go to the website sensory-processing-disorder.com . It'll give you all the basic and extreme tactile issues kids could have. My cuz little girl had the same issue till about 8 yeras old now allis well. Good luck.

Maybe your daughter isn't thrilled with the idea of hand me downs.
As for new clothes being fine for about a month....if you haven't changed any soaps or anything, I would be curious about that too.
How many times have you taken her for new clothes that won't "bother" her? Maybe that's just her way of getting new clothes.
There is such a thing as sensory issues, but why would a certain article of clothing begin bothering her all the sudden?
I know that for my son, I often cut the tags out of the back of shirts because he says they itch him and sure enough, he'll have a red spot from where the tag rubbed so cutting it out solves that problem.

I wouldn't just keep buying your daughter clothes though.
Are you buying the clothes too small? If waist bands bother her, have you tried dresses?
I don't know what to tell you, but you can't take her shopping every month.

I hope you get some great responses.

I'm really not sure what to suggest other than to say it is very real for her. Tags drive me bonkers and more and more I find that what I wear really does have to 'feel' right or off they come. It might be interesting to try to make a 'game' of it with her - if she's up to it - and have her put something on that's uncomfortable and see if she can begin to sense something beyond what she notices at first glance.

It's called Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) or Sensory Perception Disorder (SPD)

There are great books and articles/sites online about this and where to shop, things to try, etc. One book is _The Out of Sync Child_. I found it very helpful in understanding what was going on.

My daughter has this and it is a struggle for sure. Some things we do are to buy clothes at thrift stores if possible for cost-effectiveness. She'll try them on (if she is able/willing) and then if there is a problem later, we didn't spend much and I can just garage-sale or consign it and nothing really lost.

There is a great online store called SensoryEdge that has things that can help her interpret the "correct" feelings for things, pressure, etc. I highly recommend them. Once you see things she may enjoy/ may help, you can also look for those same items online at places like eBay or Amazon for better prices too. We have gotten things from the dollar store even.

Some things that help my daughter:

Tight tight bear hugs before putting on clothing if she is feeling particularly crabby or I can see that she is "off" and may be sensitive.

Having her bounce on an indoor trampoline or hang upside down off the couch, spin on a sit-and-spin or desk chair, swing, etc. if she is feeling the need for that motion.

Squeezing tactile toys like stress balls or "koosh" balls if stressed/anxious/fidgety. Sometimes doing something like this that is a fidget toy can take their minds off of the sensation of feeling "itchy," etc from clothing or whatnot.

I hope this helps. If it is really severe, you can buy special clothing online that "hug" the body to create a good pressure sensation for her, or weighted lap pads to use while she is sitting, and seam-less socks, etc.

I would also contact an Occupational Therapist if it is really interfering with her ability to function. They can give you great ideas and work with her to help her process things better as well as coping strategies for the both of you!

M.
www.chickiepea.wordpress.com

Just a thought. My husband and son are both sensitive to laundry soap and bar soap. Neither one breaks out at all, but they both complain if I change anything. I thought it was some weird psychosomatic thing with the hubby, but every time I have tested my theory, he complains. They scratch and rub and complain of feeling itchy and my son will strip down to his undies. Dial soap and tide original scent are all we can use around here.

This woman writes a lot about similar issues with her daughter:
http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/jslaton/
You might have to hunt around a bit to find a post about it, I haven't been reading it much but it seems like it's been a while since her last post on the subject. Anyway, could be similar, could be something totally different. Wouldn't hurt to take a look.

This could just be a phase.... especially if it is a new thing. However, if this is an "always" thing then there are possiblilities of Attention Deficit Disorder or Sensory Integration. At least in my experience these were things that caused that. Why don't you google those two things and see if your daughter fits the bill. If she does then there are things you can do to help her NOW. If she doesn't, don't worry. Either way, I suggest you cut out all labels in her clothing. Don't buy anything that isn't perfectly smooth. Skirts or sweat pants may be your best bet. Don't spend much since there is a good chance she won't be able to stand it for too long!

I would suspect detergent build up on the clothing. I react to every detergent our there except Ivory Snow (In fact I react to dryer sheets as well). A quick test to see if there is build up is to take said clothing put it into the wash and then once it starts agitating peek in and see if there ANY are bubbles on the water. If there are, you have build up.

My sons dad doesn't break out at all but he complains of itchiness if his clothes are washed in anything but dye free All. Never has a red mark on him but complains all other things bother him.
My son can't STAND buttons on the inside of pants and certain tags. We just cut them out and go on our way.
If it's to EVERYTHING then I would drop a bug in the ped's ear and get their opinion. It could be nothing or it could be something. Never know.

Does it seem to be related to the fact that she doesn't want hand-me-downs or that she wants new clothes?

I deal w/ the exact same thing w/ our daughter, who is 5. I'm now very careful w/ tags, appliques that can be felt on the inside of clothing, oddly placed seams that will rub on her skin, seams that seam "scratchy", or any type of clothing that is binding. Everything must be ultra-soft cotton. Even had to buy socks that don't have a seam across the toes. I've become really good at checking out clothing completely before buying it and I always have my daughter try it on, walk around in it before ripping off the sales tags. Don't have any advice per se (other than my own rigorous examination of all clothing) but you're not alone!