I realize children really like certain clothes and characters, but this one is throwing me for a loop. My older daughter never went through this, so I'm not sure the best if there is one for my situation. My lovely, yet opinionated 21 month old daughter is Dora obsessed. It is fairly recent. I don't mind Dora, really. My older child has learned from her, but the younger one really likes her. So much that she will not take off a particular Dora and Boots pajama shirt. Yes, I take her out in public with this shirt, otherwise we would not be leaving our house. She has a Dora/Boots bathin suit that she wears to the pool, but as soon as she is done swimming, then she wants the shirt back. (This is usually when I manage to put it in the wash.) If it is in the dryer or wash and she wants it, she seriously follows you around crying for her "Dora/Boots shirt!" We have other Dora clothes, even went to the store and let her pick them out, but will not wear them. I realize this is again a power struggle, and yes I know I am the parent, and I am praying that this is only a phase that will soon pass (hopefully before the shirt falls apart!) Her older sister (the 4 year old) even offers her some of her clothes to try and get her to wear something else, and it works, for about 30 minutes if that long! Has anyone else experienced this? Should I "ban" Dora from the house in hopes that if she can't see her then the wanting to wear the shirt all the time idea fade, or would that backfire? It has gotten really bad over the last week. We were even at the store one day, and was showing her other shirts (with other characters she likes or animals that she likes) and asked her if she liked them and she would say "uh-huh" and then I asked if she would wear it with the reply of "nah-ah." So, ignore it and the problem will go away, toss it, burn it, let her wear it until it doesn't fit? Any ideas? I could really use them! Thanks!
Well, yes we are letting her wear it, and she does part with it and tells us to wash it. I have looked for another set like this, but none to be found. She likes to look at other Dora clothes, but won't wear them. I just hope she outgrows this phase before she outgrows the shirt, and/or it falls apart. Definitely something for the memory box! Thanks everyone, it's good to know I'm not alone! So, if you see a little girl in pink and green Dora, you'll know it's us! :)
let the child wear the clothes. Not a problem. Dora is a great role model at this age. It is a phase. I have a friend her dau thought she was a princess and wore her alfit everyday. She is now 8 and loves Hannah montana. It comes and goes with girls. My son has to watch Cars every day. Whatever works!
I would let her wear it until it falls apart and/or doesn't fit. The more you fight it, the more she'll want it. Pick your battles. It's a shirt. I understand your frustration. It's amazing what kids get attached to. It would drive me crazy, too, but it seems pretty harmless. If you ignore it, maybe she'll outgrow the phase faster. Good luck!
Hi S.:
Here I am again answering about the Dora obsession.. I find it cute and nothing to worry about. We all have a favorite t-shirt or clothing item that we have worn till it's wore out so don't stress over this. Return those other items if they have not been worn and get her another Dora boot shirt pajamas. Maybe it's a soft material that makes her feel warm and fuzzy, lol Don't fret over these silly children stuff life is too short.. Let it be.
This too shall pass!
M.
Hi S.,
I smiled as I read your post.
I know your situation is upsetting you,
but dont fret. This too shall pass.
Though, if you can, you might want to save that shirt
when she outgrows the phase, even if it's shredded.
It'll be a fun memory to jiggle later on.
Thank goodness its not Barney! lol
If you can find the exact same pj shirt in the store,
buy it. See if she will swap out the same shirt
for the same shift. Heck, if you find it
(remember, same texture too) buy a handful for the sake of laundering.
I knew a woman whose 8 year old
would only wear her black jeans for a year
(until she outgrew them).
The mom felt as if it appeared
that she was not clothing her child properly.
She went to school to tell the teacher
that there were several pair of the same pants!
Enjoy the tiny struggles.
She's becoming assertive and independent.
Be the mommy who chooses to love it through,
and assert YOURself where it's more important.
You'll laugh at all this someday, I promise.
S.
She's right on target with development. Oh, just let her wear them until they are in shreds. She is realizing she can assert her independence and let her, she will outgrow it. It's kind of cute that they like a particular thing. Just go to the store and buy a whole bunch of Dora stuff and maybe she will get sick of it. My daughter loves to watch Dora and she is coming to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in August. Your daughter would love that. Just wait until then to purchase tickets from someone on Craiglist, it will be inexpensive.
If the shirt is clean I say let her wear it. My neice always had a mind of her own when it came to dressing. My sister in law would dress her in something and in five minutes she would be out of that and into what she wanted to wear. Didn't matter if it matched or not. It was nothing to see her wearing a plaid skirt, stripped socks and poka dotted shirt. Everyone complained about it but her Mom said it's not hurting her. She is a parent today and still dresses weird. At least what I call weird. To her it's normal. It didn't hurt her mentally or physically. All kids have favorites.
Oh yes, let her wear it. It is funny, but most kids go through this. My son got a transformers shirt even though he had no idea what they really were. He wants to wear it every day! He has "super hero" pjs and gets very upset when they aren't available for him to wear. He has done this with articles of clothing before and I just let him have it until he finds a new favorite. It will pass and she will latch on to something else. Enjoy it while she is so easy to please! No one cares or judges if a 21 month old girl is wearing a PJ shirt. They probably don't even notice. I second the "be thankful it isn't Barney!"
Hello S.,
My son was a backyardigans fan (and still is), so for christmas he got a million backyardigan toys and clothes. He also had a toy that he loved more then the others and would take it everywhere, but when it came time to clean it he also pitched a fit. So I attempted to explain to him that everything has to stay clean and in order for you to play with pablo I have to put him in the wash. He was also like this with a blanket. Everytime it got washed he'd sit by the washer and wait for it to be done then ask me if he could have it. So then he would cry when I put it in the dryer. But in your situation I think I would have to recommend you try something like that or maybe put that shirt up for a day or two and let her get a chance to like the other dora things too. Or if that goes sour, try making it into a blankie. Since its a shirt it wouldnt be hard to do, and then she can carry it around. I hope this helps, and its completely healthy for a child to have a fav. thing.
Hi there. Start putting Special Agent Oso on TV-- maybe she'll move on. :) Honestly, I think this will play out on its own, if you can stand to let it. Maybe buy 1 or 2 more Dora shirts and wait it out. Just to make you feel better, I used to babysit a little boy your daughter's age who was obsessed with Batman. He actually wore a Batman hood all day long that he was awake. His mother jokes, "We didn't know what he looked like for 2 months!"
Have you tried letting her wear it under another shirt? I do that w/ my son's favorite Rays outfit. It's so rediculous, but funny at the same time. When he asks to go to my mom's after church, he already has his change of clothes on under his shirt and tie! I put my foot down some times, but he's 3, so I can reason with him some. I feel for you with a younger daughter.
Don't worry about it, people think it's cute when kids go out in public with tutus over their jeans or big rain boots.
