4 Year Old and Clothing

Wow I do the same thing and I am 52. It's winter here and I wear my shorts and slippers and a t-shirt inside. When I leave I put on pants and a sweatshirt. I come home and the sweatshirt comes off and shorts on. It's an all day event. My daughter and son who live here do the same. Summer clothes never get put away because we wear them all year. I keep the heat low also, we are just hot people.
My husband wears jeans, long sleeves, sweatshirt, heavy socks in the house. He thinks we are all crazy!!

Some kids are just hot. I would dress him in layers. T-shirts with a hoodie over top, gym shorts with sweats over top. Or you can get the pants that roll up (Children's Place), or the zip off legs. It is -31 degrees celcius here today, and more than half the kids were wearing shorts and t-shirts at indoor soccer today. My son wore sweat pants and a long sleeve t-shirt and he was sweating buckets.

I suggest he's really warm blooded and gets too warm. My grandchildren are similar to this. I would let him wear a short sleeved T-shirt and shorts and see how that works.

I doubt that this is a processing disorder. It's just one thing and indicates that he's reacting to feeling too warm.

You know the expression, "Choose your battles," right?

This is one battle you shouldn't bother to fight.

If he's able to change his own clothes, let this one go. He wears what you want him to wear when he goes outdoors and to preschool and that's great -- he is obeying you. Let him have the freedom to wear what he wants indoors at home. If he were balky and fussy about changing again when you need to leave the house, that would be a problem, but if he is OK with changing again to leave -- let this one go.

My almost 5 year old is always in a short sleeve shirt. So is her brother! And her brother will go outside without a coat!

My 3 year old son likes to pull his long pants up like they are shorts too.

I honestly think little kids are furnaces and we think they need more clothing than they actually do.

Some kids are just hot, especially boys. I noticed this a lot when I was working at the elementary school a few years ago. There were always certain boys running around at recess in t shirts and shorts, even when other kids had on coats and long pants. I know it goes against our "mommy instinct" but honestly those boys were fine, they just ran hotter :-)

If it doesn't bother him to rechange when you have to go back out, and as long as he can do it on his own (teach him to set his clothes aside nicely, so if he needs to change again he can wear the same ones), I don't see the problem. It's probably that he's very warm blooded, and maybe he will outgrow it.

Both of my children are warm blooded. We live in Minnesota. I am freezing if not fully dressed, WITH socks and a sweater, but the run around in their bare feet and shorty pajamas (although when we go out, I certainly dress them for the weather.)

I think if I were you I would allow him to wear t-shirts to school. If he's going to push up his sleeves anyhow, he might as well be comfortable and just wear the t-shirt. You could have him wear a zip up sweatshirt over his t-shirt that he can remove in the classroom, yet have handy in case he does get cold.

(I do want to second Gamma G's suggestion, because it's what I did with my oldest. She would always wear her t-shirts in winter, yet she'd wrap up in a blanket, and her nice sweaters and long-sleeved shirts never got warm. I did what Gamma does...started packing away the summer clothes during winter. My children do not have access to shorts, and I only leave out a t-shirt or two for days with tennis lessons. Their only option now is to go sockless, which they do every minute of every day unless we are going somewhere.)

I can be in a room that is 69 degrees and I will have long pants and a jacket on. My husband and 5 year old will be in underwear and a t shirt. They run hot and I don't. I have to realize that when I dress my son. Yours sounds the same. Maybe just let him run around in his underwear when you know you're going out again, but don't make him wear clothes that make him hot even if you don't feel hot. His body is different.

My son is 7 and exactly like this and has been forever! He comes home and goes straight to his room and changes into shorts. He sleeps in his undies with one blanket all winter....and we are in Michigan. And wears short sleeve shirts all winter too. He just runs hot. Over Christmas break we had a nice day and the kids were outside playing and he came in the house because he was too hot! Go figure. I let him determine (within reason) of what he wears because I figure now he is old enough to know.

My kid also likes to wear shorts all year round and T-shirts. I just make him dress in layers. If he chooses to wear a T-shirt to school in the middle of the winter, then I will also have him put a sweatshirt on, that way he is comfortable either way.

Completely normal. My 5 year old strips down to undies as soon as he walks through the door. On cold winter days, I do make him wear a t shirt at least. My husband, also, changes into shorts and a t shirt as soon as he gets home. Just let your child win this battle, he will put on clothing if he's cold. Also, he will learn to dress himself quickly if he's constantly having to dress himself.

Pretty normal for some to be picky about what they wear at that age. My oldest was obsessed with being naked at home at that age. Now the second he walks in the door he puts his PJ's on (he's 9) LOL.

I would let him wear short sleeves and get him a hoodie to bring to school with or throw on if you need to head out. I would get him some track pants so that you can just throw them on over his shorts if you need to run to the store.

Have fun with yet another interesting stage :)

I am a warm person..

. I was once in New York City during the Christmas holidays.. I did not think it was that cold.. I carried my cloth coat. I noticed that as long as I had a hat on.. I felt great..people kept asking if I was cold.. I told them no, not really. I liked it..

I have winter sandals.. Socks and shoes feel like my feet are literally on fire...
So maybe your son s the same? Try to work with him.. Long pants, short sleeve shirt with a pullover sweater.. Inside he can take the sweater off, but when going outside he needs the sweater..

If he really feels comfortable dressed lighter.. On days it is not snowing.. Let him wear, some shorts and some
Long socks, like soccer socks, to play outside at home. Can he run errands car to building with long shorts and long socks?

FYI.. Our daughter is the same.. At college up east, she said sure there were some super cold days, but over all she thought they kept the buildings too hot..she kept her bedroom window cracked open.. And ran a fan..And wished for a ice maker all winter..

Maybe he just runs hot - I know people who are perfectly comfortable in a wifebeater when I'm wearing a sweater.

I think some little ones just run hot. We used to live in Alaska and one of my son's little friends always did something like this when she was age 4. Her parents kept their house cold to save money (65 ish) in the winter and it was very cold outside. But this little girl lived in tiny, lightweight, summer sleeveless dresses. As soon as they got home she'd take off her clothes and put on one of these. Just seeing her every time we went over made me feel cold! But she always seemed happy.

This situation of yours is a really, really good reason why you go into your child's closet and drawers at the change of every season and go through all the clothes. You pull out everything that is too small and put it elsewhere, and then you pull out all the next season stuff and put AWAY all the last season stuff. This way, in winter, there are NO shorts and short sleeve t-shirts for him to demand to wear. They are poof! gone out of his room.

If you are concerned that this is a sensory issue, ask the ped for a referral to an OT. Make sure that the OT has sensory integration disorder experience, and explain to her, out of earshot of your son, what is going on.

Dawn

Maybe he's just hot? Would you let him wear shorts and a T-Shirt in 70 degree weather? Most homes and schools are kept around this temperature. If he's actually uncomfortable I would just let him wear them when indoors at home. Especially if he's an active little guy. He may just be very warm blooded. We keep our house at 65-66 degrees and I always wear short sleeves and my kids do some of the time, as well.

I remember never keeping my jacket on at recess or when I was outside, playing, during winter. Little kids can run hot and don't wuss out when it comes to cold, like us adults do.

I don't think clothes are worth the battle most of the time.

I chose to not fight over this and change out the seasons on the clothing. When the temps get below 75 on a regular basis during the day the tank tops and shorts find their way to storage or to the give away tub. Clothes that the kids can likely start the spring in go in the Spring/Summer tub and things that fit now that they'll probably grow out of go to the give away tub.

Then as the weather turns cooler the capri's, skirts, shorts, short sleeved tee's, all the warmer weather items go to the same tubs. I do keep girls and boys clothes separated though. All the clothes that are going to be too small will be given to my other grand kids so I made sure they are washed and folded well. I keep them on a high shelf in my storage area's or when we had a garage I had them on a high shelf out there that the kids could not access.

They can wear short sleeves to school. They won't be too cold. If he did end up feeling too cool that might help him learn that he likes longer sleeves too. But in this instance I would let him wear a short sleeved tee inside but put a coat on when going outside.

It is pretty easy to take this issue and make it gone. The clothes find their way out of his room and where he can't find them. You can do it gradually so there is not sudden panic. As you do laundry you take the stuff he is not allowed to wear in Winter and put it in the tubs. Then he still has what's in his room so all of it doesn't disappear suddenly. It's rather easy to manage this if you put your mind to it.

Kids do NOT need all their stuff within reach. They do NOT have the ability to manage a lot of stuff, they need simple choices and only a few at a time.

I think he's just more comfortable that way. He probably gets warm faster than others. My husband and kids all get hot much faster than I do. No big deal. Unless we're going some where I just don't worry about it. When they get cold, they change their clothes.

What baffles me, though, is that both my kids like to where jeans all summer long. Seriously? It was in the 90's much of this summer, and I still could not convince them to wear shorts. I gave up and just tried to make sure they stayed hydrated.

They may be young, but they do have a mind of their own!

i know a bunch of kids like that.. my fiance was that kid.. and at 27 years old he still is.. it could be 30 degrees out and he comes home from work and puts on shorts and a tshirt.. he sleeps in just shorts no shirt.. and even worse, when its that cold out his hands actually steam, its crazy, ive never seen anyone elses hands do that before.. he walks out the door for work and theres steam coming off his hands... and i cant lie, no matter how cold it is i have to sleep in a tshirt, sweatpants or flannel pants are ok, but i cant sleep with sleeves ..some people just run hot

When my daughter was 3 & 4 she wore her bathing suit around the house during the winter months. We had an agreement that she would pick out pants and a shirt & put it by the front door so when we had to go somewhere It was ready. She's 5 now & in kindergarten, now she wears big poofy dresses all the time.

All my kids are warm during the winter time. They all wear t shirts everyday. They even sleep in summer type pajamas during winter. I don't care anymore, not worth the battle, they know they have warmer clothes.

I had a child who ran "hot", too. The doctor said to just check her skin to see if she was warm. Sure enough, I'd be freezin' in a turtleneck and sweatshirt, and her skin would be comfortably warm to the touch as she pranced around in short-sleeved shirts. The only reason she wore a coat at recess was to obey the rules! I made sure her coats were very light weight.

Possibly sensory integration. I don't know enough about it, but you could do a google and see if your boy fits the bill.

I think almost all small kids are like this - it's like their body temp just runs higher than us and they are naturally warmer. When my stepsons were younger, they would be in the house in winter and would be perfectly fine running around in boxer shorts and nothing else - and our house was warm, but not THAT warm. Right now, we keep ours at around 68, and my daughter will wear long pants, but pick a short-sleeved shirt if she's not going to be going out at all. Sometimes she wears a short-sleeved shirt to school and has never complained about being cold. She also likes going barefoot in the house instead of wearing socks - while my husband and I are in sweatshirts and thick wooly socks all the time. Often times at bedtime, she'll want light cotton pajamas instead of thick fuzzy ones and then tell me she doesn't want the blanket on her because she gets too hot - and we turn the heat down at night.

If he wants to change when you get home and you are not heading out again, I would just let him. But if you are planning to go out again, I would just put my foot down and say no, since you don't need to be going through this rigamarole all the time. Maybe he would be more comfortable in sweat pants or track pants instead of jeans?

I also put away all the summer clothes as soon as summer is over - including my daughter's little sun dresses and skirts. I get a lot less arguing over weather-appropriate clothing when the stuff she can't wear is out of site and stored away.