2 yr. old undressing at sleep times!

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

I know this is a pretty common problem and the second time I'm going through this with now my 2nd child.  My ds has taken to undressing, mostly at bedtime, before he goes to sleep.  It becomes a great pain literally as I hunch over the crib to re-dress him again.  At first it was just his pjs, now its his diaper as well and I'm just waiting until he pees one night and then I have to change the whole bed.  It doesn't seem to matter what I put him in, sleepers, 2 piece pjs.  I've tried putting a safety pin through the zipper of his sleepers a 1/4 of the way up so you can just slide them on but it makes it difficult for him to get off,(he still managed it).  Tonight I've got him in a two piece but took two baby safety pins and and pinned tops and bottoms together.  I have no doubt he'll get out of that.

In my mind it would make so much sense for children's clothing manufactures to make sleepers for toddlers that zip up in the back.  I've seen them for infants. 

Any suggestions?  Anyone know of any companies that make such a sleeper?

[Kimberly®]

No idea's but if you find one let me know ok

We have the same issue with DD I've taken to buying sleepers with no feet so I can turn them around, exept now, who knows how, she's figured out how to get those off too.

*Sigh* 5/7 nights I find myself in her room redressing her in her sleep. And yes ahe has peed and I have had to change the bedding, I moved her into my room temperarily untill I was done and then moved her back, fortunitly she slept through it.

I've even taken to leaving a potty in her room because in the morning she usually strips before I get to her, she's finally figured out she can use that to pee in first thing in the AM. She's poohed a couple times too. I'm hoping this faze with end soon *sigh* she started at 11 months with the stripping.

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

I cant help with the clothes removal but for the nappy have you tried putting it on backways? May help if only temporarily

[Layla]

I think it was Stacy who has her lo is a grobag & put a zip at the back of it.. or something like that (i might ask her to look at your post . You might have to do some sewing yourself since I don't think they sell that type for toddlers.

With the nappy... what about duct tape around the nappy ... again I think someone had done this before... or like pp's suggestion putting it on the other way around

[Kimberly®]

We tried the nappy backwards and DD can't sleep in a grow bag. It scares her to much. To restricting.

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

Well its become something of a chess game and I can't help but see the humour in it, not that I enjoy going in and re-dressing him every night, but it seems he always waits to see what trick I'll come up with that night and I wait to see how he'll get out of it.  The recent attempts have included pinning his tops and bottoms together.  I thought he may have just pulled it down over his shoulders and slipped out of it all.  Instead he managed to pull on the pants enough to get his legs out and his diaper off but the top was still on with the pants still pinned to them.  Last night I put on a snappy t-shirt with pj bottoms.  He managed to again pull the shirt down over his shoulders to his waist and took his pants off.  Surprisingly however, he still had the shirt on, albeit pulled down to his waist and the bottom snaps were still done up, but he somehow managed to undo his diaper and pull it out while leaving the shirt on?!

Thank you for all your suggestions.  I think I will try the duct tape with the diaper tonight.  I'm not sure that putting the diaper on backwards will work as boys need the padding in the front for absorbency.  I've been reluctant to try putting the sleeper on backwards as it looks like it would be rather uncomfortable around the next as it comes up higher in the back than the front.  How did your lols' deal with it?

[Kimberly®]

Kayla doesn't seem to notice. We did it more out of desperation, it works most of the time. Zippers deffinitly work better then bottons though.

I've taken to not reacting. The last week or so I've even walked in a couple of times before she was fully asleep and found her nakid, but not reacted to it, just said good night and then walked out. Dressing her when she finally was a sleep. Thankfully she hadn't peed the bed.

If anything it seems to be helping. Last night she didn't even bother. *crosses fingers* maybe this will work.

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

You're right.  I've stopped responding to it.  I was expressing my disapproval before but I think it just made it more of a game for him.  Now before bed he taunts me by saying "no take off my shirt mommy!" ha!  Now I just ignore this statement or say, yeah, whatever buddy!  Perhaps I'll try the backwards sleeper tonight.  Honestly I'm just curious now how he'll get out of it.

[Kimberly®]

LOL let us know if he does ok we can compaire notes

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

Got out of the sleeper on backwards, no problem!  Hmmmm?!  I have one more trick up my sleeve and then I'm done.  The only truly troubling thing is that it takes him longer to fall asleep at night as he's so pre-occupied with being a mini Houdini.  My dh suggests that given I know he'll get out of everything anyway.  Just put on something simple so at least he'll get out of it right away, fall asleep faster, and then I can go in and redress him.

I haven't given up yet.

[Kimberly®]

LOL I actually know where your DH is comming from on that on. We were thinking along that line for a bit too 

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

Success! . At least for now!  My last resort was using the same zippered, fleece sleeper but this time using a safety pin (lockable kind to use with cloth diapers) and hooking it through the zipper at the very top after he was all zipped up.  The fleece isn't as stretchy as cotton so he obviously couldn't pull the neck wide enough to get a shoulder out so must have given up.  My dh suggests he's just toying with me, biding his time until I fall back into complacency and then he'll start up again!  Who knows?!

Funny thing is after hearing all my complaining about not being able to find any manufacturers who make sleepers for toddlers that zip up the back, my mother went out and found a sewing pattern and is going to make me one.  So I'll always have a back up.  Of course this is just phase I.  They usually don't make sleepers beyond size 3 so then its into a 2 piece and then the fun starts again.  As I found out with my first ds, little boys decide they want to play around in their diaper and things that should be pointing down, end up pointing up, and in the middle of the night you get called to change a very wet pj's and sheets.  Ugh!

One obstacle at a time.