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My 4 year old girl has been progressively worsening with meltdown-tantrums with simple daily tasks like wearing clothes, shoes, underwear. . . She has always been particular with things on her body, but it has gotten out of control. She will only wear 1 pair of shoes because all her other shoes "don't feel right". I purchaced the same exact shoe hoping that would work but encountered the same meltdown! She freaks out, screaming, crying and rolling on the floor with almost everything she tries on in clothing, shoes, and swim suits. We have spent the entire day indoors because she refuses to get dressed because all her clothes bothers her (trying to not give her the option but she does not give in) I don't know how to go about dealing with this problem but my nerves are shot and preschool is starting and she cant go naked! any advice??!!

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    Is it only clothing and shoes (= things on her body) that freak her out or anything else? Welcome, btw.!
    – Stephie ♦
    Commented Aug 16, 2015 at 15:51
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    2 of my 3 kids have pretty intense clothing issues. One of them is totally sensory related. The other I believe is a control issue where she can't stand being told what to do. My wife at times would take them to school in their underwear and have clothes in the car. then they got to "choose" to put the clothes on before getting out of the car. This is my comment/story, not an answer.
    – Adam Heeg
    Commented Aug 17, 2015 at 15:46

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Have you had her evaluated to see if she has any sensory issues? Sensory disorder can cause issues with clothing, as the clothes can feel extremely uncomfortable.

If you think this might be the issue, try seeing if the few clothing items she can tolerate have anything in common, and build on that. Some general guidelines that commonly help are:

  • Super soft fabric
  • Natural fabrics
  • Clothes without tags or seams
  • Heavier clothes that have some weight and/or compression

SensorySmarts.com - about sensory processing disorder

Understood.org - tips for dressing a child with sensory issues

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  • That was the direction my comment was headed - good answer.
    – Stephie ♦
    Commented Aug 17, 2015 at 9:29

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