8 Year Old Son Doesn't Want to Change Clothes

Updated on July 30, 2008
S.H. asks from Bremen, IN
5 answers

HELP! Of late, my 8 year has been trying to wear the same clothes EVERY day! There are multiple things going on with this....I think it started because he would take his clean clothes and put them in the dirty laundry. I told him that wasn't appropriate because 1. That is not how we clean our room and 2. It causes more work for mommy and wastes water 3. Although we have favorite clothes, we cannot wear them all in 1 day. We wear 1 outfit a day and if you only have your clothes on to run to the store they are not dirty. Then he started trying to wear dirty clothes every day. So, we told him that he couldn't do that either. We sat him down and attempted to explain the rules of clothes wearing to him. That he was to wear 1 outfit every day (except church days when he changes his clothes after church). Jeans can be worn more than once if they are not play clothes but shirts cannot be worn more than once. (Because boys can get stinky and even though he may not have that problem now, we don't want to start him wearing the same smelly shirt everyday). Anyway, to make a long story short...I am not sure if he is confused now or what but he wants to wear the same outfit every day. It is a fight every morning to get him to put on new clothes. Although he is developing his own style and has his "favorites" I don't think that is the problem because he doesn't seem to care what he wears really. Every day I make him put on a new outfit and the next morning he will come out of his room wearing it again. He just doesn't want to get clean clothes out. Maybe he doesn't want to fold them? I don't know. What do you ladies think? Any suggestions on how I can help him get over this stage and learn about appropriate clothes wearing and hygene?

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J.L.

answers from Cleveland on

I would not have him wear the same clothes every day, not only is that gross (sweat and all) you are letting him start a bad habit.
I would show him that he puts his clothes in the hamper every night and then let him pick out tomorrow's clothes that night. As someone else said, it is a great habit for hte school year. Maybe go pick out some new clothes that he likes will make him want to wear them with his favorite characters, colors, etc.

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M.E.

answers from Mansfield on

It'summertime, he's and 8 yr old BOY, what's wrong with wearing the same clothes over again, have him take a bath/shower at the end of the day... it's a phase he'll grow out of it the second that little girl down the street says "You stink"

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.W.

answers from Columbus on

You could let him wear the same outfits it is summer!!! Then again if you let him do it now how will he react when school starts and he can't wear the same clothes everyday.

You could try having him bring his clothes down every night (after he puts his pj's on) and put them in the washer. That way he won't have them in his room to put on, you could also pick out his outfit for the next day together. Which may be a good routine to get in since the start of school is coming up quickly!!

Hopefully this will help a little. I sometimes run into the same problem with my son but he wants to wear the same thing to bed that he has been wearing all day!!!

Good Luck
A.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Evansville on

I have to ask, is it a different set of clothing each time or is he fixated on two or three sets of clothes? Our 7 yo daughter wanted to wear the same outfit every day & we discovered she has a sensory disorder (SPD). Her other clothing "itched" her so she stuck with one or two outfits. For a while I had to take them away from her & wash them every night so she'd have them to wear the next day.

If I were you, I'd ask him specifically why he's wearing the same clothes every day. If it's just the "I don't want to put these in the dirty clothes/get out clean clothes" you could always get him his own hamper for his room so there's less for him to do. If there's another reason, hopefully he can open up to you.

BTW, I don't want to be an alarmist at all. I only wish I'd have known about SPD 2 years earlier than I did.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.L.

answers from Evansville on

My son just turned 9 and he does the same thing, I think it is more because it is a favorite shirt or shorts that he just wants to wear and being summer I don't fuss at him too much unless we are going somewhere. During the school year I tell him he has to change because his friends have already seen that outfit once this week and he seems to be okay with that response. Mostly I think he wears the same clothes because in his mind it is more of a hassle to open the drawer and find new clothes, it is just easier to put on the ones that are already out. One helpful thing is to grab the clothes after he goes to sleep and set out a new set before he wakes up. He may not even realize that it is a clean set, my son wouldn't notice or even care really unless it was something he hated to wear. Good Luck!

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