There is a wealth of information available online about how clothes can influence mood, self worth and self confidence. But today I’m going to firmly put on my occupational therapist hat, and talk about how what your child wears impacts what they can do. “Doing” after all, is our bread and butter as OTs, and my aim in life is to ensure everyone is able to engage in the occupations they want, need or are expected to do!
This post might seem like a no-brainer: as adults we select clothes for situations that suit the requirements of what we’ll need to do in that situation (the occupations we’ll perform). If we need to look professional and in control in a meeting, we’d select clothes that are neat and well presented, but that we feel confident in. Going to the gym, we’d opt for clothes that are comfortable and that won’t restrict movement. At the beach in the middle of summer, we’d wear an outfit that is breathable and makes swimming possible.
So why do I need to write a post specifically on children’s clothing? Over 10 years experience working with children in a myriad of settings has shown me that some parents select clothes and shoes that restrict rather than enable their children’s participation. This isn’t intended as a dig or insult at these parents, after all children’s clothing can be insanely adorable, and children can be quite determined (some may say stubborn) over what they wear. And I’m sure in the rush to get out of the door in the morning, function isn’t always at the forefront of anyone’s mind. This post is to raise a bit of awareness and consideration in what you purchase, or offer your child to wear for specific situations.
I get the appeal to purchase your child the cute top, the dapper pants or the beautiful dress, but like most things, there’s a time and place for it it. A family wedding, going out for lunch, a dress up party, photo day, a special play date. All perfect opportunities, because the occupations you are expecting your child to engage in don’t involve a lot of movement, the activities have a short(ish) duration, and there will be a high level of adult support available if needed.
Spending a day at school, childcare or early education setting is a whole different scenario. As is attempting to teach your child to be more independent in their self care. From my years of observation, I’ve noticed three main areas that are impacted by clothing choice: play, toileting, and dressing. I’ve also come up with some tips to overcome the clothing battle!
Play
My favourite saying is that play is the work of children. I love it because it places the same value most adults have for work, on what can otherwise be seen as “goofing off”, “mucking around”, or “free time”. While your child is playing, they are developing the skills that are essential for increased participation in a variety of occupations: handwriting, reading, brushing their teeth, washing their hair, using scissors, getting dressed… any occupation you can think of that your child participates in (or will in the future) can be assisted by play. Through play they develop a myriad of skills: hand-eye coordination, communication, negotiation, core strength, precise finger movements, shoulder stability, eye tracking, bilateral coordination, and spatial awareness to name a few. Through play, children also receive input through their vestibular and proprioceptive systems. These systems are needed for balance and body awareness, and when underdeveloped can have a huge impact on attention and behaviour.
In order to develop these skills, children need to engage in a variety of movement patterns: climbing, running, swinging, hanging off things, rolling, digging, kicking, throwing. Children with physical differences may need additional assistance to perfom some of these movements, but whether the movement is active or passive, the clothing requirements make a difference! Not only on a child’s participation but also their performance. When I talk about performance, I’m not comparing a child to their peers. Everyone has different strengths and challenges, and that’s ok! When I talk about how performance is impacted, I’m purely referring to a child’s ability to complete an occupation compared with themselves wearing other clothing.
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a skirt, dress or pants restrict the movement needed to run, jump and climb. Or seen shoes slow a child down or cause them to stumble or trip. Even shirts can restrict reaching, throwing, pushing and pulling. At best, these restrictions or hinderances cause children frustration, disappointment, and annoyance. At worst, they reinforce a belief that they can’t do something. It takes well into our adulthood to develop the objectivity to recognise that the performance difficulties come from what they are wearing and not themselves.
Play can have it’s own challenges, there’s no need to make it harder by having your child wear something that impacts their ability to move freely. Before your child leaves to school, early education, childcare, or playing at the park, ask yourself if what they are wearing is something you’d wear in the gym, or on a bouncy castle, or doing 10 star jumps. If not, it’s time to change!
Toileting
Learning to use the toilet can be tricky! If you haven’t already check out my posts on toileting here and here.
If your child is at the stage of learning to access or use a toilet, do them a favour and make sure what they wear on their bottom half is easily removed, and doesn’t require additional steps to get out of the 
way (such as a dress needing to be pulled up). If accidents are a potential occurance (and let’s be honest, they are for everyone at some stage), then make sure footwear is easily removed (and cleanable).
In short: elastic waists and velcro shoes! Avoid buttons, zips, and shoelaces (which can knot and make changing clothes a hassle). Keeping it simple for this period of learning allows your child to retain dignity and minimises how much they miss out on whilst getting changed. Spending a long time in the toilet area (either due to an accident or difficulty undressing) can reduce motivation in using the toilet to eliminate waste, and cause some children to demand the quick and easy nappy solution.
Dressing
Following on from toileting, learning to dress also requires a simplification of clothes while children master what steps they can. Orientating clothese can be a challenge, so try tops or dresses with a distinct pattern or print on the front. This makes it easier to tell if a shirt or jumper is inside out, or back to front. Similarly, use pockets or patches on pants to help recognise which way they should be worn.
Once your child has mastered orientation, feel free to introduce fastenings such as buttons or zips. Remember to start with one or two fastenings, that are as large as possible to begin with. Separating the learning of orientation and fastenings can help children who may otherwise feel overwhelmed with the complexity of dressing as an occupation.
Tips to help dress your child for success:
- Have “school” or “play” clothes seperate from “going out” or “nice” clothes to create clear expectations around what should be worn for different activities.
Select which clothes your child can choose to dress from. This allows your child to develop their own independence and clothing choices whilst ensuring the clothes enable participation.- If your child really wants to wear a particular outfit that restricts movement (and you’re happy for them to), negotiate when they can wear it. Maybe for a particular period of the day, or one day a week/fortnight/month.
- Model smart clothes choices yourself! Talk about why you’re wearing what you are, and demonstrate how different clothes are for different occupations (things you do!)
- Comment on the functionality of clothes (and not just their appearance). Children love compliments, so if a particular outfit gains them lots of attention for being cute/funny/adorable/beautiful/handsome, they are going to be more motivated to wear it (and fight you on it). You could say “wow those shoes look like they’d help you run fast”, or “I bet you could climb to the moon in those pants”!
great article!