I gave birth to a stripper, yo

August 3, 2008 6:40 PM

My 22-month-old son has taken to stripping. He's quick, he's crafty, and he takes everything off at every opportunity. Buttons, zippers, Velcro and admonishments do not stop him. How can I get him to keep his clothes and diaper on?
posted by streetdreams to Human Relations (20 answers total)

It's a phase, as they say. The more excited you get about it, the more interested he will be in doing it. Pay attention to him if he stays dressed. Ignore him totally when he strips. He'll get the idea.
posted by beagle at 6:47 PM on August 3, 2008

if it's at night: put the pj's on backwards.

Otherwise, ignoring is the way to go.
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:55 PM on August 3, 2008

Ignore, but for the love of God take pictures to show his prom date. Or to blackmail him with in return for lawnmowing, etc.
posted by mozhet at 6:58 PM on August 3, 2008 [4 favorites]

both of my kids ran around naked all the time--it was their preferred state. at 22 months your son will be nearing toilet training time. i found it incredibly easy to do when the kids were naked. without the security of the diaper they were very sensitive to when they needed to go--and--we rarely cleaned up messes. like beagle said, it's a very healthy stage kids go through. the less you worry about it, the better he'll feel about his body as he develops.
posted by Zebtron at 7:14 PM on August 3, 2008

my nephew would get half way down the hallway, rip off his diaper, and then RUN at full speed away from the adults trying to cover his stuff. it was the greatest game for the tyke. then we started ignoring him, he got a little older, and his pants stayed on. as zebtron said, it was helpful with potty training.

if he holds on to this as he gets older, dana carvey has a set about how his son was given one hour of naked time a night in exchange for him keeping his clothes on the rest of the time. it apparently is an issue if that hour happens when company is over - but also, hilarious (to hear him tell it, of course)
posted by nadawi at 7:22 PM on August 3, 2008

When my little sister did this I would throw a glass of cold water on her every time. That pretty much did the trick.
posted by mecran01 at 7:26 PM on August 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

When I was a child, apparently I tried to do this on the way to preschool every morning. Luckily for my parents I went through the phase in winter time when they could simply put my coat on backwards. Perhaps try the same thing with his pants, since it is summer.

Or for every article he takes off, put on three! simply layer your child to the point of ridiculousness! [WARNING: Do not try outside in summer heat]
posted by Suparnova at 7:31 PM on August 3, 2008

As far as the diaper is concerned, a cloth diaper cover with snap closures might help. Something like this. Some people who use cloth diapers say that the snap covers work when their kids get to the stage where they can remove diaper covers with velcro. I know you're probably not using cloth diapers, but you could easily snap it over a disposable diaper.

Good luck.
posted by christinetheslp at 7:31 PM on August 3, 2008

Okay, my kids have never gone through this stage so no first hand knowledge there.......but if it becomes a problem with taking off the diaper and smearing poop on the walls - never happened to me thank goodness! - but apparently duct tape is the answer.
posted by texas_blissful at 7:38 PM on August 3, 2008

Just about everything at this age is (at least partially) about the kid seeking control (in a world where they control very little). One thing that will help (though I can't promise to what degree) is to give him control over everything it's okay for him to have control over. Not necessarily wide-open, but at least a choice of two options (e.g. which of these two outfits do you want to wear today). The more control he feels he has, the less he has to seek it out. There are probably also occasions where it is okay for him to choose to be naked (hot day in the back yard?).

Also, gaffer tape comes in many fashionable colours. :-)
posted by winston at 7:41 PM on August 3, 2008

Can he get through safety pins? Because those give me trouble even now.
posted by smackfu at 7:50 PM on August 3, 2008

One of the kids in daycare had this issue and came dressed in overalls put on backwards every day.
posted by Foam Pants at 8:39 PM on August 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Duct tape the diaper.
posted by lullaby at 9:30 PM on August 3, 2008

we use packing tape on our 2 year old everynight to keep pajamas and diapers on. Cheaper than duct tape.
posted by dripped at 1:43 AM on August 4, 2008

Stapling the diaper on might also work.
posted by orange swan at 5:27 AM on August 4, 2008

I remember reading about a guy whose toddler was into being a nudist. He declared every day between 2 and 4 'naked time'. That seemed to do the trick, he kept his clothing on in anticipation of naked time. Try that?

dg
posted by 8dot3 at 6:39 AM on August 4, 2008

Clarification: the father declared 2-4 o'clock to be naked time, and the toddler complied by keeping dressed the rest of the time.

(Need more coffee.)
posted by 8dot3 at 6:41 AM on August 4, 2008

Naked time is a good choice. Another is to put the child in overalls. If he can get out of them, put them on backwards. Overalls also give you an easy handle.

For our child, he decided he's start sleeping naked at about 2. That greatly reduced the naked sprints. We also allowed him to streak around the house each night after his bath. He'd cackle maniacally at the same time. He's several years older and only wears pajamas in cold weather.
posted by onhazier at 6:52 AM on August 4, 2008

This is typical. It's also typical to grow out of it.

In the mean time, make sure that he's got very comfortable clothes. Make sure that the fabric isn't pilling on the inside of his onesies/PJs, for example. As long as he's not suffering any discomfort from hsi clothes, play along, but remember to gently teach him that we wear clothes for a reason, and it's a good thing for him to keep them on.

Seconding bribery, as well. Cookies for staying clothed can help.
posted by Citrus at 9:23 AM on August 4, 2008

My brother took this an extra step and dumped all of his clothing out his second-storey window into the (muddy, with 2 dogs) backyard. My mother had a fit, but at least he didn't go out the window.

My kids both went through the phase, and I just considered it helpful to potty training and put them in the playpen if they were determined to be naked, in case of accidents. A toddler running through her own pee on linoleum is a big owie waiting to happen, and it's easier to clean up a confined area. Ths is also about the same stage where they started wanting to dress themselves -- sweatshirts as pants, skirts as tops, inside-out clothes, cowboy hats with petticoats, garish color combinations -- gotta love it!
posted by notashroom at 11:29 AM on August 4, 2008