The preschool years - ages 3 through 5 - are important in your child's life. It is in this period that, in addition to growing a lot, your child develops a self-concept and personality traits that will last into adulthood. Clothing becomes important to your child - both as an asset or hindrance to play and as an aid to self-awareness and individual expression.

This is the time when your child loses that 'baby look.' Babyhood roundness disappears, and the child develops a neck. The head of the infant or toddler is large in proportion to the rest of the body; now the trunk, arms, and legs grow quickly. By the time your child is ready for kindergarten, the 'top-heavy' look has disappeared. You can expect the child typically to gain about four to five pounds per year and add about nine inches in height. Girls may be slightly shorter and weigh less than boys.

The facts of physique can be an important aid in selecting clothing that will fit your child comfortably and attractively and not be outgrown too quickly. Observe your child, noting individual characteristics, but keeping in mind some general facts, too.

Shoulders are sloping, so straps need to cross in back or be designed to stay on the shoulders.
There is no definite waistline, so pants and skirts need elastic at the back waist.
The neck is growing, but turtlenecks may be too high. Look for flat or no-collar garments.

Since your child will be growing up, not out, you'll want to look for things that can be worn as long as possible.

Styles That Can Be Worn a Long Time

Separates rather than one-piece outfits
Tops with a lot of length, such as tunic styles or long shirttails
Dresses without waistlines, such as A-line or smock styles
Roomy necklines and large armholes

Other Tips

Nylon/spandex tights can help keep girls' legs warm when dresses are worn.
Choose pants and shirts with cuffs that roll up or down.
If you sew, lengthen sleeves and bottom hems in a way that will look planned. Braid or trim can cover crease marks and add design interest to some skirts or shirts.
Feet are growing, too. Children may not complain about tight-fitting shoes, so be sure to check them often. Press down on the end of the shoe with your thumb. The shoe should be about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch longer than the longest toe. It should be wide enough so toes can wiggle and high enough so toes do not touch the top of the shoe.

Clothing can help Preschoolers Learn about Themselves!

Feeling Good

During the ages three through five, your child will develop a special blend of independence and dependence, aggression and passivity that makes up his or her personality. This development is affected greatly by the adults around the child - how you encourage, praise, and motivate. Your attention is very important to the young child during this crucial period, and if you work or are away from home a great deal, quality attention from the care provider becomes very important.

Self-Discovery

As your child develops greater self-awareness, he or she will begin to identify sex roles. You'll notice your child tending to identify with the parent of the same sex, perhaps wanting to wear similar clothing - a skirt like mother's or shirt or hat like dad's.

One way young children can feel a sense of self-identification is through their clothing. Special clothing becomes very important at this age. You may want to personalise outfits by adding a special pocket or trim, a favourite design, or the child's name or initials. If the child's wardrobe is mostly hand-me-downs, this special treatment may be especially important.

And it's not unusual for a preschooler to develop a liking for one particular outfit or garment. The child may want to wear their favourite everyday and for every occasion, whether it is appropriate or not. You can help your child by accepting these preferences and by encouraging an occasional change of pace. Special outfits for religious occasions or family get-togethers can add variety.

Making Friends

As your child begins to play in the neighbourhood or attend a preschool group, peers become important. Peer identification through clothing begins at a young age and continues into adulthood. Your child may want to wear a shirt or outfit similar to that of a special friend. This shows affection for that friend. It is not necessary for a child's clothes to be exactly like those of other children, but the clothing should not be too different either. If a child is dressed in a manner very different from others, he or she may feel left out or may tend to withdraw from play.

Showing Independence

One way your preschooler expresses independence is by wanting to select his or her own clothing. You can guide the child in making selections.

When purchasing clothing, you might select two or three appropriate outfits and then let the child make the final decision.
In the morning, you can lay out several shirts that go with a particular pair of pants and let the child decide which to wear. By accepting the choice, you will help build the child's self-confidence.
Set an example, too, by explaining your own clothing choices - why a certain outfit is appropriate for a planned activity or weather conditions. Point out how color and pattern co-ordinate.

These parental explanations are one way the clothing process is a learning experience for your preschooler. Clothing can be used to teach such concepts as color identification, texture differences, and pattern such as stripes, polka dots, or plaids.

In Motion

Preschoolers are in motion most of the time. They enjoy using their developing muscles to run, jump, climb, and pedal.

Whatever the child enjoys doing, he or she will not enjoy clothes that hamper body freedom. Bulky snowsuits and clothes that are too small or too large will restrict physical movement. And dresses or skirts may keep little girls from enjoying playground equipment. Some clothing even can be hazardous for active children if it has features that may become tangled or caught in play equipment. Avoid clothing that has:

hoods that hang down the back;
drawstring ties around necks;
floppy, too-long shoelaces;
wide pant legs; and
long, full, or loose sleeves.

Keeping Clean

A preschooler tends to use the whole body when playing. Play is active, busy, and often messy because the child is using every sense to help discover what the world is like. For example, spills are inevitable when your preschooler is just learning to hold a paintbrush. Your child may find pleasure in smearing paint on hands, arms, legs...and clothing. Young children also like to run, roll, and flop in mud, sand, grass, and water puddles if given a chance. Such activities are a challenge at laundry time, so make sure clothing is made of fabrics and fibers that can be easily laundered and need little or no ironing.

Getting Dressed

Children at this age want to dress themselves too, and they are able to handle many kinds of dressing skills. Self-help toys or books may aid you in teaching some of the basic dressing skills such as buttoning, zipping, lacing, snapping, and tying bows. But so can many of the child's every day play activities that teach finger dexterity, such as cutting, pasting, and pounding.

Dressing is a slow process for your young child, so allow plenty of time and select clothing that will present a minimum of frustration:

a minimum of closures,
large buttons and buttonholes,
large tabs on zippers,
large neck and armholes,
pull-on shirts and pants with elasticised waists, and
one-piece outfits that may be easier to put on. (Although two-piece separates are more practical for growth, one-piece garments may aid independent dressing.)

To make independent dressing easier, avoid clothing with back closures, separating zippers, and pull-on shirts with tight necks. Surprisingly, many children do not like sweatshirts because the fuzzy insides stick to other clothes, making the sweatshirt hard to pull off.

Your child may have difficulty telling fronts from backs. If the garment does not have back labels, put in an identifying mark with a laundry pen or a tiny iron-on patch, then teach your child that the mark goes in the back.

Deciding which shoe goes on which foot is difficult, too; again, marking the shoes can help. Some parents use a felt-tip pen to make arrows inside the shoes. When shoes are placed side by side on the floor, the arrows should point to one another.

The order of dress can be confusing, too. It may help if you lay clothing out in the order in which it should be put on. Garments can be placed on the floor to make it easier for the child. Place tops face down and bottoms face up with the waist toward the child.

Learning Through Play

A preschooler's world of play is his or her world of work. You'll find your child serious and committed to play, just as an adult might be to an important job. One difference between the child's world of play and the adult's world of work is the skill that each has developed. Preschoolers are still quite clumsy in some of their efforts. They have not developed smooth, easy moves, so messy results are common.

Another feature of young preschool play is the inability to really play with other children. Children may play near others, duplicating an activity but not really sharing in it. The social skill that makes playing together possible develops slowly. As a parent, you can help this skill grow by encouraging your child to settle his or her own differences. Give suggestions such as, 'Tell Timmy you want the truck now, instead of hitting him.'

Pretending

You'll be amazed at the way in which fantasy can fill a child's world of play. It is not unusual for preschoolers to assign personalities to their dolls or stuffed toys or to invent a make-believe friend. By talking and play-acting with toys, children practise real-life situations and learn to cope with reality. They may act out conflicts and fear situations as well as adventures and friendship or family happenings.

Fascination with adult roles combines with imagination in a favourite form of preschool play-dress-up. The child may assume a total role for several days, and it may involve an elaborate costume. Or, you may see your child adapt a hat, purse, belt, or some other item to everyday dress. Preschoolers need access to clothing they can use for dress-up like hats, shoes, old costumes, evening gowns, dance costumes, and rummage clothes. You may want to help your child put together a play costume, perhaps to be a fire fighter, sports personality, or cartoon hero. As the child gets older, he or she will want more detail or authenticity in the dress-up costume.

Wear and Tear

Young children's play is hard on clothes and hard on the children, too. So think about clothing that gives some protection to your child's tender skin - long pants to protect knees and shins, for example.

Think, too, about comfort during active play. Children tend to get hot and sweaty when they play, and clothing that contains absorbent fibers such as cotton will help them feel more comfortable. Cotton is a good choice for underwear or any garment that will be next to the skin. It is not a particularly strong fiber though; so outerwear that must take the abrasions and strains of play will hold up better if it contains a blend of cotton and a strong fiber such as polyester. Children don't want to be restricted in movement either. Fabrics that stretch add to comfort, too, because they allow greater body movement.

Preschool children grow so fast that their clothes usually are outgrown before they wear out. So super durability is not a great consideration. Clothes should last long enough to be outgrown, though; so look for these features:
fabric that is strong enough to withstand the strains of crawling and climbing. Flexible stretch fabrics can take this stress. So can tightly woven or tightly knit fabrics.
durable construction details - small stitching at crotch and armholes, finished seams if the fabric ravels, reinforcements with bar-stitching at pocket and zipper ends. Reinforcement at knees may be needed, too.

Remember that clothes that can take hard wear, are comfortable, are easy to care for, and easy for your child to put on are clothes that let your child enjoy active, carefree play and growing independence.

About the Author: Reprinted with permission from National Network for Child Care -NNCC.
Stone, J. (1994). Consumer choices series, Selecting clothes for preschoolers, ages 3 to5. [Pm 849]. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Extension. National Network for Child Care