preschoolMy daughter could "do everything by myself" when she left for preschool.

Trust me. She told me.

Frequently.

But even with potty training finally over, and her waving a confident bye bye as she shooed me out of the room, I had one major concern.

Will she be able to stay dressed?

We'd just gone through our nudist phase. One that's not exactly over as kindergarten beckons, it's true, but the worst of it was past.

She'd learned by and large to get a shirt over her head and a pair of pants on her hips. There were teachers there to help her, but I wanted her to feel confident on her own -- and not to have my kid keeping them in the bathroom for hours.

So I developed a few ground rules for dressing her for preschool:

1. No Overalls. There's nothing like a pair of Osh Kosh B'Goshes to set my heart a pitter pat. But at 3, the bibs were likely to accidentally end up dipping in the toilet water.

2. Yes to Anything Easy. Pants with an elastic waist are a big yes. Also the Julbo Looping sunglasses that are never upside down -- I took off the little strap aimed to keep them on the head, but these are a great find for parents of light-eyed kids who will spend a lot of time on a sunny preschool playground.

3. Nothing Tight. The leggings are adorable, but they're hard to pull up after a potty break. 

4. Nothing Too Big. Jeans they have to keep pulling up, sleeves that are always in the paint, and cuffs they're going to trip over spell nothing but disaster.

5. Nothing Too Nice. It's arts and crafts hour, not time to show off your dapper little man. Let them have FUN. I always chose clothes somewhat nicer than her playclothes but not nearly as nice as the going out to dinner with the grandparents outfit.

Do you have preschool-specific clothes for your kids?

 

Image via Franklin Park Library/Flickr