Refusing to wear clothes

That’s really helpful, thank you. 
I don’t want to cause him anymore stress by trying to get him dressed for a few more days, which means he’ll unfortunately miss my sisters wedding !

ill look to purchase some of the clothes you have suggested and see what happens.

i just want him to be happy. It’s just awful seeing him so upset.

i really am grateful for you taking the time to give your advice. This feels so supportive taking on here.

xx

OH. Then I would suggest you avoid anything with polyester or nylon. And perhaps buy something like Ecover Zero to wash his clothes in? (free of chemical scents). Eczema can be caused by dietary factors as well, so could be useful to get him allergy tested. My son had problems with it. But if it's cleared up after he stopped wearing clothes then it's probably detergent + man-made petroleum based fibres, which are everywhere!

Companies which make 'sensory' friendly clothing are not always friendly - many sell clothing with polyesters, which are simply a fabric form of Plastic and made from petroleum. The human body cannot breathe in polyester - it's excellent for waterproofing. 

I would try 100% Natural Cotton clothing against his skin. If you google "inexpensive organic children's clothes uk" you'll find tree based fabrics as well - bamboo or eucalyptus. These can actually cool the body down, and they're really soft. Good for warm weather. 

For winter, cotton under 100% wool could be perfect (here again, blended wool with unnatural fibres still can cause problems). With children, they don't need much just enough for a week + a few days of clothes, so it could be good to focus on quality over quantity, especially with matters like eczema. 

I've recommended this company to many individuals: https://www.cambridgebaby.co.uk/catalog/child/underwear/vests/childrens-long-sleeved-vest-top-in-organic-cotton?cPath=186_127&zenid=cglq3rn30dg1781furnrnu8rg6 

Even if you can get him in cotton PJs it's a start!

All I can think is that he had really bad eczema which clothes caused more irritation. 
that was a while back, and it has completely cleared up even before this.

This is a good angle to consider, my daughter will happily stay in PJs all day, if you ask her to get dressed she’ll say “why? Where are we going?” Hope you manage to get to the bottom of what is going on OP 

Do you know if it is sensitivity to the feel of clothing, or is it the association between putting clothes on and going outside? Has he had a particularly bad reaction to anything that happened away from your home? I think finding out what it is that produces his negative feelings about clothing has to be the first step in tackling the problem.. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to message with your advice, it means a lot.

he has a weighted blanket, he sometimes uses it but only at night I’ll put it on him once he’s asleep. He kicks it off if he’s awake.

i have to use puppy training pads in his bed and towels in case of accidents until I put a nappy on him whilst he sleeps, however this is normally taken off during the night.

i have purchased lots of sensory clothes from sensory websites but nothing helps.

He is fixated on the tv so your suggestion of watching children get dressed, I will try. I’m willing to try anything at this stage and pay anything to help!

my health visitor is not SEN trained so she does not have any suggestions. 
I need to apply for his EHCP, but I’m reluctant to do it until I get evidence from Pre school, they are now shut for the summer. He was diagnosed on the last week of term so I there was not enough time to get evidence from them.

It seems there is no really support outside of the school setting until their at least 5... he has only recently turned 3.

again thank you so much for replying xx

oh my thats really awful

I don't know that I can help, and maybe you've tried everything... Does he use a blanket when he's cold? 

Cloting is a funny thing - ! buy 100% cotton or 100% wool. If there's a percent of polyester my physiology responds different - it doesn't feel nice. In polys I sweat. Even better than marino wool or fine threaded cotton can be silk. But cotton is the most breathable. Some have issues can be where T shirts stop and how pants begin - which can be fixed with all-in-one jumpsuits/PJs in cotton. Or just long PJs like Living Crafts will make. Or even overalls.

It sounds a bit like he's had nightmares about clothing, though. As if he watched an animation and the clothing came to life and it devastated him. If he can initiate wearing a coat or wearing a few items in increments it could help. But this sounds really difficult. 

You could see if fabric is an issue by buying samples of cotton, wool, polyester, jean, silk, etc. and making cut-out clothes for paper dolls (cut out various forms of dress for each maybe? a kilt, an all-in-one, a long male-robe, pants). Or just watch videos of children learning to dress themselves. Even buying dolls for him to dress? Allowing him to dress himself and / or helping him envision getting dressed might be incredibly helpful. When I imagine a thing it's nearly impossible for me not to do it to completion. 

So sorry! This sounds really difficult.