| My two year old insists on choosing her own clothes. If I dress her in something she doesn’t want to wear she’ll just cry, until I take it off. This is the reason she is wearing her Dora the Explorer bathing suit in her birthday pictures. She insisted on wearing it, and took off the clothes I had chosen for her. If this sounds familiar read on for some tips on helping you and your child survive the clothing battle. | 
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Pick Your Battles
If you aren’t going anywhere there’s no reason your child can’t wear the clothes they choose, even if it’s a bathing suit. Save the battle for a time when it’s important your child wear certain types of clothes. Then provide them with two or three options and let them choose.
Compromise
Let your child choose the shirt they want but insist they wear the matching pants. If they are obsessed with their bathing suit allow them to wear it under different clothes when in public.
Buy Coordinating Clothes
Since my daughter insists on choosing her own clothes I buy a variety of shirts and pants that can easily be mixed and matched. This way she can choose whatever she wants and it still looks good. prefer denim, black, or tan pants because they go with anything. I try to steer clear of outfits where the pant and shirt need to match in order to look good. Although usually adorable on the rack, it’s not so cute when your child pairs a red plaid shirt with purple pants.
Grin and Bear It
Remember it’s just a stage. It won’t be long before your child will insist on having everything match perfectly, and you’ll remember the mismatch days with fondness.
Realize that your child is not trying to drive you crazy. Instead they are learning to assert themselves, form opinions, and make choices.