Tales From the Laundry Basket
Mornings with children are rarely peaceful. But I’d started to realise that ours seemed to go wrong at exactly the same point every day.
Breakfast? Fine.
Teeth? Usually manageable.
Finding the missing shoe? Standard parenting.
Then came getting dressed.
And suddenly, everything changed.
The Part of the Morning I Dreaded
“Can you put your clothes on?”
Nothing.
“Come on, we need to go.”
Still nothing.
Then came the negotiations.
“This one feels funny.”
“I don’t want those pants.”
“It’s itchy.”
“Can I wear the other one?”
And, eventually:
“I’M NOT WEARING IT.”
All while I’m looking at the clock wondering how getting dressed became the most complicated part of leaving the house.
I thought my child was stalling.
Or tired.
Or just being difficult because, well... mornings.
But then I started noticing something.
Some Mornings Were Different
Every now and then, getting dressed simply... happened.
No argument.
No changing three times.
No tugging at collars or waistbands.
No negotiations.
And strangely, the rest of the morning seemed easier too.
So I started paying attention to what they were wearing on those mornings.
They were nearly always the same few things.
The soft T-shirt.
The stretchy shorts.
The clothes without the annoying labels.
The things they chose themselves whenever they had the chance.
That was when something clicked.
Maybe It Wasn’t the Morning Routine
I’d spent so much time trying to make our mornings run better.
Earlier breakfasts.
Clothes laid out the night before.
More reminders.
Fewer reminders.
None of it addressed the obvious question:
What if they simply didn’t feel comfortable in what I was asking them to wear?
Because when their clothes felt right, getting dressed wasn't really an issue.
They put them on.
And got on with being a kid.
One Less Battle Before 8am
Our mornings aren't suddenly perfect.
We still lose shoes.
Someone still remembers they need something for school approximately 14 seconds before we leave.
And breakfast occasionally ends up on clothing that was clean five minutes earlier.
But getting dressed?
That part has become easier.
I stopped thinking quite so much about what I wanted my child to wear and started noticing what they felt comfortable wearing.
Turns out, sometimes making mornings easier isn't about creating a better routine.
It’s about removing one small thing that was making the routine harder.
A Little Note From Baby Todd & Co.
Children can have strong clothing preferences for many different reasons. Some simply have favourite clothes, while others may be particularly sensitive to certain fabrics, tags, seams, waistbands, fit or temperature.
At Baby Todd & Co., we design clothing with those little details in mind — including 100% tagless construction, ultra-soft fabrics, gentle seams, breathable materials and comfortable stretch.
Because sometimes the best clothes aren't the ones that spend the most time in the wardrobe.
They're the ones you can barely keep out of the laundry basket.
They're simply the ones that feel the best.
Tales From the Laundry Basket is our series of fictionalised parent stories inspired by the everyday experiences, questions and clothing challenges shared by families.