Strange Behavior in My 20 Mo Old Son

Very normal behavior. I go through this every change of season from winter to summer. Kids get used to having their arms and legs covered then we put short pants and short sleeves on them and it feels funny to them. My son tugs on his clothes for the first couple of weeks when I change seasonal clothes. He does the same thing when I roll up his sleeves to wash his hands or for him to eat. Just let the sleeves get dirty. It isn't worth the struggle. Don't sweat the small stuff!!

Just wait until it is 90 degrees outside and he refuses to wear shorts! Yup, completely typical toddler behavior.

I had to laugh when I read your post!!! My 27 month old son is doing the same exact thing. The past 2 nights I have put short sleeved pajamas on him bcse it has been warmer, and he keeps trying to pull the sleeves down to his wrists!!! As he is pulling, he is telling me his shirt is "broke". I guess after 6 mos of long sleeves, he is just not used to it. Don't worry about your son, he's just not used to the feeling of shorter sleeves. Gotta love the nuances of our kids!!!! I'm still laughing cause I thought it was just my son!!!!! Good luck.

By the way, my 3 1/2 yr old daughter is obsessed with closing containers.... God help us if we forget to close the ketchup, mustard, mayo bottle!!! She can't relax until she closes it.

i wouldn't worry - sounds like a quirk. my son is 2 and does the same thing. i recently put a t-shirt on him after a winter with long sleeves & he kept trying to pull the sleeves down. i just calmly said, they stay up, and ignored it. he figured it out & got the point. but if i pull up his sleeves for a messy activity or to eat, he pulls them down as soon as he is finished. as adults, we have a lot of quirks but are reserved enough not to spaz. kids don't have the same kind of self control yet and therefore freak a bit when expressing preferences.

As a mother of a son who still runs around with his sweatpants hiked up passed his knee if he spilled a single drop of water on it, I would not worry about it. They grow out of these little obsessions, or replace them with another thing. He's got his reasons and they make sense to him, so go with the flow. I think it has something to do with excersizing control over their own environment, which is healthy. When my son was your sons age it was difficult transitioning him into sandals, in the summer. Then when summer was over, he did not want to go back into shoes and socks! This year he refused to wear any long sleeve cotton shirts, and I had to dress him in a short sleeve shirt and sweatshirt everyday in the winter.

kids are funny like that. my niece freaks out now if anyone has any kind of mask on, or even says the word mask, or is holding one. she is also scared of penguins. when my son was about your sons age, he used to absolutely freak out from any toy that moved on its own. i would really try to downplay it, ignore it as much as possible. do not play into it. let him wear long sleeves or whatever he wants, and maybe after a week or 2 slip in a shortie, casually, dont say a word about it. if he objects, just say oh, ok, which one do you want? like that. it really is probably a phase, and surely not the last. that said, there was another mom here talking about sensory issues... a very real thing. he probably doesnt have it, but i would just keep an extra eye open if it persists.

My daughter has times when she gets frustrated about her short sleeves but I think it is because she is so used to the long sleeves over these cold weather months. Not sure if that's your issue but hope it helps.

I remember when my son was around 2 and we went from winter to summer clothing. He sat on the floor sobbing. He tried to pull his short sleeves down to make them long sleeves and his short pant legs down to make them long pants. He just didn't like change. We went through the same thing that summer to winter and he was fine after that.

When his hit around 2 they start to have preferences on what they like and what they don't like. I think you'll be running into stuff like this more often as he tries to figure it all out.

Get used to his 'quirky' behavior, it will continue to be 'quirky' as he grows up and once he is a teen it will be downright 'bizarre.' LOL Don't worry about it, let him wear long sleeves and soon he will demand short sleeves. One of my kids refused for a long time to go without a shirt. In summer! He had to wear a t-shirt into the pool. He got over it. Baby's are learning likes and dislikes and becoming aware of their bodies and how tings feel on their skin. Its all rather cute, so enjoy it instead of worrying.

It could certainly be a phase, especially if it is just this one thing. Your son's behavior could also be indicative of a sensory integration disorder. Sensory Integration (how information from the five senses and the sense of movement is perceived). Sensory Integration issues vary between kids in their characteristics and intensity. Some children are so mildly afflicted it's barely noticeable while others find their hypersensitivity/hyposensitivity to impede daily functioning. Notice if he has other sensory issues. We are all annoyed at times by sensory things like an itchy sweater or whatever, it's to what degree that your child is adversely affected that you probably want to be aware.

Maybe he's cold, or maybe it just feels odd for his arms to be "out" since he's probably been in long sleeves all winter and doesn't remember having bare arms so it's a new sensation for him. If it continues, there is the possiblity of sensory integration disorder but if this is the only thing you've noticed, I wouldn't jump to that conclusion right away.

Don't worry. He will most likely moveon to something else to get agitated about. My 2yo daughter gas tis thing now where she is obsessed with ants! A.

Hi K.,
You know my son does the same thing. He gets really mad if I try to roll up his sleeves. I only do it when he is painting or eating. Once and a while he'll let it go but when he gets mad, boy do I hear it. I haven't really thought much of it, other then him being picking about his sleeves. I wouldn't worry to much about it. Kids do some strange things sometimes. I'm sure our boys will grow out of it.

Hi K.,
When my nephew was that age, he did the exact same thing. He only wanted long sleeves and he pulled on the short ones. He eventually grew out of it and now he is 27 and has no problem wearing clothes at all! It was just a phase he went through (and there were lots more to come). I remember that no one made too big a deal over it and he eventually got over it. The key was to not make a fuss over it so that he didn't think it was an issue. Good luck.
Kathy

I have heard some strange clothing behaviors from so many moms. One kid wouldnt wear shirts w/ pockets or strips, had to have seamless socks. My own son wont wear certain shirts if they are too itchy and my daughter hates to be bundled up to much. I wouldnt worry but it can be rather annoying at times. Sounds like he might be testing the waters a little as he will turn 2 soon. That independent thing they like to do. Good Luck.

Ha! I love this OCD phase our toddlers go through. It's so weird! Your guy is totally normal though. Just put him in long sleeves, or push them down when they get rolled up. This is an easy stress to relieve, so do it! Toddlers want to control SOMETHING in their lives, you know?

Now if I could only get my son to stop taking off his socks and shoes, and then screaming because he can't get them back on without help....

It's gotta be a phase around this age. My daughter (also 20 mos.) never used to care what she was wearing. Recently, though, she's become attached to a Dora T-shirt and doesn't like to wear pants!! LOL. So although you don't like to see your son get agitated, I'd think it's just a passing thing.
God Bless!
A. D

my daughter, 24 months, has been doing this for awhile now, don't worry it is a phase:-)

If this is his only "quirky" behavior I wouldn't worry. If there are other issues it could be a sensory issue. My friend's daughter receives OT for a sensory disorder.

My son was about that age when he freaked out about me putting overalls on him- I told him he was cute and he screamed as he tried to rip them off of himself! They get older and forget about the little quirks- just go with his feelings about the short sleeves for now and keep 'em long! When he's wearing t-shirs this summer, he'll forget all about it!