Son wont wear shirts

My 7 year old son refuses to wear his school polos with out a t-shirt.




At the start of the school year it was fine. Now it takes us hours to get dressed in the morning. He says the shirts feel itchy and tingle.

The one I buy are extra soft tagless Hanes t-shirts. I have tried all sizes.

Is there anything I can do to make him feel comfortable. Its emotionally wearing on both of us.



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May 22, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		this is my son
by: Anonymous

my son wont wear anything but T-shirts also, nothing with a collar or buttons, doesn't like dress shirts ether. occasionally i can get him to start wearing polo shirts, Usually we save it for special occasions or events sometimes he worn them a few times for school. but he immediately takes it off when hes done and slips on a T-shirt.
Feb 21, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		we where the same
by: Anonymous

my son was the same way also, he loves wearing cotton T-shirts and didn't like anything with a collar or buttons. thankfully he goes to a non-uniform school.

Very recently i did get him to start wearing Polos, after trying many brand, found one in a soft cotton and in his favorite color, and that was enough to convince him to try it on. im slowly trying to add more variety to his wardrobe. i think it worked by doing it slowly.
Dec 02, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		I have tactile sensitivity and autism
by: Crystal

I have tactile sensitivity and autism. I have to cut the tags out of everything I wear. Tagless clothes are ideal, though. Occasionally, I find a shirt that feels good and get as many as I can afford to buy. If it's the color he needs, ask the school if he can choose a style of shirt that is comfortable for him. The tight necklines and tags could be what is bothering him.
Aug 05, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Why not both?
by: Anonymous

Why can't he wear a normal shirt he likes the feel of under his polo? Yes it's more laundry but he won't feel the polo except at the collar and maybe the edges of he sleeves. Many people do this anyway and from the perspective of someone who has a similar problem, not all things can be fixed, sometimes you have to negotiate. DO take him clothes shopping. I never understood why not everyone did this, clothing is very personal and while he may be upset he didn't get the shirt you weren't shopping for that he liked he will get to pick the least bothersome of what you were looking at.
Jul 20, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you
by: Anonymous

Great Feedback thank you so much..currently we are seeing an O.T and brush therapy seems to be working . Also very tight t shirts ( like the champion swim style t's at Target) work well. He likes to wear his undershirt very tight we think to stop the shifting of the fabric.... ongoing process and all feedback is much appreciated! thank you its good to know were not the only ones out there
Jul 20, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Child that refuses to wear certain clothes
by: Anonymous

My friend has a child with a similar issue. Her brilliant idea is to get her child dressed the night before- because otherwise he will throw a two hour fit and miss the bus in the morning. Not a perfect solution, but it helps mornings.

Does your child HAVE to wear polos? They can be scratchy-I have to say I can see that. I would investigate if he has to wear them if you can find any in a different fabric (sometimes Old Navy and other stores have polos made of a t-shirt like material called jersey knit-much softer).

It is really important that you believe him and not just think he is doing this to be defiant. It can be very distracting which means he is having trouble paying attention in school. I had TONS of issues with my own son and socks and jeans (he would cut holes in brand new socks because of the stitching, and I would go crazy because I had limited means to buy them in the first place).

Now that I understand that these things were almost painful to him, I feel terrible for being so hard on him. (He was later diagnosed with Asperger's).

I had him come shopping with me. He picked out socks he would wear and when he would actually wear them, I bought a ton. Now we only have issues when we have to buy new shoes (buy the next size right away if you know they are a good pair because they change styles every couple of months) and in a new season.

Switching from shorts to pants and back again is always an issue and takes extra patience. Otherwise, I have it down to a science (at first it was trial and error though) and the older he gets he can explain why he doesn't like something.

Once you find some shirts he WILL wear, buy a ton. It is worth the extra money/time in the long run to get him what feels good-you will all be much happier! If you can't find a shirt that works, I would talk to the school. A lot of people say OT works and I would like to try it too. But I really think the jersey knit will solve your problem! Good luck and hang in there!

Karin
Apr 05, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		suggestions
by: Anonymous

I think maybe if you took him shopping with you and allowed him to try on shirts maybe he could find one that doesn't bother him. I do not know if it works for that, but we have been using brush therapy on our son... maybe that would help?? Talk to his doctors, they should be able to help! :)

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