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Avatar universal

clothing issue

I have a great niece that is 4 yrs. Old.  She was playing dress up one day & got stuck in a dress that was to small for her.  Since she was panicked her dad became equally as panicked & cut the dress off of her,  now she will only wear certain clothes, she also will not  close straps on shoes, I.e. Mary Jane's.  There are plenty of other issues going on in household, I.e. mom & dad are separating.  What kind of advice would u give to help her to be more at ease with clothing?  Thanks, tina
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973741 tn?1342342773
Hi there.  None of this was there prior to the incident?  

My son has issues with clothing but it is due to his nervous system and a problem called sensory integration disorder.  Tags in shirts, too tight of things around the neck, the way certain socks an shoes feel, wear his shirt hits him on the arm all are something he feels more than your average person and it can make him very uncomfortable.  Kids like my son are the ones you see wearing long pants in the summer type of thing.  There are things you can do for this.

But that wouldn't just crop up.  Instead, it sounds like she is having anxiety/phobia from the incident??  In that case, I would actually talk to a therapist.  You can talk to one to find out if it is something that they can help you with.  But I will say if a child or even an adult has an issue with anxiety in one area, it usually spills over to other things.  So, I'd work on this for sure to conquer it.  
good luck
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Avatar universal
Poor kid. Maybe go to the mall on a girl only day... Make her feel super special. Let her get her nails done in any color she would like and then hit a really awesome"girlie" store and tell her that now her nails are so beautiful she has to find a dress and shoes to match so u can take her pic...let her try on some. Pretty things and I'm sure she will find something she likes and in turn realize clothes aren't the enemy. My daughter would never wear a dress until I did this...after our girl day at the mall she was much more receptive to switching up her wardrobe. Also she just may need a little break from the stresses of the separation and home...she is lucky to have an aunt who cares so much...
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