Dear Wiggles: What If My Toddler Refuses To Wear Pants?

In this week’s Dear Wiggles, Simon and Lachy tackle a very real toddler dilemma: what do you do when your child flat-out refuses to wear anything warm? Think shorts in winter, T-shirts in the snow, full-body meltdown when pants appear.

They share what actually helps… and why sometimes, the pants just aren’t worth the fight.

HOSTS
Simon Pryce
Lachlan Gillespie

PRODUCERS
Produced by The Wiggles and Mylk Media
Madeline Joannou
Nick Webb

To submit a question for the ‘Dear Wiggles’ segment, email us at [e-mail] or head to thewiggles.com/podcast to send in a voice note.

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About The Wiggles' Podcast - Wiggle Talk

Think you’ve got parenting figured out? So do Simon and Lachy - until the toddler throws a curveball. On Wiggle Talk - a podcast for parents, Red Wiggle Simon Pryce and Purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie tackle the tricky, funny, and unexpected moments of raising little humans.

Simon, dad to son Asher, and Lachy, father to twin daughters Lulu and Lottie and stepdad to Jasper, share the highs and lows of parenting in the early years. Alongside their own stories, they welcome guests - from parenting experts to well-known personalities - who bring fresh perspectives and practical wisdom to the table.

Each week also features Dear Wiggles - where listeners send in their questions, the things that keep them up at night, or the dilemmas they’d love another parent’s take on. Simon and Lachy talk it through with honesty, and when needed, they call in expert friends to help provide thoughtful advice and reassurance.

With decades of experience in children’s education and entertainment, The Wiggles bring their trademark warmth and playfulness to conversations on everything from sleep and routines to tantrums, play, and the big feelings that come with family life.

Two dads, no filter, figuring it out as they go.

 

About The Wiggles

For over three decades, The Wiggles have been a beloved cornerstone of children's entertainment, captivating and educating millions of preschoolers—and their parents—around the world. Known for their high-energy performances, catchy songs, and colourful characters, The Wiggles have built a global legacy rooted in the power of music and movement to inspire early childhood learning.

With a mission to make education fun, The Wiggles create content specifically designed for pre-K, preschool, kindergarten, and nursery school age groups. Their unique blend of music, dance, and educational content not only entertains but also helps children understand the world around them. Generations of fans who grew up watching The Wiggles are now sharing that same joy with their own children.

The Wiggles’ impact is truly global: they’ve achieved billions of music streams and YouTube views, and have sold more than 30 million albums and DVDs, along with eight million books worldwide. The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. Their live shows consistently sell out across three continents, and their videos are enjoyed on countless broadcast and digital platforms in over 190 countries.

The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. You can watch them on ABC Kids, Netflix, Prime Video, and Stan, and stream Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles on Prime Video. Stay connected by visiting www.thewiggles.com, subscribing to their YouTube channel, and following them on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

The Wig

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Wiggles acknowledged the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia
and their connections to land, see and community. We pay
our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome to Wiggle Talk, a podcast for parents. My name
is Locky and I wear the purple.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hell that lucky. My name is Simon and I wear
the red. Oh it's great to be here. Yes, it is,
you know lucky. The other day, because Asha starts school
next year, he does, we went to his school. I
guess it's called an orientation or something. So Asher had
to go out into the area a little name tag
on with I think he was part of pink group,

(00:45):
and then the teacher came down and pink group got
taken up to the classroom. So he was up in
the classroom for about an hour with a teacher in
his big school, while we as parents sat down in
the hall being given all the information. You know. It's
fascinating though, is that our attention spans are so much
shorter for parents everyone because there was a lot of

(01:07):
information to take in. Not complex, I mean, when do
you buy a uniform like it wasn't like it was,
But parents are on their phone sending messages like disengaging
completely from I actually felt a bit batter. I mean,
there was a lot of people, so it was kind
of fine, but I was thought, wow, okay, this is
your phone buzzers and that now takes precedence over engaging

(01:29):
with what you're what you're doing. Yeah, it was. It
was quite fascinating. But anyway, that wasn't the point of
this at all. But I was kind of taken aback
by it. But yeah, actually had a great time. That's good,
and nicely they peed him up with a couple of
boys who he's at preschool with already, so he had
that sort of safety with a couple of people he
knew and came back with a couple of drawings and

(01:51):
in news happy. So that was a good start. Great,
and we do it all again next week as well.
They do another one, right, so it's a follow up
and they have this they have a they call it
all something like outside of our school thing where you
can do other programs and things and stuff. But they
also do it during the holidays. So we thought we

(02:12):
might enrolling for a couple of days a couple of
weeks leading up to get to school. So he's actually
there and getting more familiar with the place and meeting
some of the other children and doing all that.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
So that's a good idea he gets.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
So he gets a bit more more time because he
really has not wanted to go to preschool at all, Like,
and I know I've said this before, and it's been
getting more and more. And it's not that he has
a bad time there. It's not that he's bored there.
He just his separation anxiety from laws and myself at
the moment is huge. And I don't know why because
it's not like, you know, we've got a little bit

(02:47):
too him coming up, but it's not like I've been away,
so it's kind of hard to know. And of course
he can't really answer. He can't really tell you why
well he's doing that way. He just says, I just
want to be with you too. I don't want to
be away from you to. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
He's just becoming more more conscious of the world, isn't he. Yeah,
and probably also starting to actually click into what school
means with time away too.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yeah, that's coming up.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
And as he's going to these little visits and he's like, Okay,
most see what's happening.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, I know, I felt like it was an assembly.
I felt like I was back at school up straight.
I mentioned, you know, this is the start of the
next thirteen years, and I was like, oh, the poor
little fella. No, but yeah, that's a lot to go through,
isn't that. Yeah? But yeah, anyway, so far he was happy,
So that was good. Yeah, that's a good sign.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
That's exciting for him.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
Wigle Talk, Talk Talk, Wigle Talk.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
It's near Wiggle.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Authorized by Simon Lucky.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Now this is where we take your questions about life,
children and the chaos of parenting. And today's dilemma comes
from Tim and Tim is a dad from the USA
dealing with a classic toddler standoff. It says, Hello, my
name is Tim, and I'm a stay at home dad
from midwestern USA. Summer has ended here as we march
towards winter. Our two year old toddler has recently started

(04:07):
wanting to pick out his own clothes to wear, but
it is always summer clothes like shorts and a T shirt.
He refuses our suggestions or presented an option for pants
and long sleeved shirts to the point of meltdown, becoming
absolutely hysterical. If we try dressing him in warmer clothes, you.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
Keep going lock because I've forgot my glasses. OK.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
So I'm sure my overall question is how we get
him to go along with what we know is best
for him. It feels counterproductive to force him to do
something that will cause a meltdown. But also he can't
go out without proper clothing. He can't seem to be
reasoned with. He's a toddler after all. I'd love to
hear your advice on getting through times when your kids
are simply being stubborn.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
That's from Tim.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
That's a good one, Tim. You know what first came
to my mind, Tim, is something that Jen Mure. I
guess we've had on here before. Now you might be
doing this already, but I remember Jen who was talking
about I think the school shoes, wasn't she? And you've
got to first that you just get down his level.
And the first thing you say is, I know, like
acknowledge that he probably doesn't want to have the jumper on,

(05:09):
or acknowledge that he wants to wear his cool summer clothes.
He might be a hot pod. Yes, I've got a
hot bod. Child who does is just a hot pod
and rocks the shorts in winter. But yeah, you acknowledge first.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
Don't Yeah, yeah, you say you understand.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
I understand. I know you want to wear this. However,
it's really cold outside and you might get a cold
or you might feel unwell if your body gets I
don't know what goes from there, but I think that's
a really great first step as opposed to put this on.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yes, that you're doing that, Tim, but that's and it
sounds like you're giving choices. Probably Jen or Maggie Dan
spoke about this too. Is in choosing their own clothes.
You can help facilitate that by giving two options instead
of opening up their wardrobe and then they want to
choose their own, say, okay, you can choose your own,
but you can choose from these two. And they just

(06:00):
both happened to be long sleeve shirts. I don't know,
but so encouraging them choosing their own, but also just
decrease the amount of options they have to choose from.
M'd help. But of course everyone always talks about staying
calm when you're doing this. If there's the meltdown's about
to happen, you just try to stay as calm as
you can and not kind of get caught up in

(06:23):
their emotion behind it all because the logic doesn't exist.
We know that, and they can't get that logic, and
so we've kind of got to just try to remove
ourselves from that. This has reminded me as Luck he
was reading out this question, I had a flashback to
myself as a kid, probably about four. It was the
only time he went to the snow and I'm in shorts,

(06:45):
no T shirt and a gun hole stuff with the
wild West. I can see that photo in my head
now and now obviously why I'm wearing that is because
I would have been refut using. I have no recollection
of that at all, except just a photo has taken.
My parents obviously got to the point where they went, okay,

(07:07):
off you go wear your shorts and no T shirt.
And I was fine. I didn't have any issues at all.
That was the snow. But it is a bit different
in Australia. We don't deal with the same extremes in
temperature that you're talking about, tim, So it's you know,
if my little boy Asha wants to in the middle
of winter just leaving a T shirt, it doesn't have
the same effect where it's you know, in the minuses.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
No, you're probably right for a good half an hour.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
Yeah, but I'm sure at some point I went, I
might put my shirt on now.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
And also, Tim, there is a point where they just
stopped making everything so hard, Yeah, and it will become
a bit easy. But I think that's a really nice
place to start. And it certainly has helped me in
those moments where you can just have do the understanding
first and then.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
And keep reminding yourself that this is just a phase
that it will pass. I keep thinking back when told
so many times Laura and I with the ash with sleeping,
don't be in the room with him. He's got it
used to sleeping on his own, and he wouldn't go
to sleep, and I'd be lying on the floor or
sitting on a chair and everything. And now, at the
age of nearly five, I put him to bed and

(08:16):
read him a book and he goes, you can go now, dad,
And the amount of anxiety that Laura and I put
in ourselves about we shouldn't be in the room with him.
He's meant to be able to sleep on he's own
and do all this, And then all of a sudden,
a couple of years later, he's kicking us out of
the room. But you're sure you don't want to cuddle,
Come on just a little, let's just lie here and
cuddle to you know. So I think it's important to
remember Tim, don't it will pass, and don't create so

(08:40):
much anxiety for yourself about it, because you'll come out
the other side of it and think, oh, somehow he
got there, somehow it was actually okay. We've struggled getting
Asher into the shower, and I don't know if this
works about getting dressed, but getting ashes clothes off, I
pretend to have a race with him about who can
get their claes off first. Now I'm just bumbling it around,

(09:02):
pretending to get my shirt stuck over my head, and
I'm wandering around like when there's like a soccer play
with like you like I can't see and actually thinks
it's hysterical. So maybe there's a way of playing that
race game in getting dressed as well that you're now
going to beat you. We'll get you dress and to
put your pants again, yeah, you know, and then fall
over and kind of have fun and playfulness around the

(09:25):
actual getting dressed and getting changed.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Great if you're a singer to tim turn into a song,
I'm putting on my warm coat.

Speaker 3 (09:33):
You keep going lucky. I'm loving it.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
Do you do you? I know Johnny does sometimes, But
does anyone rock the singlet under the T shirt anymore?

Speaker 3 (09:44):
We used to do that.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
My mum always used to put singles on.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
Oh that was that was a nan thing for me.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Name would always ask if you got your single on
because you you don't catch a chill. But that's not bad.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well that's thinking my hot bodsh hold would absolutely refuse
a sing then, So actually, but singles are good. It
keeps you.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
Are you saying you've got a hot bod in the
world work?

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yes, I've overheated. Yes, yes, I don't like you know,
the blankets on all that.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah yeah, yeah, but that's actually not a bad idea.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Sing it bring him back, Yeah, little chesty bonds.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah, little singlet and then and the shirt at the top.
It still might not be the warmth that no, I
think your child needs, but still no, but it would
help it. It's going to help a little bit. Yeah.
The thing that my name was on me all the
time A bad singers and I'm a hot bod yeah. Yeah,
temperature wise, yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
And.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
I would always hate having to put a single it on.
And now you know, but Johnny, Yeah, he's quite smart
for john because a lot of the times where I've
got our Wiggles outfit on and if we're going to
a TV appearance or whatever, and you kind of got
to be half dressed because you're running. It's not a
lot of time and you've always got to put your
skivvy on. See he can take his shirt off. No

(10:59):
one minds these other bodies. Everyone's saying, take the singlet off,
John What do you do well the rest of us.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
At the side of the door.

Speaker 3 (11:12):
Yeah, but yeah, Tim, I try to keep it playful,
try to stay calm, let them know you understand what
you're going through. Remind yourself it's just a phase and
that you will get through it. And you know, maybe
if your child does get really really cold, they're going
to come to you and ask if you can have
you put a jumper on. But yeah, playful, stay calm,

(11:35):
and this too shall pass.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
I remember too. The jumpers sometimes can actually just feel,
I suppose like a shoe, especially for a two year old.
Now thinking back, the shoes are just uncomfortable. They haven't
worn them before.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
Same.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
I remember the puffa jacket with the hot Botdy I
talk about, but just looked uncomfortable. Yeah, maybe it was
a little small, but it's just these are all new
bits of clothing when they're being used to onesies and
know whatever.

Speaker 3 (12:00):
They've yeah texture, See that's something we've been going through
with Ash here. Actually, so maybe he's at the moment
going through a warning even we're coming into summer. But
his shorts have got to kind of be soft. Doesn't
want those kind of harder it's more Dnemi sort and
he wants kind of soft, cottony. So maybe have a
look at those kind of jumpers or sort of fleecy

(12:21):
and soft and cuddly and snugly, not sort of the
course of wall or maybe maybe that kind of helps
the Paffa jacket puffa.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Yeah, well, Tim, I hope that helped. And that's all
for today.

Speaker 3 (12:31):
Do you think it did help, Lockie? I think so? Yeah, Okay, good,
I think so.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
That was it for Dear Wiggles. If you have a
question or a parenting dilemma, please email us at podcast
at the Wiggles dot com dot au or leave a
voice note at the wiggles dot com forward Slash podcast.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
And if you've been enjoying the show, you can rate
and review it, or you can share it with another
parent who might need a bit of a laugh or
some you know, toddler fashion intervention.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
That's it for wiggle Talk today, Thank you for listening.
Podcast Apparents Jories Please by

Speaker 1 (13:08):
MHM