I have clothing sensitivities. My girls, Bug, Bear, and Butterfly (Bug, Bear, and Butterfly are not their real names, but they are young and I want to respect their privacy) have clothing sensitivities. My grandma had clothing sensitivities. Let’s just say it runs in the family. I struggle with clothes that squeeze too tight, and that are too scratchy. I have a daughter who is just the opposite. Her clothes and shoes have to be tight to be comfortable. My other 2 girls don’t care if their clothes are tight or loose but whatever you do, don’t make them wear scratchy clothes.
One solution I’ve considered is starting a nudist colony on a beach somewhere warm and sunny for people like us, whose clothes feel like they are cutting them in half or are made up of tiny fingernails determined to poke and scratch every centimeter of skin. There are a few drawbacks to this option, like sand in awkward places and the increased risk of skin cancer. To avoid those minor annoyances I have, through some trial and error, come up with some less drastic solutions.
When I was a kid, I refused to wear jeans because the waistbands would squeeze my stomach and make me feel sick. I didn’t wear jeans until I was a teenager. Even now I am very picky about the jeans I wear. Finding a pair that fits nicely and isn’t too squishy is like finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. I wear them until they are old and holey. When I can’t find a pair of jeans that are just right I make do with uncomfortable jeans and only wear them if I must. When leggings became popular it was heaven-sent. I buy soft stretchy ones and live in them. I have also discovered that soft, flowing dresses are amazing. They are not-squishy. They are also significantly cooler than pants in the summer. Bonus- I look put together when wearing a dress even when I feel like a mess. Double bonus if they have pockets.
I regularly turn sweatshirts inside out once the inside is no longer soft. I remember my grandma turning her shirts inside out because the seams were scratchy. I thought it was weird, but now I do it and send her my thanks for teaching me that it is ok to be comfortable. She would also cut out the tags from her clothes, a trick I now use with my girls. Another trick I use is keeping my skin soft, which means I’m a lotion addict. Soft skin makes the clothes less scratchy.
Shoes and socks are an interesting problem in our family. Socks can be scratchy so we have to buy soft socks. Even then Butterfly goes around barefoot 90% of the time. I just carry her shoes with me and if she ends up needing them she puts them on. When Bug was toddler/kindergarten aged she had to have her shoes tight. I thought we were going to cut off the circulation to her feet we were tying them so tight. At a doctor’s appointment, our pediatrician suggested sensory brushing. Sensory brushing uses a surgical type brush to brush and apply deep pressure to a child in order to calm down the nervous system and prepare for external stimulation. I modified it a little and just used socks or cloth to brush her feet while applying pressure. It worked! She has since grown out of it, but there was a time when I was worried she wouldn’t.
The moral of the story is clothes suck, but there are solutions. Some of the solutions may seem a little strange, but really, who needs to be uncomfortable all the time? Embrace the crazy and be comfortable. And don’t get me started on bras.
If you’d like to learn more about clothing sensory issues here are some good articles
And sensory brushing
Emotional Support Sisters 
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