And yet, somehow, we do "force" our kids to wear pants and shirts and shoes in public, or a jacket outdoors, etc. Almost every parent has been there/done that with a toddler who doesn't like to wear ____ (fill in the blank). It just takes patience and practice and firm consistent rules -- we won't go if you don't wear it, we will leave the store if you don't put it back on, etc. Toddlers take their cues from the adults around them, and if they sense any hesitancy to enforce a rule they jump right into that loophole.