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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

4 year old son just wants to wear his sisters tights day in day out and to bed...

18 replies

Roca · 27/09/2008 23:15

that's fine - he says they look lovely on her so that's why he wears them or they are his super hero tights but he just gets distressed if I try to get him in trousers!

He wears a uniform for 2.5 hours of nursery everyday which he is happy with but as soon as we set foot back in the house it's on with the tights!

Do I just go with it, try to pusuade him out of it or what? It is such a pain if we are going out as he fusses about the length or colour or look of all trousers / shorts.

Managed to get him in a pair of jeans he is happy with for bowling today (he says they were cool) but I know he has turned down going to the park a couple of times thinking he would have to take his tights off!

Your thoughts please.....

He seems to really notice the length of sleeves and trousers etc and this can bother him. Just wanted to know this was all very normal?

OP posts:

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racingsnake · 28/09/2008 00:48

I fostered a 3 year old who was desperate for a flowery dress like his sister's. We bought him bemuda shorts in wild colours. Super hero tights sound OK or what about 'long johns' under his trousers if you don't want him to be laughed at?

gigglewitch · 28/09/2008 01:02

my ds1 (7yo) is very sensitive / observant over the fabrics of his clothes, lengths of sleeves etc - he would wear shorts summer and winter. Of course he is still wearing shorts and t-shirts all the time yet, by mid-november when i start to look like a neglectful mother then we have to disappear all the shorts and persuade him to wear trousers - for school at least
I reckon it is some sort of hypersensitivity - he also has eczema but it is not too bad these days so not sure we can blame that really. he's quite a 'hottie' but dunno if that is the cause either.

BTW, plenty of mums put their little boys in tights under their trousers (yes i know you don't seem to making it to the trousers) and there are threads on here to evidence that.
Would it be practical to get some lightweight trousers and let him keep the tights under?
We put ds2 in leggings-style thermals as he is always freezing and loves the cosy feel. would this be another compromise for you to have in mind?

ummadam · 28/09/2008 11:22

tights under the trousers and tell him superheros have to go out in disguise or everyone will know thei secret identity? ;)

wb · 28/09/2008 19:40

I'd let him get on with it tbh. Eventually he will probably want to conform more (when he goes to school fi), or he may not, in which case forbidding it now will just lead to a lot of conflict. I suspect it is a phase that will burn itself out if you go along with it.

Roca · 28/09/2008 19:41

I will defo try the tights unders trousers a bit more - I did do that to the park the other day but he whispered in my ear 'mummy, can I take my trousers off'!

He is a bit of a fuss pot with clothes and gets bothered if anything he has on gets a bit of water on it etc - he is off now to change his tights as dripped some plum juice on them! Blimey - it's exhausting - here I go trying to get him in PJ's!!

OP posts:

Proserpina · 28/09/2008 20:53

Roca, if it makes you feel any better, I've been told in Russia it is normal for little boys to wear tights, and my mother said she saw tights for both sexes in Belgium recently (I know I've seen "children's play tights" in Lidl's with pictures of a little boy and girl on them). It makes sense if you think about it - they're warm, they have nice colours and patterns, they fit snugly without restricting your movements, they feel soft and stretchy. Just think of Robin Hood and Errol Flynn

mamadiva · 28/09/2008 21:05

When did society decide tights were for girls only anyway? Dancers still wear them and going by movies men wore them all the time before LOL.

Let him go with it if we ahd a really cold winter I'd be putting them on my DS i think. DPO probably wouldnt be to amused but so what.

pudding25 · 28/09/2008 22:05

My friend lives in Norway and all the little boys wear tights there. He ds looked v cute!

Roca · 29/09/2008 09:44

thanks for all your messages. It's his birthday today and first things he said when he got up was 'where are the blue tights!' - I can't find the blue tights so he is currently in pants and tee!

Am sure it is a phase and am sure once he is 10 he would no way be asking to wear them!

OP posts:

Scrumdiddlyumptious · 02/10/2008 07:35

Just a quick post on the "He seems to really notice the length of sleeves and trousers etc and this can bother him. Just wanted to know this was all very normal?". I (now 38) went through a stage for about a year I think when I was around 5ish of being TOTALLY obsessed about having 'matching' cuffs and sock legnths which used to drive my poor Mother crazy. I can also vaguely remember it but happy to report that I grew up to be very normal and have no obsessive compulsive tendancies (aside from checking threads on Mumsnet of course )

bigTillyMint · 03/10/2008 09:12

My son was exactly like this, and looked so cute in his sisters' baby pink tights! He wore them so much, I had to buy him his own pairs!
And he was such (still is) a boy's boy - very into footie and other sports, etc.

He doesn't wear them now he's nearly 8!

Gettingbiggernow · 03/10/2008 09:31

I also was bothered by sock lengths etc as a kid!

I know I'm a girl but I also wanted to wear tights all the time because I HATED the feel of trousers as a youngster. They just felt so constrictive whereas tights felt so much "freer". Your DS is probably too young to think about tights being girly or whatever, all he knows is tights feel comfortable! I was very sensitive to being too hot/cold as a child too (would send me into a tantrum if dressed too warmly when the sun came out for example) and once I remember my mum had to BUY me a skirt while on a day trip as she had finally got me in a pair of jeans aged 6 and it got a bit warm and I got all tearful and jittery about being "stuck" in trousers (clothes claustrophobia?!?!) I wouldn't wear woolen clothes, labels had to be cut out etc - if she'd been more aware she might have worried that I wasn't normal as such.

Anyway, it was all a phase, I am er, "normal" enough now! just humour your DS and he'll move on in his own time I'm sure.

marmadukescarlet · 03/10/2008 09:36

My 4 yr old DS went through a phase recently of wearing my DDs fairy tutu. He wore it to bed, out and about, mucking out the ponies etc.

I did eventually get him to wear truosers under it, but every day it was , "Where is my dress?"

Got a few funny looks in W'rose, but I now rise above it!

leoemma · 05/10/2008 20:42

Go with it - my ds 3.1 wants blue tights so he can be like his 13 month old sister. Just not sure where I can get bllue tights!

ummadam · 06/10/2008 22:23

kids tights

Loshad · 06/10/2008 22:37

my DS1 (now 14, very macho, rugby forward) loved tights and tutus at your ds's age. He grew out of it, and would be fervently embarassed if I ever mentioned it - oops have I?

SmugColditz · 06/10/2008 22:39

LngJohns

SmugColditz · 06/10/2008 22:46

what the hell happened to my post?

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