To send little one to nursery in a dress without shorts?

What do people think knickers are for if not to protect modesty?

You think the reason boys don’t wear long t-shirts over pants is just for modesty reasons? Offer a 5 year old boy (for example) the chance to wear a long t-shirt and no shorts out somewhere. Guarantee they (and their parents!) wouldn’t allow it because ‘it looks like a dress’, and god forbid anyone could mistake them for a girl!

My DD, age 2, wears a dress to nursery every time she goes. I’ve never sent with shorts underneath and they’ve never said anything. They encourage independent use of the potty or toilet and being able to pull up and down underwear etc in the nursery we use. Shorts would just get in the way as they also need to hold up the dress. It’s a non issue really.

This, in spades.

As an early years teacher, I would always personally put a little girl in either boxers/shorts style underwear or put shorts over the top of knickers when wearing dress/skirt. When they sit cross legged or swing themselves upside down in the playground, they can (very) often flash more than just the knickers they are wearing, and that’s not something I would feel comfortable others seeing personally!

@Fishneedscycle is it though, boys have to wear shorts, they couldn’t just turn up in a long T-shirt. They have to dress much more ‘modestly’ for want of a better term. Girls usually have many more options when it comes to school uniform than boys do.

When DD wears a dress to school / out to play in, I always take and offer a pair of cycling shorts for under (a lot of metal slides in parks where we are) I'd hate myself to be on the receiving end of a friction burn or singed rump so figure, that for comforts sake, it's good but otherwise I dont really think it's overly necessary if you're talking for modesty reasons.

More policing and control of women and girls’ bodies and clothing choices. Is this the patriarchy or would women do it to their own sex if men ceased to exist? So hard to unpick now as women are socialised to accept so much internalised misogyny.

But boys aren’t wearing pants and shorts AND a dress. Well, maybe they are, but that’s a different thread. The shorts cover the boys’ pants. The dresses cover the girls’ knickers, except for the odd glimpse, which is hardly the end of civilisation as we know it.

I don’t see it as being about modesty at all. I agree that that seems ludicrous. It’s more about the freedom to move actively without the risk of friction burns, grazes, dresses getting caught on posts, in bike wheels etc.

Little girls knickers don’t always cover what they should!

Boys have to wear shorts over their pants, no-one is saying it’s too hot for them to do that. Why can’t they just wear a long t-shirt

I don’t understand this obsession with putting shorts on little girls under skirts and dresses. Anyone who is offended by a glimpse of a child’s underwear needs to wonder why. Wearing shorts under a dress defeats the whole purpose of trying to stay cool. Imagine the lifelong thought process being sparked in a little girl’s head if her parent says she can only wear a dress with shorts underneath in case anyone - shock, horror - sees her knickers.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Did they use that term? 🤯

I have just never found this problem. But my girls do wear them quite tight I suppose so maybe they don't gape. 🤔 Which surprises me as the one child who requested cycling shorts to put underneath her dress didn't like them as they were too tight!

I agree - material is just material!

Dd was also fond of taking most of her clothes off, until she was about 4. Her 'can you see my bum bum (yes you can)?' dance on holiday one year was....unforgettable.

Shorts under dresses wouldn't have have lasted long.

Our school sent a message during the warm
weather suggesting modesty shorts were worn. Most parents I know do this.

Why are shorts more appropriate than knickers? They both cover up.

Or is it seeing the actual knickers that we’re worried about now?

I think a lot of the problem comes from the knickers only having narrow gussets (money saving in manufacture) so when they sit on the mat their pants gape/move to one side & the unfortunate leader of the activity is faced with a lot of uncovered little girls.

its unnecessary to cover pants so no one sees then if they're doing handstands or lifting up their dresses. Pants are just material (alredy there to cover your modesty, not something that then needs covering!!!)

I never did with dd. Didn't even think about it, tbh. She started wearing shorts under her school skirt in about yr 5. No idea why she just didn't wear trousers.

She still wears shorts under her school skirt in high school. I have pointed out that, if she wore her skirt at the required length, she wouldn't need to.

Jeeez. People are strange. I assume she wears knickers under her dress? No need for shorts. My eldest only does wear shorts under a dress as she is forever cartwheeling and doing gymnastics and she’s a bit older and it’s her choice. No need for shorts when they’re 3 at all

Having said that o love those next shorts! At least they won't be permanently up their bums which is the main issue with knickers at that age lol

I recommend to parents that shorts and a t-shirt is more practical for the girls when playing outside. Understanding that lots of strong willed girls will insist on dresses then shorts underneath is a good compromise. Nothing to do with modesty. The girls get gazes bumps on their inner thighs…an injury we never see the boys having to worry about getting.

Agreed. My 11 year old wears shorts by choice as she feels more comfortable as she becomes more aware of her body. None of my girls wore shorts with dresses before they chose to and my 18 year old still doesn't.

Knickers cover the bits you don't want shown.

As pp has said if it's a case of comfort then fine but may as well not wear dresses as shorts and tshirt would work better for comfort imo

We do but because DD wants to. I think she see alot of others at nursery wearing shorts under dresses. I think its more about being comfortable when playing practically.....climbing on play equipment in a dress can be uncomfortable. The shorts stop the friction burns from slides etc.