Pants under skirt for 4 year old - DH and I disagree

I can remember tucking my dress into my knicker legs, not to try to hide my knickers but to stop the dress falling over my face. I think the pants were more substantial then though. I don’t like the idea of little girls having to wear shorts under dresses, but I would go for the shorts style pants with proper coverage.

What I have got from this is that littke girls underwear has become skimpier since I brought my DD up 20 years ago, and now everyone is wearing shorts under skirts.. Even adults. ( I don't myself)

Completely agree with not putting pictires of kids on social media. Whixh everyone seems to do regardless.

Leggings and trousers are fine, but if a little girl wants to wear a skirt or dress then shorts underneath give her the freedom to do all she wants to do, while wearing what she wants.

I work in this industry. Your husband is correct. I am shocked at how naive posters are on here. The majority of photos found on networks aren’t the scary-basement type, they’re normal family photos that have been taken from social media or covertly of a normal child.

It’s why I’ll never understand parents posting their children on social media, locked down or not, and your husband is very aware.

He is being overly anxious. But the shorts under a dress thing is very normal. We do them if our daughter isn't wearing short style pants for basic modesty and to let her play/ slouch/ climb without caring where her dress goes.

The reality is no one should have to waer shorts or tights etc to cover underwear when wearing dresses but if one of you is uncomfortable it such a big deal to get cotton shorts for your DD

my DD sat with her legs apart and I put her in shorts under her dresses to keep her modesty and because telling her to close her legs fell on deaf ears

I get it. Little girls need the freedom to loll about and sprawl just like boys. Perhaps leggings or soft trousers would give her more freedom. Yes, there are paedophiles all over the place. I noticed a few men trying to engage my child over the years that set off my instincts.

For the people who think shorts would be uncomfortable and or too hot under the skirts and dresses, they aren't. My DC and most DC round my way wear bicycle shorts/short leggings, not thick shorts with pockets.
I was recently on a ferry with my DC, and the wind does make their skirts/dresses go up.
Op, a video has been doing the rounds on social media, a man who works in the prison service speaking about how many paedophiles are in the UK. It's something like over 2 million per year. Maybe your husband saw this video and it made him concerned.

Edited; auto correct spelling!

That's a very good post, Flamingfeline.

Yes kids still run around, do handstands and cartwheels.

Normal good quality underwear is sufficient imo or else girls wear shorts and t-shirts. Shorts under a skirt seems OTT to me.

Paedophiles fancy children even if they are covered from head to foot, some may even have a penchant for a glimpse of shorts under a dress, I haven't done a survey, but we cannot spend our lives thinking everyone who looks at a child is a paedophile.

When I was at school we all used to have to wear regulation school uniform knickers, often navy blue depending on the school colours, over our cotton underwear. In some schools girls even did gym in those or played netball (we didn't, we had gym shorts for that). Maybe the regulation school knickers are due a comeback, they don't look as silly as shorts under a skirt and at least every child is the same.

Honestly I despair. People On here can be so ridiculous!. Why should a girls pants be in display?. Are we teaching them its OK to show your pants?

He isnt wrong in the sense they could be anyone/anywhere. But i bet when it comes to people looking at her its more accidentally towards her when thinking about something or just coincidence.

I find myself staring at people sometimes but not actually. Its more im in my own world whist waiting in a line for something and it just happens. I also think we all do that.
Shorts I have always put on my dds under dress/skirt if we are going soft play or playground and such. And thats because they do often end up needing them.
My teens dds do this under school skirt but thats so they can sit on the floor without worrying .
My dh never mentioned anything about this but to be fair I always have sorted the clothing.

It’s encouraging at least to hear that kids (mumsnet kids anyway) are still running, jumping, doing cartwheels and handstands. I thought that sort of thing had died out, abd in fact locally we hardly ever see kids playing out any more.
They are safer outside playing with their friends than in their own bedrooms where they can talk to random adult strangers all day long.
My girls, growing up in the eighties, and their daughters born in this century were and are active. As kids They’ve always worn normal full size children’s knickers, with no need for extra layers, when wearing a skirt or dress.
Of course there are risks everywhere and we have to be realistic and protect our children.
But the emphasis on children - specifically girls - having to cover up reminds me of how religions over time in every country have forced a restrictive dress code on girls and women to avoid inflaming the uncontrollable lust of men.

I'd put my daughter in stretchy shorts under a dress. Children are so active and really pants don't provide much coverage.
But paedophiles aside I nearly always wear chub rub type shorts under my dresses because they often blow up in the wind and I don't want to my pants on display to the world.
That's just me though.

People are just WOW!😱

Honestly I don't understand what the issue is. Kids are always showing their underwear when in dresses, is it OK for their pants to be on show?. Are pants not private?

Its an overreaction BUT as someone who experienced CSA i am constantly analysing and overthinking situations that involve my child. I know my partner thinks I'm a bit paranoid about it. . . .but unfortunately if you have those experiences you see the worst everywhere.

It seems to be a thing nowadays, I come from a generation where girls would tuck their dresses into the sides of their knickers so they could do handstands without the dress getting in the way (not me I could never do handstands). I notice my granddaughter always wears leggings under a dress no matter how warm it is. I really don't think things are any worse than they have ever been it is just more talked about and if anything kids should be safer than ever because they are taught and encouraged to speak out. Sounds like your husband is very protective of her I don't think there is anything sinister in it. Like I say from what I read online he is definitely not the only parent to think this way.

Very common where I am for girls to have shorts on under their dresses.

I agree to an extent except that, sadly, men that we DO know are the bigger threat. I have worked with sex offenders, and most of those who abused children were known to them. They were also some of the most polite, clean, nicely-dressed and charming men - no-one would have given them a second glance.

I think girls knickers are rubbish usually. Really thin and don’t fit well. We get shorts from H&M (frozen ones, none the less!) and they wash really well and are very comfy looking.

I'm with Dad on this one.
We shouldn't have to, but unfortunately there are a minority of disgusting men out there and most knickers cover very little.
He just sounds anxious and protective.

My dd5 wears shorts under dresses. It started when she was younger and would refuse to wear anything other than dresses. Her dress would come up on the slide and she’d get stuck instead of sliding down. So I decided to put shorts under her dress one day and it solved the problem. Now two years on she still asks for shorts under her dresses.

She also grows out of dresses too fast because she is really tall. It doesn’t matter if they are too short if she’s got shorts on, and it saves me buying her a load more summer dresses at the end of summer.

I put shorts on my 6yr old under skirts/dresses because most little girls love doing handstands/cartwheels wherever they go and it makes me feel better

I remember similar threads in the past too. I’ve reported it because there’s a distinct pattern to them.