Girls play outside less than boys even at two years old

This is probably more to do with people wanting coloured joggers for boys and M&S upselling them to girls too

Thank you, I'm hoping her love of nature will carry on as she gets older. We love to get her out into the countryside, it's a lovely way to live.

Not wholly the point of this thread but M&S are doing a wide range of coloured joggers this year, all with drawstrings. Next are also doing coloured fleece lined leggings.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/cotton-rich-joggers-2-8-yrs-/p/clp60617897?color=GREEN

I send my toddler to nursery in joggers all winter as why shouldn’t she be cosy? But have previously had to purchase from the “boys” section on the M&S website, which shouldn’t matter at 2, but reinforces the idea that boys get to wear comfy clothes and girls get to shiver in thin leggings all winter.

Both my DDs loved being outside and getting mucky at that age but it was a priority for me to get them out. They would often be out in their party dresses and wellies.

But I agree that the lack of practical clothing for girls probably contributes to this over time. Esp school shoes.... silly shoes for girls. I always have mine in waterproof boots but it's an effort to find them.

This is adorable and very much like my childhood. I grew up on a farm with 4 older brothers and managed perfectly well to keep up with them when I came to climbing trees etc !

Never can understand this, wear socks for ankles, properly fitted trousers not jeans. Why do people equate trousers with jeans? There's thousands of materials or fit?

I can't understand the sweaty tights which can often lead to skin reactions in my experience. I have yet to see too many people who are physically running around or climbing in skirts .

I do think there is correlation between clothing in children and their activities. I notice all the children in my son's school mixed no uniform typically wear soft trousers are up on the trees, climbing frames etc. the girls from the convent school aren't. It's very obvious why.

From as soon as she was old enough to play, and through the early years. I still take her to outdoor places for walks most days but have stopped encouraging her to run around and climb on things, because she just doesn't enjoy it and gets really upset if I suggest she tries. I stopped taking her to play groups where kids run around because she found it completely overwhelming and prefers groups where you just sit in one place and follow someone's direction from the front.

I always found trousers really uncomfortable and impractical. Your ankles get cold and wet, the waist bands are often too tight, the material is too stiff making it harder to move around (especially jeans). I wear dresses most days, including for physical work and movement, with thick tights in winter and cycling shorts in summer, and find it way more convenient and less restrictive. Only exception would probably be cycling or horse riding.

Eh well here we wear shorts or leggings playing those game's. The only place I see skirts is the nonsense old fashioned "traditional" i.e. treat women like pretty to have as opposed equal athletes.

The child is climbing not standing around hitting a ball. How many climbers do you see in skirts 🤦‍♀️

@MrsSunshine2b sports where GIRLS wear skirts. The reason for that is social norms and expectations, not performance, otherwise male athletes would adopt the uniform.

And sports that often wear skirts:
Tennis
Badminton
Pickelball
Running
Hockey
Figure skating
Lacrosse

Many other athletes wear leotards or shorts, there's not many I can think of that compete in trousers.

Well I guess we must agree to disagree.

She has managed but you aren't going to know how it limited her if she isn't in trousers.

When she crawls she is either on her knees or very thin tights. If she is climbing then she won't see her legs as easily to place her knees to grip. Short of the dress being translucent?

And you do recognise that sports are conducted not wearing dresses - can you not see the correlation? Is it dresses because you choose due to your experience, because girls wear dresses?

Depending on her age its very likely she will soon hear comments about exposing herself 🤢. So why not put her in trousers and see how much more adventurous she is?

Can someone give my daughter the memo. Everyday she has to be bathed because she's covered in mud AGAIN

Well so far, she's not found anything she can't do in a dress and as I say she's much more adventurous than most of her friends, climbs higher and takes more risks. She's one of the only ones that can do the monkey bars. Most men that I know that have worn a dress or skirt for fancy dress have commented on how freeing and comfortable they feel.

I never found that I couldn't do anything I wanted in a dress as a kid either, but was always uncomfy and having to readjust in trousers, so it's a matter of opinion whether they are more practical, not a fact.

DD wouldn't pay any attention to anyone telling her to "mind her dress", because I tell her all the time to go and get muddy and challenge herself.

All children need to move and explore, it is so important for their development. I really would encourage you to use what ever incentives possible to encourage her.

For example children who climb confidently show a higher understanding of maths. The climbing lights up the same part of brain.

Children who balance on equipment show better problem solving skills.

So I lead by example, not the most graceful but willing to climb, explore, build a den etc. See it, be it.

How old was she when you tried this stuff?

Because quite simply dresses are not as practical to trousers! It simply fact.

Climbing, crawling, sliding down a wet slide, swinging on a bar, kicking a ball all are less comfortable nor offer protection of knees that trousers do. Most children s jeans have soft material with a soft waist. I don't see too many wearing proper jeans except for family events.

How many athletes who climb, run, cycle, wear skirts? If you are going for a hike what do you wear? I doubt its a skirt.

Children need to be absolutely encouraged to free play for as long as possible. And it is ridiculous how early people comment to girls about "minding their dresses" . Remember your daughter will hear these comments, she won't be isolated from them.

I'd have assumed it was stereotypes until I actually had children. For a while I was endlessly trying to encourage my daughter to play on equipment in the garden, take her to large play areas, chivvy her to run around in nice big outdoor spaces etc. But she just wants to sit in a circle and sing songs, have long conversations and listen to stories. I finally gave up trying to make her interested in things she didn't enjoy and now take her to things I know she'll actually love, which do happen to fulfil the gender stereotype. She'll go down a slide once and then just want to sit on a bench with me and talk about it for 20 minutes 🤷‍♂️

She's 4. She wears leggings sometimes. But my point was that I never understand why people think dresses are inherently less practical than trousers. She's not found any activity that she can't do in a dress yet. A lot of kids her age wear jeans, which are (at least when I try to wear them) stiff, uncomfortable, pinch at the waist in some positions, absorb moisture and then stay wet for ever. If you are trekking through thorn bushes and need fabric that can't be torn, jeans are useful, I suppose, but she has a pretty durable all-in-one rain cover which she wears for forest school.

I wonder whether some people assume that if a child is wearing a dress parents are more worried about it getting damaged or dirty? I buy most of DD's clothes on Vinted. She likes to look nice and I like her to look presentable when we leave the house, but I'm really not fussed how she comes back. Dresses go in the washing machine the same as trousers.

Can you imagine a 4 yo having to fiddle with a belt buckle every time she needed to go to the loo?

Very difficult to find in my experience. School trousers for primary years - yes, adjustable. Shorts/joggers etc - the girls variants often have no drawstring, or even worse, drawstring that is non functional and decorative only.For secondary school, neither the girls skirts no the trousers are adjustable (logoed and only available from a single supplier). The boys trousers from the supplier are adjustable.

That's very frustrating, they seem to be standard in boys clothes I've found, even cheap brands, I've been surprised even as my son moves into 14-15 year old clothes they're still prevalent.

Me too.

Very difficult to find in my experience. School trousers for primary years - yes, adjustable. Shorts/joggers etc - the girls variants often have no drawstring, or even worse, drawstring that is non functional and decorative only.
For secondary school, neither the girls skirts no the trousers are adjustable (logoed and only available from a single supplier). The boys trousers from the supplier are adjustable.

A lot of people(more than we'd like to believe) have very strict ideas about what boys and girls are like and what they need. They act, raise, teach these children accordingly.

I think girls playing out less than boys is more to d with safe-guarding than sexism. I played out with my friends, both boys and girls and was allowed to go on the bus into town with same friends to go swimming or to Saturday morning cinema. My children played out - boy and girl - with friends around the area we lived without any great concern from me, they were with their friends who lived next door. However, I think the perceived rise in child abduction since the 90s has made parents wary. I am not sure of actual figures, but girls are perceived to be more at risk from paedophiles than boys. Perhaps this is why few children play outside now, and girls less than boys?