to have done a couble take driving the car this morning?

[Eve4Walle]

Had some errands to run this morning (delightful trip to rubbish dump etc), so packed DS up and went out in the car. Drove past a woman pushing a buggy and did a complete double take. The child had a t-shirt and jeans on, no socks, no shoes and no cadi/coat. It's Mum was wearing a warm-looking puffa type jacket and boots. It was quite chill at 9.30 this morning wasn't it? Or am I being mardy and judgy?

This is one of my hated things - seeing parents all dressed warmly and kids with no coats etc. Have seen plenty of kids with no shoes and socks on since the weather turned too.

Go for it, you'll be here all day!

Depends on the age of the child. I remember taking DS out in pants and long sleeve t shirt at nearly 3 (was in the pushchair) as he point blank refused to get dressed, I had to get out as train to catch. I decided not to start what was meant to be a great day on a bad foot so said fine, don't then By the time we got there he was freezing asked to get dressed and has never done it again .

Its a vote for judgy and mardy here I am afraid. Ds, 11 months, SCREAMS to get his shoes off and wont keep socks or soft shoes on his feet. I put them on without fail every single day and every single day they are off again by school time. I get blardy fed up of tutting and "arent your feet cold" comments as well. I now stick him in tights to try and avoid it but it is still a battle.

Oh and god help me when he needs a hat - they apparently sit on his banned items list as well.

One of my excharges went through a phase of refusing to get dressed. So I used to take all her clothes in a bag and tell her fine, go to school in your pjs. She did it 3 mornings in a row, then decided it wasn't quite so fun having all her friends laugh at her, and having to miss playing outside before school due to having to go into the classroom to get dressed. Some battles aren't worth fighting and sometimes the point is better made by leting them experience the abject humiliation consequences of their actions.

Sometimes letting a child get cold and uncomfortable is the only way for them to believe they need coats, shoes, etc on.

I'm afraid that could well have been my child. He doesn't wear clothes at all in the house - amazing undressing abilities for a person of 21 months - and outside might wear a coat for some of the day if there is actual ice and snow. And shoes - well, he doesn't wear shoes in the buggy, fool. And once the shoes are off (and retrieved from hedge, road, puddle, river etc) the socks are pointless, surely, so they go flying...

He's a beast.

I do understand that some children pull their shoes, socks etc off - even my DS managed to get out of his coat yesterday morning in his car seat, but when he went through this stage last winter, I just carried on putting everything that he'd taken off back on again until he got the idea. It took forever and was very tiresome but we got there in the end.

The little girl in the buggy yesterday looked older than my DS who is 2.9, she looked to be 3.5, maybe 4. Old enough to understand that wearing no socks or coat will make you cold. I did only see them in passing though so I may just be wrong.

I don't think there's an age that children understand the link between clothes and cold. The 'don't put your clothes on, fine, freeze' moment can happen at any time! Experience is the only thing that teaches you that. A child of 2 may or may not have the capacity to understand that first time so you might have to repeat it but but it might have been the one time this woman thought 'you know what? I can't be bothered to argue, you're old enough, you'll learn'. I've done it with a 6yo in the past. He was screaming blue murder because he wanted to wear clothes which were definitely inappropriate so I told him he could, gathered up warmer stuff and a towel in case and let him go out in the pouring, freezing rain in sandals and a t-shirt. It was just his time to learn that lesson.

I think every child does at some point!

IME there are far more important things to argue about than getting dressed. Mine are nudists too. If they won't get dressed they go out as they are. This was meant to prove to them they need clothes and will get cold without them but 9 times out of 10 they just don't feel it. Sorry, bit judgy!

Dd2 is 3 and half and can undress in the time it takes me to lock the front door. She understands she will get cold, but by now, after having spent the morning arguing about clothing and physically forcing suitable attire onto her it has become a battle of wills and she would rather freeze than put her coat on. And I'd rather her be cold than go through the drama of forcing her coat back on her.

Unless there is snow on the ground then it is not cold enough to need a coat.

She has two lovely winter coats she chose herself this year. But will she bollocks put them on.

Yesterday my 6 year old was wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, the rest of us (dad mum sister) were wearing jeans, top, jumper, and coat and still commenting that we were cold!

YABU

It is difficult seeing cold children, or ones you think may be cold, isn't it? I always go by the one more layer than what I am wearing rule.

Although I have cared for some little ones that do remove clothing and are genuinely hot. My niece was one who wanted to wear light summer clothing and would run around without her coat in cold weather. I used to care for one little girl who was very hard to keep warm.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she has Raynauld's or something now, as her little hands seemed to be freezing even with extra mittens.

I also had one mother who didn't ever send warm outer wear for her baby. I told her we went out every day, unless the weather was extreme, or someone was sick, but she didn't clue in until she came to pick him up early one day.
I was just returning home with him and my son, and I had put all of her sons's changes of clothes on him at once, as well as a sweater of my sons. She said I must think she is nuts, and he arrived wearing proper outer wear next day.

Hopefully the little one you saw was a hot kid!