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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to allow 3 year old DD to be naked on the beach?

140 replies

FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:17

We were on a beach in the SW yesterday and it was, of course, a scorcher! DD wanted to run around naked and I said ok. After a while I noticed she was the only naked person on the beach. All the other children had swimsuits on etc.

Was IBU to allow her to be naked? Is this something that's frowned upon these days? I did notice on man (a dad) looking a bit confused, but that could have just been his natural expression! :)

OP posts:
Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:18

Oh, she was wearing factor 50 sun block and a sun hat! Grin

OP posts:
raffle · 26/05/2012 23:18

Let her go free!

But covered in sunscreen obviously

WorraLiberty · 26/05/2012 23:19

It's up to you entirely but many people I know (including myself) would rather they had a loose cotton t.shirt on to protect from the sun.

Mine have just felt cooler, even with sunblock on.

scuzy · 26/05/2012 23:20

if i saw a naked 3yr old i'd only be wondering if she covered in sunscreen and hope she doesnt get burnt. if you start questioning every look you will freak yourself out. you will find someone who is offended and who isnt. i think "meh" but then again i am a mum. i have a ds and would in public have him in trunks for the simple reason if he's gonna pee dont want an audience, dont want his weener sitting in sand or get it burnt!

Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:20

Thanks raffle. I remember my siblings and I definitely running around naked on the beach at that age, but it dawned on me after a while that she was the only naked child. I just wondered if I was being a bit naive about that sort of thing. DD couldn't care less. She wanted to be naked because she was hot.

OP posts:
tutu100 · 26/05/2012 23:20

I let my children run around naked, but I always feel a bit odd about it like someone is going to tell me off. Running around naked on a beach when you are a kids must be on one of the tick lists of things you need to have done as a child, although Ds1 is 7 this year so I think I might have to make him keep his shorts on.

raffle · 26/05/2012 23:20

Ah, xpost!

I love seeing babies nude, it's natural and lovely, dimply bums are gorgeous :)

Not coming across as broody at all, am I?!

squeakytoy · 26/05/2012 23:21

I would have thought a swimsuit may be better to protect sand from getting into places that might make her uncomfortable.. and I would also say on a packed beach (if it was), a bright swimsuit makes her much more identifiable if she wandered too far.

Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:21

Thanks Worra and scuzy. She was protected from the sun. Despite being very fair, factor 50 sun block and a big, floppy hat always do the trick.

OP posts:
tutu100 · 26/05/2012 23:22

This will probably get me flamed, but I love watching kids run round naked, obviously not in a perverted sense, but they just look so free and innocent, and also I am still fascinated at watching how tiny bodies can move and run - you know like when you have a baby and you just marvel at how small their fingernails are, it's that sort of amazement that I created that child that is currently legging it away from me!

LynetteScavo · 26/05/2012 23:23

I would have wanted her to be wearing a t-shirt - bottom bit wouldn't bother me.

I hope you got some cute photos to embarrass her with in years to come!

WorraLiberty · 26/05/2012 23:23

To be honest (judging from the many threads about this) I think the parents of the naked children tend to have more of a 'problem' with it than other people on the beach...who are just getting on with their day and doing their own thing.

When I say 'problem' I mean paranoia/over thinking each look from strangers.

Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:24

Thanks all. Yes, I wondered about sand in awkward places, but she was fine. The sea did a great job of washing and of course she was showered at home properly afterwards. Luckily it wasn't very busy yesterday and she didn't leave my sight.

Thanks very much. You've all put my mind at rest. I like seeing little bottoms running into the sea too! :)

OP posts:
Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:25

I know what you mean tutu!

Yes, I appreciate that Worra. Nobody even noticed probably. I am a worrier!

OP posts:
ChippingInNeedsCoffee · 26/05/2012 23:30

Me too Tutu Grin When they get out of the chunky toddler stage it's like an anatomy lesson watching them play naked when you can see all the muscles moving and the bones, leaping, curling up, springing away... fascinating :)

OP - YANBU, it's a lovely freedom to have and in terms of our lifetime it doesn't last long. I love that they are SO unselfconscious, it'a a joy and a shame it all changes.

SweetEspresso · 26/05/2012 23:32

It's nice that some people still allow it. There are too many people who worry too much about what other people think, either for being judged for letting unsavories want to watch or for worrying themselves that those unsavories might be watching so won't let their children go au naturel.

Let a 3 year old be naked if they like, why not?

StripyMagicDragon · 26/05/2012 23:32

My 3 year dd stripped off and ran naked on the beach. She was impressed by the feeling of sand on her bum lol. I think it's fine, if you can't run about naked at 3, when can ya?

WorraLiberty · 26/05/2012 23:34

Mind you, I draw the line at the 7 or 8yr old naked kids who came and dug a hole in the sand right next to where me and DH and our DS's were eating a picnic last year Hmm

Every time we looked up, we saw something resembling this >> Biscuit

crypes · 26/05/2012 23:38

Haha hilarious!

yousankmybattleship · 26/05/2012 23:40

Why wouldn't she be happy to put a t shirt on? I think it says more about you than her and while I think there's nothing wrong witha 3 year old with no clothes on - I also think there's no need.

Original poster
FredQuimby · 26/05/2012 23:43

She would have put a t-shirt on, but there was no need. What does it say about me?

OP posts:
babybythesea · 26/05/2012 23:46

I haven't tended to let dd (3.5) run naked on a beach, but then I have rarely let her be naked anywhere, even in the garden. This however has had more to do with the fact that until this spring she had a bad tummy and poos tended to appear without warning, and always be very runny. I learnt the hard way that seeing your child running around naked is cute until you notice the trail of s**t running down their leg and onto your carpet/into the sand pit (and she found it upsetting). So leaving her nappyless in public was definitely not an option.
However, she seems to have grown out of it (wahey!) and a bottom-filled, nappy-free summer awaits. Now I can stress about sunburn in tender places instead!!!

1950sHousewife · 26/05/2012 23:46

Kids naked on beach = best parenting decision.

I'm sick of the 'bogeyman lurking in every corner' brigade. As long as they are well covered in suncream I think seeing a little tush running around on the beach (attached to a child of course...) is one of the most joyful things ever.

BonnieBumble · 26/05/2012 23:49

I think there is nothing wrong with running around naked but I do think it is more comfortable to wear bikini bottoms or trunks. In all our 1970s old photos my nieces are all in their birthday suits but I'm wearing bottoms because the sand used to get in uncomfortable places.

My boys always wear teeshirts because of the risk of sunburn. I always remember the soreness of being burnt and now we are more aware of the dangers of skin cancer than we were back in the 70s.

LST · 26/05/2012 23:49

YANBU at all.