To think we have a weird thing about child nakedness in the UK?

[Pantone363]

On the beach yesterday. 3 families getting their children changed into swimming suits/uv suits/bio hazard no suns getting through this sucker suits. All huddling around the children (small children, not teens) one parent holding up towels whilst the other gets them changed.

I'm biased because until 5 yrs old my kids are usually naked on the beach, but they seem so scared that someone might see a glimpse of naked child skin.

Also dads sitting on the beach with shoes on. All day. WHY?

yep. it's stupid.

I don't like it, sorry - I know I am in a minority but it does make me feel uncomfortable when children are running around naked in front of me and I wouldn't like my child to do so. Different at home or in the garden but I think on the beach or the park a swimsuit is appropriate.

I think nakedness in general is an issue in this country.

What's wrong with a child seeing their parents naked?
What's wrong with going onto the beach with just pants or nothing on?
What's wrong with just wearing underwear into a beach side shop?

I have no idea.

My kids have run around naked on the beach, I've never thought I was making a point just thought it was normal! What is the problem with it?

To me it says more about an adult who feels weird about than it does the parent of the naked kid

I live in NYC and have never seen a child naked at the beach or the playground, even the playgrounds with sprinklers, where you'll see toddlers in diapers and no shoes, but never fully unclothed.

My son likes to be naked in our apartment, and we also have a house outside the city, where he spends prolonged periods without clothes (although I often pop on a diaper if he's playing with sand/there are lots of mosquitos about).

Americans are very prudish about nudity.

I wish a few more parents had put swim nappies on their non potty trained kids when we were in Turkey recently. Every few days the pool had to be closed and cleaned because someone's naked child had done a poo in/around the pool.

For me it is a hygiene thing more than anything - I hope that kids wear some protection until they have some bowel control.

Also, I think it also depends on the culture of the country - it is pretty disrespectful to be walking around starkers on a beach in Thailand, when most travel books and guides suggest that the locals don't appreciate or accept nudity.

What's wrong with a child seeing their parents naked? Nothing wrong.

What's wrong with going onto the beach with just pants or nothing on? It seems too private and personally I feel uncomfortable as a stranger on the beach where there are children naked or just wearing pants. I feel I ought to make sure I'm looking in a different direction which isn't always practical - sometimes you are sitting facing the sea and looking at the sea and children are playing at the water's edge and you can't avoid seeing them. I wouldn't expect to be in the bathroom when a stranger's child was bathing or using a toilet or having a nappy change and this feels the same. Also inadequate sun cover for the child.

What's wrong with just wearing underwear into a beach side shop? A what?

To those people who are happy for their children to be naked on a beach, what about if adults are sitting on the beach looking at them? Is that OK?

I've never seen a naked child on a beach at home (N Ireland) and was really shocked the first time I saw it, which was on a beach in England. But I certainly didn't find it offensive.

Its hard to explain to someone who hasn't been brought up this way, but I was raised in a Christian family to believe that bodies must only be shared with a husband or wife, within marriage, therefore any type of nudity in public was completely out of the question. In fact there was no nudity in our house, no changing clothes in front of siblings etc, my parents would never have let us see them undressed. I try to be less uptight about it with my children but when it's deeply ingrained in your upbringing, its hard to cast aside.

When I see naked children on the beach I think I feel a bit wistful, thinking that I wish I could be so matter of fact about nudity.

My DC were never naked on a beach when they were little. I don't see how having a pair of swimming trunks or bikini bottoms stops them from feeling the air/sun/sea/breeze on their skin!

If they were little now they would have those suits that stop them getting sunburnt on, especially DS2 who is very fair and has to be plastered in Factor 50, wear a t-shirt and sit in the shade!

Kids should definitely still be in a nappy in public if they are not potty trained yet, because peeing anywhere but in yours or a friends garden, say, just isn't very polite. And I'll admit if it was really hot or windy I'd think that kids should probably be in one of the wetsuits to protect from sun damage. I'd put protecting a kid from sun damage about them feeling the breeze and sun on their skin.

But it's not offensive to see a naked kid. Outside my office are some big sprinklers and you often see kids having an impromptu play in just their nappy or pants. It's right in the middle of a load of office blocks but it is so cute, it's never struck me as inappropriate in any way.

What a load of Tosh Jan49, what are they going to do? Rape them with their eyes? There is a difference between looking in someone's direction and ogling them! If a pervert wants to stare, what? Why should their deviancy be a punishment for my innocent children. Some major body issues are Being passed on here. My children are continent though!

I can't believe anyone minds seeing naked toddlers and babies! To be honest it says something a bit odd about them-who on earth has an adverse reaction to tiny children without clothes?

I agree about the hygiene thing though and would go with nappies before toilet training which makes the 'babies' part of my previous post a bit silly.
My dgs who is 4 wants to 'get naked' as he puts it whenever possible.his brother is now 6 and wouldn't appear in public without his pants.he is just becoming a bit shy with me too.he doesn't mind me seeing him in the bath but prefers to get dressed in private and I respect that.

My DD1 went naked on the beach last summer at just turned 5, don't know if she'd want to do it this year at nearly six but its her decision and I'd be damned if I'm going to make her feel ashamed of her body because of a few prudes and pervs!

My dd was 2 y/o at a open public paddling pool she had one of those all in one uv suit things on she came out the pool for the picnic I stripped her off and wrapped her in a towel whilst I was getting the picnic out she started to chat to the people next to us and had dropped the towel and so was naked and the mum of the group turned to my 2 y/o and said 'you should go put some clothes on love' It hadnt crossed my mind that a 2 y/o without clothes would be wrong so to speak. I have always made sure since then that she wears something in public places whether it be beach, public pool etc!! It does seem a shame I grew up being able to play naked in the garden the beach etc. but now even I question it with my own kids but only because of what others may think. That probably says more about me than them tbf!!!

Who calls a two year old love! Some people are odd though, my sisters 18 month old Dd kissed another little girl from antenatal group and the child's mother said 'No, girls kiss boys not girls' fucked up

'Love' is a fairly common term of endearment where I'm from; it is said to everybody.

I wouldn't ever say "put clothes on your child" but I do find it faintly embarrassing in that I don't know where to look, and also that children are so very unselfconscious that they think nothing of bending right over or lifting legs right up or whatever.

Sorry if it upsets you but I do find it mildly cringe-worthy and personally don't really like it, and nor would I encourage my own children to run around in public without clothes, house or garden is fine though. It's nothing to do with being prudish or perverted but just acknowledging we have norms as a society and it can be a bit strange for others when those norms are broken.

FWIW, I have numerous pictures of me without clothes as a child and dislike it.

I think each person must make their own decision so let's not be judgemental on this one.

1Veryhungrycaterpillar, I'm not talking about "them" meaning paedophiles, I'm talking about me, a very ordinary and nice 50-something woman on a beach feeling uncomfortable because there are a few children running around naked and I feel obliged to look away in case their parents think I'm gazing at their children for being naked.

Maybe I'm wrong for feeling uncomfortable. I find that all the publicity about paedophiles makes you question what you do in a way you maybe didn't before, such as whether it's OK to talk to someone else's child or not. Twenty years ago when I had my own young dc, I might not have thought about it like that, but I'd be judging the parents of a naked child for not protecting their dc from the sun. My ds was never on a beach wearing less than a t shirt with short sleeves, shorts, and a hat with a neck flap.

This is the type of thread that remedies my homesickness. England is such a very strange place sometimes!

I take baby ds to the beach, park, lake and let him sit/crawl around naked. Sometimes he wees but his wee is no more offensive than dog wee. When ds poos there is a big performance with lots of wiggling and funny noises, it also happens at the same time each day so the chance of a poo incident is slim.

Do those people who get offended seeing children naked also feel embarrassed when they see women breastfeeding? In my head there are 2 categories of nudity, normal unremarkable nudity, children, breastfeeding mothers, changing rooms, and then sexual nudity.

Jan49, naked does not mean without a hat and sun cream, my children have never been burnt, judge away

I will admit to looking at tiny ones playing naked because I think it's adorable. Dd loves to be naked (6 nearly 7) but we do insist on bikini bottoms/pants in public. Both of mine played naked in water till they were school age.

This is definitely a English/British thing, in Austria you are not allowed to use the sauna in a swimsuit, you must be naked.