To think putting a baby boy in pink is a little odd?

[Reachout]

Hi, this post isn't to point fingers, I just genuinely want to know if I'm the only one who thinks like this.

A friend of mine is putting her newborn baby boy in his sisters old sleepsuites etc and says it's just newborn clothing, why does it matter.
I'm sorry but I wouldn't even think of putting a boy in girls things, and I don't just mean 'pink', I mean properly girly.

AIBU? I can't see why you'd do it, and she isn't strapped for cash by any stretch of the imagination. It just doesn't sit right with me.

YABVU and just slightly bonkers. A sleepsuit is indeed a sleepsuit and the baby doesn’t care what colour it is.

Though to be fair, a suprising number of women and girls are positively territorial about pink. The little girls at nursery were horrified when my DS brought in a bright pink toothbrush. The staff, DS and the little boys couldn't care less. And I remember it was the biggest and boldest of the boys who always chose the pink frilly tutu from the dressing up box, thoiugh I'm sure the staff made sure the other kids got a look-in at least sometimes. I like pink myself but I’m willing to share.

I'd think having a lesbian daughter would come as more of a shock

If that’s what counts as a “shock” in your life then you really do need to get out more.

I'm a child of the early 60s

There is a lovely picture of me aged 2 in a blue and red dress (picture may have been in black and white as it is very faded but my niece has since worn the dress) - pink is not a colour I remember at all from my childhood - either for me or (when I was older) the young children around me.

There is also a picture of my younger brother and I in matching Arran jumpers and kilts - both made my mum - aged about 3 and 5.

Money was tight and handmedowns were very much the order of the day. My brother even had to wear my (home made) school blazer - even though it buttoned the "wrong" way . He survived .

My ds is nearly 3 and he has his sisters pink car seat and bike. I personally wouldn't use girly clothes on my boy unless at home, perhaps vests/pjs. My friend dresses her girl in her brothers hand me downs.

morelikeguidelines Mine were green and yellow and blue- the only times I had pink anything was when it was from my cousin who looks great in pink. I don't.

Barbie clothes got progressively pinker too. I have barbie shell suits, raincoats etc that are NOT PINK. They are in the same colour schemes as the real versions. In the nineties the hugely expensive extra clothes (Pret-a-porter, etc) packs turned pink. And looked the worse for it.

I'd think having a lesbian daughter would come as more of a shock than a gay son. That may be sexist, but it's my initial, truthful reaction.

To be fair OP you're pretty easily shocked. If a baby boy in pink pyjamas 'doesn't sit right with you' I'd imagine having a lesbian daughter would probably finish you off.

Have you lived a very sheltered life?

Op yanbu I would be really if my friend started dressing her baby boy in girls clothes.

I agree it wouldn't sit right.

My own dd has no interest in anything pink or girly and prefers boys clothes but that is her choice what choice does a baby have?

Society whether we like it or not does determine what is masculine/feminine to wear. Taking a baby boy out in something pink/frilly/clearly meant for a girl is more than a bit odd imo.

I’m a 60s child too and I don’t remember having any pink clothes at all apart from one white sun-suit with big pink spots. My bridesmaid dress was “kingfisher blue” and (at different times) I remember a yellow and white party frock and a crimson velvet. I had no desire at all for pink and “pink for a girl” was more of a saying than something people did.

" he said, ah well, he will fit in the Royal Navy later, then. What was his train of thought then? "

The Royal Marines have a fine and extensive history of cross dressing (even taking certain items on operational tours). That's assuming they're not totally naked.

So at root, military in-joke not commentary on infant clothing.

My DD wears her big brother's hand-me-downs and I often buy her clothes in blue, especially if it's a pretty floral pattern e.g. blue dungarees with white flowers. Blue takes the edge off the girliness factor in clothes I find. I do get questions on whether she is a boy when she wears blue though which is ridiculous because it's usually quite obvious but seeing BLUE makes people think twice it would seem! Like it short-circuits their brains...

Pink now though, that's a different thing. He will definitely catch the Gayness from that...

My own dd has no interest in anything pink or girly and prefers boys clothes but that is her choice what choice does a baby have?

A baby has no conception of clothes, colours, patterns and what 'sits right' with oddbod friends. So what does it matter what a baby wears to bed?

He didn't refer to the Marines, but sailors and the Navy, and he was er... quite clear the other way, and referring to sailors' forming relationships with each other when at sea for a long time.

But it's a good attempt. If I hadn't been there, I'd believe your interpretation.

In Belgium it is pink for boys, I believe.
Have you never seen men wearing pink shirts?
I put my daughter in quite a few of her brother's baby and toddler clothes and she seems a perfectly normal woman in spite of it.

Society whether we like it or not does determine what is masculine/feminine to wear.

True. It’s certainly an issue by the time kids start school and to some extent before that too. But at zero years old you’d need quite a mix of prurience and triviality to worry about the wrong shade of hand-me-down sleepsuit.

It doesn't matter what he wears to bed but I would find it odd if she only dressed him in girls baby clothes during the day!

YABU. My DS had six older female cousins when he was born. No way was I passing up all those free clothes!

So far, his willy hasn't dropped off.

Oh, and I wore all my brother's hand-me-downs and am very happily married to a man!

Marines are part of the Royal Navy.

(though agree as not there, could only base my reaction on info posted thus far).

I put my 6 week old boy in pink. He has 2 older sisters and why should I buy new clothes for a tiny baby. Obv when he is 2 or 3 I wont be putting him in dresses but men wear pink shirts don't they?

"Oh, and I wore all my brother's hand-me-downs and am very happily married to a man!"

Of course you are m'dear. It's like owning a wardrobe extension pack.

(I'll get my coat)

Yes, they're part. A specific part. What I mean is, I do not think he would have called a Marine a sailor. Same as my uncle George would never call a vintage Rolls Royce a car.

I was too broke when I had my DS that he wore pink clothes too. Who cares?

Its just a colour and you know what, that boy will probably grow up so comfortable in his own sexuality because his mother hasn't been so bloody ridiculous to say 'boys only wear blue and girls only wear pink'.

PS. My boy still wears pink. Pink socks and pants. Has long hair that's considered 'girly' he got so fed up of people telling him he had girls hair he said 'fuck off! I have my own hair'

A friend of mine went further than this op. She was expecting to give birth to a little girl, so when a little boy put in an appearance instead he had to travel home in a pink babygro that said "Mummy's little princess" on the front. To my knowledge it hasn't harmed him in any way, made his willy fall off or give him a penchant for wearing ladies' underwear.

Jeez! Haven't RTFT, but spare me! This is MUMSNET, pragmatic, clear-thinking, open-minded Mumsnet. Can we not have these kinds of convos, please?