To think that infant school pupils don't need special cover up knickers?

[DrSeuss]

A local FB seller is flogging gingham over knickers to wear with school summer dresses. Just in case a child of five should do a cartwheel and someone should see her underwear for a brief moment, presumably? My daughter is five. While I would not wish her to run around showing her Frozen themed undies to the world all day, I have no wish to teach her that she must cover herself at all times. Having taught as a peripatetic in primary schools, I always walked a fine line between wishing they could sit on a carpet without flashing me their pants and thinking that their innocence and lack of inhibitions were to be held onto as long as possible since they would be sexualised soon enough.
Would any of you want to buy the chequered modesty preservers?

My DD is permanently upside down.
She wears these.

I really dislike the gingham dresses, DD6 has been wearing coullettes (shorts that looks more like a skirt) since reception.
Reason being that another child had been putting his hand up her skirt quite frequently, totally innocent behaviour since they were only 5 but it hasn't happened again since!

DD 10 has been wearing shirts under her dress since year 3. I think the school suggested it as so many are into gymnastics and forever upside down. I don't mind at all. She's at an age were she knows what she feels comfortable in.

I was pretty cross last summer when my Y2 DD came home with her PE shorts under her dress because she'd been told by a dinner lady she couldn't do handstands at lunch without shorts on. She was 7!! And wearing perfectly adequate underwear! I hate that we're reinforcing this idea from such an early age that it's a girl's responsibility to cover up- and from who? Other primary school children? Teachers?!

She tends to prefer skorts now. I like the idea of a gingham dress playsuit, I think she would love that.

The problem is the fact that girls have to wear a stupid dress.

Given that this is the uniform, it's practical to have shorts underneath. My dd wears them.

Girls and boys should be in shorts and tshirt.

How sad, to think (according to so much of this thread) that such young girls are internalising all sorts of social messages about modesty and propriety and being uncomfortable without being covered up!

To me it seems absolutely awful that at about the only time in their lives when they can feel completely at ease with their bodies - oh how I remember the glorious freedom of just running about in a cotton dress with socks and sandals, and not even a thought crossing my mind about whether my legs looked fat or if anyone could see my pants. It was so cool in summer and so comfortable. How awful for little girls to already feel so self-conscious about their bodies and so much on display to the world that they need to wear cycling shorts underneath their dresses, like so many middle-aged ladies suffering the discomforts of shapewear shorts under their summer frocks (and I include myself in that, the agonies of summer as a chubby woman who just wants to wear a cotton dress but is stuck sweltering with her Spanx and leggings to save thigh rub!) The thought of all those poor little girls sweltering in the heat in stretchy nylon cycling shorts when they could be wearing nice cool cotton knickers is awful. (And surely bad for the health of their bits?)

I cherish the memory of my preteen body confidence, the only time I've ever felt so physically free. I would hate for my DD to have that spoiled by some prudish insistence on cycling shorts in the playground Those schools that insist on it are promoting something terribly retrograde and anti-feminist. If the girls are internalising the boys teasing them about their pants, why don't the teachers just tell the boys off instead, and tell the girls to ignore it? Rather than pandering to this idea that preteen girls' bodies should be "modest" at all costs.

On a different note, I was only just complaining to my D the other day about how rubbish the girls' knickers are in the shops. My toddler DD finds them uncomfy, the gussets are cut too narrow for active children, what happened to the old-fashioned knicker? Girls' pants these days seem to be cut like mini versions of adult women's bikini style briefs, but those don't fit little girls. They need something comfy with a decent gusset and waist. That would be far better than cycling shorts or boy shorts, which face it are bloody uncomfortable, especially in hot weather!

But going for a wee in a gingham playsuit must be a pain. Another stupid item of clothing IMO.

Well, I'm in two minds about this.

I live in a very multi-cultural area and when my DD started school and it got to the summer term I noticed a lot of girls (from mostly Far East) wore cycling shorts / short leggings under their summer dresses. I thought they were the most ridiculous and unnecessary item of clothing I'd ever seen.

Then I watched my DD (at the time 5) climb a tree one day. She was higher than everyone else, dangling precariously from branches a few metres up. And as I watched I realised she was flashing her pants at everyone for quite long periods of time but so so happy and confidently climbing. And I caved and agreed she could have some - mostly it is silly age 5 silliness but there's also older boys, and mums and dads we don't know and you know what - I'd rather they don't see her pants and she herself feels more comfortable). Same for her brother - I don't want people seeing his pants in public but he wears trousers (she could too but she loves her dresses...)

Fashions change imo.

DD wears these

Dd wears the dresses because shirts amd the polyester skirts etx ate not that comfy.

the dresses are lighter but do have the practicality issue.

given a choice shed wear leggins ajd shirts and a vest top/t shirt
uniform.is shit and needs getting rid of

And shorts

Would rather have gingham kickers than those hideous playsuits.

My girls are forever hangingnupside down from climbing frames/cartwheeling etc. I have recently had to buy them all "modesty shorts" (yes, modesty shorts...in 2016 ). They were told by lunchtime controllers that they weren't to "show their privates"!!!!! What is the difference between a little girl wearing knickers and a little girl wearing a swimming costume?! I approached the school leadership team, expecting them to say that they would speak to the lunchtime controllers and was shocked to instead be told that "shorts under dresses and skirts are an expectation for all girls who use the play-equipment". My daughter's didn't want to play anymore without the shorts as they didn't want to be told off. So I bought the bloody things, with gritted teeth and grit my teeth every morning while they put them on. I could fight it. I probably should fight it. But the damage has been done and my girls are now aware of something that they didn't need to be aware of. I have written to the Chair of Giverners but we are moving soon anyway and they will be leaving the school so I'm letting it go. I find it really sad that we are teaching little girls that they need to "be modest" by covering their underwear.

I remember gingham knickers under school summer dresses (abroad) 30 years ago when I was a kid! We hated them then as I would do now. We had to do PE in them as well, believe it or not.

Yes to Georgette - I have no hang-ups about people innocently seeing my 4 year olds knickers and neither does she. I would like that to last a bit longer please.

When she's not wearing tights, my DD has worn cycling shorts under her school dresses and skirts since she started school. She has brothers, and is not interested in any boys teasing her about her pants.

I hated having to wear a dress at school, especially primary. I liked handstands and cartwheels, but they always involved having your clothes over your face instead of your legs and bum.
How I wished we could be allowed to wear shorts.

I think its great this is now an option, and if there can be pretty matching options as well as same-as-the-boys options then that is even better.

i think they are ridiculous and wouldn't buy them, but if folks want to, that's up,to,them.

I don't know if I would feel different if our girl was ever upside down, but given she uses a walking frame, if she's upside down she's got bigger things to worry about that her pants showing 😂

I like a cool cotton dress, I like cool knickers. My vulva likes both. DD likes handstands, sandpit, monkey bars, whatever and likes to wear a dress and she can wear what she bloody well likes.

A lot of men would prefer a dress on a hot summers day too, if it was all about being cool.

I just looked at some of these "modesty shorts" on the Next website, and they are entirely nylon and elastane. How awful to be wearing these all day on top of your proper knickers! Sweaty thrush incubators more like! Poor girls

My dd wears little white cycling shorts under her gingham dresses and navy under her pinafore/ skirt. I bought them because my dd is forever climbing, twirling and trying to do cartwheels (she is 6). Also because she is getting embarrassed at having to get changed for p.e in front of the boys, her shorts already being on means she is in shorts and vest already when she strips off and she can just put her t shirt on. They also keep her bottom warmer on breezy days lol. I remember when i was in p.1 we used to do p.e in big black gym knickers and a vest. I wish my Mum had thought of shorts!

Just5 she says so on her facebook posts. She has asked for help as she can't keep up with the requests.

My daughter wore grey or black trousers. Like the boys did.

My DD loved wearing summer dresses, her liking for these was not practical in terms of lightweight clothing, it was most definitely that they looked nicer than normal uniform (her choice, not mine).
I'm not keen on the playsuit idea though as they are definitely restrictive when nipping to the loo!
I actually think matching shorts could be quite nice if that is what the child wants, nicer looking than cycle shorts and should be less obvious.
Summer dress style separate top and shorts would be better than a playsuit imo

They're on my fb too and I'm torn between thinking they're great and being angry about them. No one should be ashamed, BUT they are and so should be allowed to cover themselves so they can feel free again.