To dress my child in this way?

[desperatehousewife101]

This is a dress from my early childhood , my mum passed away recently and I came across it in her belongings.
AIBU to dress my baby in this regardless of gender ?

No I wouldn't put a boy in a dress. It's not the same as putting a girl in a t shirt with a truck on because those clothes although they're presumably for boys can be gender neutral also. A dress will never be gender neutral.

DB, both DSes and DS1's baby boy doll have all worn my old baby nighties day and night and looked very cute and were really easy to change in them. Easy changes were my main reason for using them as they both hated lying back due to reflux.

DS1 and the doll were both often mistaken for a girl whatever they were wearing but everyone seemed to know DS2 was a boy.

A dress will never be gender neutral.

How can you be sure that it will never be gender neutral since it has been gender neutral in the past?
Also what will happen to a boy if you put them in something that isn't gender neutral? Nobody who says this is wrong has given this any helpful answers beyond "they will be teased" (at 5 months?) and "they will be scarred for life (again, at 5 months?)
If they were 5 YEARS and not asking to wear one, then I might see your POV.

And why are "girls" clothes never gender neutral yet "boys" clothes (t-shirts with trucks on) are?
(I do know the answer to this one but I'm guessing those who are saying it - chocolate - have not given it any thought).

But even if it did become gender neutral in the future, right now it isn't. And it's ridiculous.

I couldn't give a shiny shit what you dress your baby in. But it sounds like " ooh look at me I'm being all cool and liberal to me "
And gender neutral land???? Where the fuck is that?

Dress him as a boy then if he wants to wear dresses when hes old enough to make that decision then support him.
Why start all that malarkey now??
God people love making life difficult

Why start all that malarkey
All what malarkey?

The OP has not said she's going to dress her son in dresses all the time or even as often as sensible parents dress their girls in dresses (i.e. a small amount of the time before crawling, never while crawling).

She's said she's going to put her son in THIS ONE dress that has sentimental value.

It would be as if she put up a cross stitch picture that her grandmother had made for her mother, in his room, that says "beautiful baby girl".

It's a one off sentimental item, not a habit.

I don't get why people are so afraid of putting boys in dresses. Or in this case - and as with my DS who wore a christening gown - one single dress ever.

Nobody seems to be willing to say why trucks and anything else associated with boys "can be" gender neutral but dresses nor anything associated with girls can't.

'But it sounds like " ooh look at me I'm being all cool and liberal to me "'

Quite

No, it sounds like "I've got this lovely heirloom and no girl to wear it".
Just like my example of a lovely heirloom baby girl picture or the christening gown made out of a wedding dress that my DS wore.

Refusing to tell people if your child is a girl or a boy in case they identify as something else when older - THAT is being all cool and liberal.

The only thing that is U here is asking people on MN about it.
Because they all refuse to say why it is much, much worse to put a boy in "girls" clothing than a girl in "boys" clothing - why is one cool and liberal and the other not?

drspouse I cant imagine anyone who would think doing that is cool and liberal. It’s just being a twat.

At 5 months? I can't see the problem

Dress your kid in whatever you want. Don't get offended when everyone assumes he's a girl.
Looks a bit warm for this weather though. My 5 month old is wearing a vest.

@flowersWB the weather isn't the same all over the uk / world. The warmest it reached where I am is 13 degrees today.

Op dress your child how you like, it won't harm him but it is odd and people will think he's a girl or you're making a statement.

I'm sorry you lost your mum

Isn't it on back to front?

I know it shouldn't matter and it's not like he cares, but I still wouldn't personally. What you do in the privacy of your own home and with your own child in this particular regard is really up to you though.

Mumsnet - Men pretending to be women by just wearing a dress are stupid gender isn't about what you wear!
Also Mumsnet - DON'T DRESS YOUR BABY BOY IN A DRESS - ESPECIALLY ONE WITH FLOWERS!!!11!! Make it into boys clothes.

WTF Mumsnet?

Indeed @LadyDeadpool !

Each to their own. At five months old he's hardly going to remember, but personally I wouldn't.

I wouldn't if you want to keep it pristine but then my lo was king of the runny poonamis.

I'm sorry for your loss

Put him in it and take a photo. Then pack the dress away safely. Sorry for your loss xx

YABVVVU and potentially abusive IMO. Mumsnet is the only place I've ever seen people say it's acceptable for a boy to wear a dress- it's something I've never seen IRL.

Like it or not, a dress is a gendered piece of clothing and you will face significant backlash, possibly culminating in intervention by social services and other agencies.

Yep, social services storm every Christening round here to protect the local boys from clothes that allow both legs out the same opening. My step mum bought my daughter a poncho once, I went NC.

I can barely walk through my local park without rubbing my fanny on the forgetmeknots

Can I come with you?

@BustopherJones

One of the main abuse/neglect indicators social services look for is children dressed inappropriately. It's also a very common manifestation of mental health issues in a mother.

Yes our SW (as our children are adopted) was on the phone to the child protection team both at our DS' christening AND when she found out he wore these and these.