To wonder why you would put your toddler in a bikini?

[GoodAfternoonSeattle]

Urgh I keep seeing these in the shops and I don’t get it.

Personally I prefer my own daughter (who is three) to be covered on the beach so that she doesn’t burn. I’d probably put her in one of those swimsuits that’s like shorts and tshirt. I’d put her in a swimming costume at an indoor pool. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a preschool aged child running around naked or in pants.

But I don’t understand the bikini trend for toddlers - Why does a 3 year old need something to cover their chest on the beach or at the pool??

Urgh. Why are we trying to turn our children into mini adults at every turn?

I think little girls sometimes just want to look like their Mum. I don’t really have a problem with it, although my kids all wear long sleeve, or 3/4 quarter length sleeve uv protection tops with shorts or bikini bottoms. We do tend to visit countries with very high temps.

YANBU

Extremely weird to sexualise a tiny girl's nipples by covering them up when the rest of their torso is bare.

I hate them on young girls. I think it sexualises them

I would never judge another parent for something like this but I know my mum felt strongly about covering my and my sister’s chests when we were young bc she felt it was an invasion of our dignity. I don’t really care either way but she definitely wasn’t sexualising us. If you think about it there’s no more need for an adult woman to cover her chest than a man or a girl — nothing inherently sexual about breasts.

Blimey. The last 3 out of 4 posts saying it sexualises young girls. Nothing to do with wanting to copy mummy then.

So, I wore Bikinis in the 60's and 70's as a child, and my two daughters wore them in the 90's and 00's.. Mostly however, we wore just the bottoms until age 9/10. They were often stringy, or frilly, never plain. The reason?? We are Italian heritage and always holiday in Italy. The Italians wouldn't be seen dead in these awful sun cover ups that only the British seem to wear. They/we/the British, are the laughing stock of Southern European beaches. Go early to the beach, put on sun cream (we only had factor 6 in the 60's and never burned), and a hat, have an umbrella to play under, go up to your villa for lunch and two hour siesta and go back to the beach at 4pm. If you need some extra protection put on a t-shirt. It's no wonder us Northern Europeans suffer from vitamin D deficiency.

Um..some of us "laughing stock" Brits burn very easily! If you have a red headed kid they can easily get burnt after 4 pm..!
Having said that I would avoid any Southern European beach with no parasol and wouldn't be near a beach in July/August anyway. I'd be up a mountain.

Gfordmum. Exactly! I detest those suits.. my children are mixed heritage/olive skinned and never worn them but my niece is a red head and wears a bikini with a tshirt over the top plus plenty of high factor and that is enough to stop her from burning. Surely they must also be so hot and sticky in those suits when they aren't in the water?

Interesting how it's those with olive skinned children and southern European heritage deriding sun suits/rash vests. My pale skinned DH had a mother who exposed him to the sun in short bursts on holiday with sun cream and he is paying for it now. Also clearly you know nothing about different skin types and uv risk or you wouldn't be so rude and dismissive of those who understand the risks. It's probably not you who might be dealing with the heartbreak of melanoma in years to come.

And no they are not hot and sticky. Far less uncomfortable than trying to pin down an uncooperative wriggling child to apply sun block every 2 hours and none of the chemicals.

If you’ve ever seen a teenager ravaged by melanoma, you would be sure to put your fair skinned child in a rash vest. We all have different skin types and because of this need different levels of protection. A cotton t shirt when wet, offers little protection, so it’s safer to wear a UV fabric (tight knit).
I think Northern Europeans look more foolish walking round in next to nothing and as red as a lobster. But if covering up makes us a laughing stock, so be it. 😁

So much easier to stick a kid in a rash vest or a UV suit (I'm not talking about the OTT long sleeved long legged ones, just the ones that look like a shorty wetsuit) and be done with it rather than stressing about suncream on their backs and fronts,whether it has washed off, whether you missed a spot argh no thanks!

OK - I'll bite. We are Northern Italians..... fair skinned, blue eyed, blonds. We are very aware of Melanoma, in fact in previous generations, ie: grandparents died early of it, so we are all VERY careful in the sun. That means avoiding the hottest parts of the day, and staying in the shade. Also, then, why don't the Germans, Dutch, Swedes, Norweigans, all of whom come to our Italian resort, wear full UV suits. Are they less careful with their children? Do they burn more? No, they are just sensible.

We all make different choices for our children but I don’t think sticking a fair skinned child in a rash vest and a pair of bikini bottoms is OTT or foolish or makes you a laughing stock. Lots of nationalities wear them; we bought lovely ones in France last year. Some of us have very little pigment in our skin and burn frighteningly quickly. Why can’t we except we are all different and some people like the security and ease of a uv top. I never in a million years thought out of all my parenting choices, I would be judged on this one.

They’re easier to go to the loo in and you get more years wear out of than a cossie.

HTH

This thread is bonkers. As long as you're careful in the sun why does it matter. How can a rash vest cause so much emotion that someone 'detests' them?

If children aren't burning it's all fine in my book, bikini, costume, t shirt, a full body uv whatever.

It's clearly a minefield and obviously whatever you put your toddler in on the beach some judgemental arse is looking down your nose at you as you can't dress them in just bikini bottoms, a UV vest, a bikini etc. Is a normal swimming costume ok?

Urgh. Why are we trying to turn our children into mini adults at every turn?

I don’t understand what part of a bikini makes a child an adult?

I don’t like bikinis on babies and toddlers. They seem a bit grown up to me, but each to their own.

@GfordMum101 I'd rather be laughed at by Southern Europeans than risk my children suffering permanent sun damage.

Not really worth an argument but Scandinavian skin types are often different from pale British ones and tan much more easily despite being fair. But each to their own. I'll carry on covering up my kids and not worry about judgy arses.

It's completely each to their own.

I'm absolutely paranoid about the risk of melanoma, having lost a school friend at the age of 20 to skin cancer (she was fair skinned and red haired and never holidayed outside of the UK).

Hate toddlers in bikinis. All wrong.

My lot wore bikini pants til they were older, as did I when I was little.

I've actually just come back from Menorca and in a hotel of mixed British and Germans and the majority of German children had UV suits on so it's not just British.....

Not really worth an argument but Scandinavian skin types are often different from pale British ones and tan much more easily despite being fair.

Yes, don't most Scandinavians have that gorgeous blonde hair and tanned skin thing going on? bastards

I bought my dd a bikini because she asked for one

If she asked for a razor would you buy her one....no I didn't think so.

It's just stupid, just don't do it. Why would you want too.

I'm someone who just does not get these dads of putting kids in makeup, bikinis, ears Pearces, and older looking clothes.

People seem to be obsessed with having their baby's look like teenagers! Yuk it knocks me sick! I want my dd to be a baby for as long as I can keep her that way!