Not to want toddler naked in garden ?

[lucie333]

My sons grandmother thinks I'm being unfair to my 2 year old for "forcing " Him to wear swimming costume in the pool?

My reasons behind this are I was Molested by my neighbour from 5-9 years old. I want to protect my son, he does not need to be naked in my opinion but am I being too over protective?

My other issue is I don't want him in the garden when his papa is cutting the grass because he tries to touch it when it's running and I'd much rather him stay in house and then go out when it's all done but his grandmother ignored me and took him out anyways after I said no and I caught her letting him pull on the string that starts the lawnmower! Please tell me your options am I being too over protective?

id not allow it in public, but in the back garden with family, absolutely. If it makes us chavvy I’d see if as a compliment,

Consider your daughter a chav and take it as a complement then 🤷🏻‍♀️ personally I don't think it's chavvy, just irresponsible but whichever your prefer, go with it.

I agree with you about the clothes from as much a sun protection as anything else.

Also I know a child who lost their arm in a lawnmower (dd was born without her arm) so I agree with you there too.

I never did the naked toddler thing either. Mine had sun suits and sun caps with neck cover and even on a sunny day in the uk I wanted them covered. Young children's skin is really delicate and I would rather be thought of as uptight than have a burnt child.

The lawn mover is a no brainier. They are dangerous and no toddler should be allowed near one or the play with it.

Yeah mine have always had uv suits and caps with neck protectors, even 27 years ago when It was unusual to see children in them

My son was diagnosed with malignant melanoma last year at the age of 26. We are even more insistent in covering up now

My goodness, I'm sorry to read about both your DD and the other child.

The only person I've ever known to have a lawnmower accident was trying to clear a rotary type while it was still plugged in.

I agree with you on both counts.

Lawnmowers are incredibly dangerous.

The nudity thing - I’m not bothered about toddlers being naked in general but I am bothered about sunburn.

@Floraanddougal you'd see being called a chav a compliment? Do you know what the acronym means right?

Plus in that case your DD wouldn't be the chav, the family would be though

Obviously chav isn't a compliment. The PP meant that she had a lovely day with her little girl and close family, and if that makes her a 'chav' then so be it. There are some seriously strange people on this thread!

Yep, they have no idea what chavvy is either if they think it's a naked child playing in its own garden

So sorry if I've missed this answer, but does your MIL know why you don't want them naked? I'm happy for mine to be naked but totally see why you're not, and if that's your wish then ignoring you is very twatty! The lawnmower thing also makes her an idiot

He needs a hat, t shirt or rash vest etc to protect him from the sun. Kids indoors when the mower is out

Of course nudity plays a part in abuse.
I don't let my toddler be naked in front of anyone apart from myself and my husband.
I'm trying to teach him boundaries around his body from as early as possible.

Do people really think a paedophile looking at your naked child isn't a form of abuse? Or perhaps taking photographs?

There are so many vile men in the world. I'm not putting my child at any extra risk for the sake of a nappy or swimming costume.

Adults can take care of them selves, but young children don't recognize the wrong people.

I personally had no problem with mine being naked as toddlers but it is your choice and putting him in a swimming costume in the pool is hardly terrible - he'd have to wear one in a public pool, after all. I also think it is best he is safely inside when the grass is being mowed and his grandmother is wrong to let him play with the lawnmower.

Re: sun protection it is important that DC aren't always covered up as they need sun exposure to make Vit D. While mine would wear sun suits on the beach or holidaying abroad when toddlers, I wouldn't put them on them in the garden. Obviously it does depend on how sensitive your DC is to the sun.

I think you are right, you don't really know everyone, some people can be strange.
I always just put a swimming nappy on mine if it's too warm for a costume. X

Oh, when I answered I didn't think about the fact lots of people have overlooked gardens. No one can see into ours (live in countryside) but if neighbours could see in then I'd definitely not let my kids be naked in the garden. Obviously I'm not suggesting my neighbours are perverts, but you never know and with smartphones it's so easy for people to film others without their knowledge

Thank you and yes, that’s it, I’m happy to be called a chav if it means I let my little girl run around naked in the garden playing in the sprinkler.

sadly for that poster it’s clearly not what chav means and I think they are confused.

defintion of chav.

: “a young person in Britain of a type stereotypically known for engaging in aggressively loutish behavior especially when in groups and for wearing flashy jewelry and athletic casual clothing (such as tracksuits and baseball caps) Like Eminem, Lady Sovereign is a poster child for the white lower-middle class.“

it is not letting your toddler play naked in your private back garden.

Caught a bus home 1 day, it went through a estate the type with small council gardens with a wire picket type low fence. A woman had her 2/3 yr old girl sat naked near the fence. Every one on the buses got full views, and people walking past the same. The mother was else where in the back or in the house. Any one could have grabbed her.

Thank you for all your replies, can I just add that i in no means judge anyone who has their child naked and I most definitely don't find it chavvy!
I don't feel comfortable with my son being naked as our house is right next to a block of flats and there is a few questionable people who live there, if my garden was completely private then absolutely I would allow him to, don't get me wrong he just had a little pair of trunks and he wasn't fussed he took them off to start with and I just told him that mummy needed him to put the trunks on and he said "okay mummy" I feel his grandmother just likes dictating to me because she thinks she knows better. Can I add too that partner wasn't at the house he nipped out to get a new strimmer and his dad my sons (papa) was cutting the grass, my partner told her 3 times he was not to leave the house until it was done (the same situation happened last week) so he was very very firm with her but as soon as my partner nipped out she asked if she could take son to the park and I said yes but he must not go into garden she agreed said no problem, I went to put baby for a nap and when I looked out the window he on the slide while his papa was cutting the grass I gave her the benefit of the doubt and thought my son just probably wanted to see his papa to say bye,but no 2 mins later my son was pulling on the string and touching it so I banged on the window and shouted no!!! I left my partner to deal with her and she wasn't happy. I sent her a text saying that I respect he did things different with her boys but these are My boys and I will make the rules on what I feel is safe if she can't respect that then she will not have them without us being there, was I too harsh ? I can't understand why she thinks she can go against what we say these aren't her kids!

You are being overprotective re the nudity. There is VERY little risk involved in this. Although being covered in the sun is much better.

YANBU to not let him out if he is not being properly supervised.

My daughter is always inside the house when DH is doing the lawn.
My daughter might have no pants on (we're potty training) but she always has a T shirt on. We're not super overlooked though by neighbouring houses.
Having said that, I had bad excema as a child (7 or 8) and was told by a (female) GP to run around outside naked with this cream on. I always found there to be something to be a bit creepy? about this. My parents garden was overlooked by neighbours on all sides, and there was an older, single man who lived in the house nextdoor (rented, so we never had a conversation with him). There was NO WAY my parents would have had me outside in the nude!

your life, your toddler, your rules.

Our choice is to let them be naked in the privacy of our garden if they want to be. They naturally stop wanting to be at about the right age.

We would also let them investigate and learn about a lawn mower, safely and under supervision.

When my dc were toddlers we lived in a house that had a garden which couldn’t be seen from next door. Therefore my two ran naked every summer.

This house is a bit on top of each other, so swim suit it is