Should kids be naked on a public beach

[YabaJaba]

If so, at what age should they put a cossie on?

Safeguarding of one's children from paedos isn't possible in every sphere of life, true. But it's absolutely do-able to minimise the risk by not letting children be naked in public. It's hardly rocket science.

Well said. You wouldn't allow children to walk naked to the shops so why does anyone feel it's appropriate just because they are running around in sand.

The only reason children are allowed to naked is because of overly sentimental adults. Children do not care if they're in a nappy, pants or cheeks out - they just want to play in the sand and water!

The risk isn't worth it. Children's experiences aren't enhanced more by being naked compared to a small bit of clothing.

Save it for home or in the garden.

That is simply not true. You have obviously never had a toddler who tries to strip off at every opportunity.

I'm afraid that I think little children look adorable nude. DS was always stripping off as a little one and was so unselfconscious it was lovely, but that was usually at home.

I would cover them up in public out of politeness and I think there are hygiene issues if they are not toilet trained, especially on a crowded beach, as well as the obvious sun protection issue, so

I wouldn't worry about perverts particularly, I don't think any of their vile behaviour is affected by whether your little one has their swimmers on or not.

So let them strip off, regardless? Parenting must have gone out of fashion. Toddlers call the shots.

@FizzySnap I was directly responding to someone who said kids do not like being naked anyway. I said that is not true.

I understand why people are worried about their kids and photography etc, but it’s a very disproportionate fear. People who want to look at paedophilic content are really not typically drawn to photos of toddlers on a beach. They can find far more explicit material very easily at the click of a button. And as others have said - countries where it’s the norm for toddlers to be naked at the beach do not have a higher rate of child abuse than countries where it’s expected that children will cover up.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with putting your kid in swimwear, obviously - it’s not a problem to put a cossie on them and I think most parents do that. From the kid’s point of view it doesn’t make much difference, so whatever the parent prefers is fine. But I do think parents who insist on swimwear for small children shouldn’t be suggesting that parents who don’t are putting their kids at risk from lurking paedophiles - because they’re really not.

People who want to look at paedophilic content are really not typically drawn to photos of toddlers on a beach.

There are posts on this thread that paint a very different picture.

As I said upthread I know for a fact that paedophiles are more than happy to see naked children first hand and take a few photos to keep. I honestly didn't see the harm myself until I started working with them.

I would quickly change them but I wouldn't let my child run naked around a beach no.

Obviously not directly responding when you didn’t even quote them.

What’s next? Allowing toddlers to strip off at the supermarket just because they like it? Like anything boundaries need to be reinforced from a young age - the fact that it is not acceptable to be naked in public is one of them.

Ugh no that's gross especially for the 9/10 year olds

They shouldn’t ever be naked on the beach. Even if there aren’t any paedo’s around, your child could still end up in the background of someone else’s photo and that’s not fair on them.

I know for a fact peadophiles visit the beach and will photograph naked children. One was snapping away sat next to his wife.
It's sad that we should moderate perfectly normal behaviour but I would not take the chance

And that didn't worry you? About other people on the beach and whether they might have been pervs, I mean.

A full tan at that age. It never occurred to me.

Exactly. The whole post is creepy imo.