To send little one to nursery in a dress without shorts?

[dahliadream]

First time posting on mn so please be kind, not sure whether this board is the right home for this or not?!

I have a three year old girl, it's hot so I have been sending her to nursery in casual loose t-shirt dresses, about knee length. My friend told me yesterday that when she puts her daughter in dresses for nursery she puts shorts underneath. I havent been doing that. She doesn't wear shorts with dresses at home and also wouldn't it make her even warmer on a hot day? She is quite active at nursery and she spends a lot of time outside.

AIBU just to put her in a dress? Or should she be wearing shorts too? Three seems so little to worry about modesty doesn't it.

My DD is 3 and likes wearing dresses. I don’t have a problem with her flashing her pants.. she’s 3 ffs!!! But she does tend to put cycling shorts on underneath- it’s a preference for her and I think it’s more practical for things like going down a slide.

Sitting cross legged at carpet time isn’t great with little dresses, especially if wearing knickers, as they don’t always cover what they should.

My grandaughter just wears a loose pair of shorts and t.shirt but then she never asks to wear a dress.

As I said in my post when my DD wanted to wear them I was obviously fine about it. But I’m not going to teach my daughter at 3/4/5 that someone accidentally seeing their knickers is so bad they need to wear shorts as well.

I've always put bloomers or cycling shorts under my DDs dresses because she is active rather than for modesty.

Pants are flimsy tiny things and don't give much protection when throwing yourself around. Splinters or scratches from play equipments/ carpet burn from indoors etc. Then if she's ever too hot you can just whip dress off too and she's in shorts which is fine as a toddler.

It was so hot the other day that my 18 month old was sent home wearing just a nappy and nothing else at all…

If your DD is comfortable there’s nothing wrong with dress and underwear underneath, it’s just fear mongering

Pants/knickers are material designed to cover your privates, its material - what's the problem with them being seen?

people just need to buy good quality pants with wide gussets to avoid gaping.

Where on earth do you buy bloomers for a 3 year old? Victorian-Surplus.com? 😱

Why, though? What’s wrong with teaching them that pants are not generally for people to see?

It’s not an issue i am particularly worked up about, as i said, both mine chose to wear shorts under dresses for quite a young age. I just genuinely don’t see the problem with teaching them that it’s preferable to not expose their pants 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was wondering this!! What do you mean by bloomers??

I do usually put mini shorts on under nursery age DDs' dresses (if they are short dresses, not longer ones) just so they can run around with no worries.

Older DD did once come home with a shirt on over her tank top dress though because nursery teacher thought the arm holes were too loose and could show 'breasts' - she was not even 3yo and the dress was completely fine, and a 2yo's chest is not inappropriate in any way, so was very unhappy with that.

We do but because DD wants to. I think she see alot of others at nursery wearing shorts under dresses. I think its more about being comfortable when playing practically.....climbing on play equipment in a dress can be uncomfortable. The shorts stop the friction burns from slides etc.

Agreed. My 11 year old wears shorts by choice as she feels more comfortable as she becomes more aware of her body. None of my girls wore shorts with dresses before they chose to and my 18 year old still doesn't.

Knickers cover the bits you don't want shown.

As pp has said if it's a case of comfort then fine but may as well not wear dresses as shorts and tshirt would work better for comfort imo

I recommend to parents that shorts and a t-shirt is more practical for the girls when playing outside. Understanding that lots of strong willed girls will insist on dresses then shorts underneath is a good compromise. Nothing to do with modesty. The girls get gazes bumps on their inner thighs…an injury we never see the boys having to worry about getting.

Having said that o love those next shorts! At least they won't be permanently up their bums which is the main issue with knickers at that age lol

Jeeez. People are strange. I assume she wears knickers under her dress? No need for shorts. My eldest only does wear shorts under a dress as she is forever cartwheeling and doing gymnastics and she’s a bit older and it’s her choice. No need for shorts when they’re 3 at all

I never did with dd. Didn't even think about it, tbh. She started wearing shorts under her school skirt in about yr 5. No idea why she just didn't wear trousers.

She still wears shorts under her school skirt in high school. I have pointed out that, if she wore her skirt at the required length, she wouldn't need to.

I think a lot of the problem comes from the knickers only having narrow gussets (money saving in manufacture) so when they sit on the mat their pants gape/move to one side & the unfortunate leader of the activity is faced with a lot of uncovered little girls.

its unnecessary to cover pants so no one sees then if they're doing handstands or lifting up their dresses. Pants are just material (alredy there to cover your modesty, not something that then needs covering!!!)

Why are shorts more appropriate than knickers? They both cover up.

Or is it seeing the actual knickers that we’re worried about now?

Our school sent a message during the warm
weather suggesting modesty shorts were worn. Most parents I know do this.

Dd was also fond of taking most of her clothes off, until she was about 4. Her 'can you see my bum bum (yes you can)?' dance on holiday one year was....unforgettable.

Shorts under dresses wouldn't have have lasted long.

I have just never found this problem. But my girls do wear them quite tight I suppose so maybe they don't gape. 🤔 Which surprises me as the one child who requested cycling shorts to put underneath her dress didn't like them as they were too tight!

I agree - material is just material!

Did they use that term? 🤯

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I don’t understand this obsession with putting shorts on little girls under skirts and dresses. Anyone who is offended by a glimpse of a child’s underwear needs to wonder why. Wearing shorts under a dress defeats the whole purpose of trying to stay cool. Imagine the lifelong thought process being sparked in a little girl’s head if her parent says she can only wear a dress with shorts underneath in case anyone - shock, horror - sees her knickers.