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.

I have a 3yr old boy so my opinion probably isn't relevant! The little girls at his nursery never wear dresses, usually shorts and t shirts.

My friend has a 2yr old girl who never wears shorts under her dresses. The only thing I'd say that is 'bad' about the dresses is that she gets her foot caught in the bottom of it a lot when trying to climb things. When she is with me I often end up tying it to the side with a hair tie.

Sorry if someone has already said this but why can’t she just wear shorts?

I usually put my DD in shorts and T-shirts for nursery (and in general tbh as I find they aren't that practical for climbing!). But it's boiling hot today and she's in a comfy jersey dress to stay cool. Putting shorts on would totally defeat the object of putting a dress on her as it's adding an extra layer.

I didn’t put shorts under dresses at that age but I do for my year 1 DC, she is always climbing things and asks to wear shorts underneath her skirt/ dress.

Those are super cute and avoid burnt bottoms on a slide!

She’s 3 - 3 yos don’t have to worry about modesty. Plus she has knickers to cover her - you don’t need to cover the covering!

It’s so hot that you really don’t want to be putting an extra layer on children than is necessary.

They’re not like those of us who now need to wear chub rub shorts!

If it was a nappy she was wearing, maybe, because they tend to sag and sometimes fall down without something over them, and also no one needs to see a wee- filled nappy if the dress does ride up for any reason.

But also if she wants to wear shorts then just wear shorts - if she wants to wear a dress then the dress is fine on its own.

I think those shorts/knickers from Next are great. I can distinctly remember DD at about 3 (25 years ago) rolling all over the floor at the front of the church at Sunday School with her dress round her waist and cringing. Girls are no more likely to sit demurely at that age than boys.

They are the equivalent of our gym knickers at my girls' school only not navy blue.

For a long t shirt to be equivalent, it would have to actually be so long it could be called a dress.

Yes, and the vast majority of boys I know wouldn’t willingly wear a ‘dress’.

Ever occurred to me. Surely the underwear is what protects her modesty/and also her bum while playing, and we don't need to protect the protection as well.

She does wear shorts to nursery sometimes, but the girl loves a dress!

In secondary school we wore short wraparound skirts for PE which flapped open with the slightest movement. So everyone’s PE knickers were proper high waisted, low leg jobs. It was our responsibility to ensure we wore the most comfortable and appropriate underwear on PE day. In fact we had to do athletics in our knickers! I know this is a much older age group I’m talking about, but the principle is the same. Wear properly fitting knickers and there’s no need for shorts.

My 16yo wears shorts under very very short dresses. Knee length - no. At 3, definitely NO! She's 3! I just don't see why you would. Kids won't notice, adults won't notice. Where I work, the kids don't even bother shutting the toilet door half the time. Does your friend suspect there are paedophiles working in her child's nursery. Why would she send her kids there?

There was a long thread about 10 years ago about doing athletics in pe knickers. Pe knickers were quite comfortable.
Bloomers sound like something my great aunt wore. I am a great aunt...

Similar, though the navy knickers were just for the gym, not outside. Except one horrible day the gym was unavailable and they sent us out to do netball instead without giving us time to put our skirts on. Much worse for pubescent girls than little ones who (rightly!) don’t yet feel ashamed or embarrassed about their bodies.

Yes, that was the exact term

Mine wears shorts - mainly as others have said because it protects her from injury when playing, climbing trees, hot slides etc etc and also bluntly infection; it's likely ott but I feel a bit squeemish about flimsy knickers and the germ-infested carpets at nursery. Most of the girls at her nursery wear dresses and shorts so it's pretty standard here.

On modesty - no they shouldn't have to cover up but as a pp has said some men do sexualise children and have the means to take and distribute images easily. I remember many happy hours playing naked outdoors as a young kid, but at a local water play area recently some other mums and I were told that children have to be fully covered because they regularly catch men hiding in the bushes trying to take photos of the children.

I put shorts on my DD (4) when her dresses are getting a bit short! She has pretty long legs and otherwise half her dresses would be showing her pants!

Yeah I encourage DD to wear shorts so she can slide down a slide etc at the play park without getting burnt if the slide is hot!

I've got two girls and they have never worn shorts under their dresses or skirts and didn't as a child either (but I mostly refused to wear dresses).

When I was little I went through a phase of removing my knickers without my DM knowing, (don't know why) while also in the phase of lifting my dress up and playing with my dress. It resulted in my mom having many a call to nursery and school to bring me more knickers, and a lot of awkwardness once at the alter of my sibling being christened once. But in saying that, not sure I would think to put shorts under my DD dresses unless she started doing the same. If I did I would probably use those cotton bicycle style shorts

Fuller coverage knickers are better under dresses like boy shorts knickers.

You’d probably have taken your shorts off too!

I put shorts sometimes because it covers nappies and doesn’t allow them to pull them off (for a younger child) or easier to climb around things/slide down as it’s more comfortable, but it’s personal preference and not required
YANBU