is there some intrinsic reason that children need to wear vests even if they do not wish to, claim not to be cold, and are healthy in every way I can see?

[FrannyandZooey]

row with my mother
please adjudicate

Ds1 has several white T-shirts, and he will wear one of those under his school shirt if the weather is really cold. But is this technically a vest, or a T-shirt when worn like this?

I remember having to wear vests when I was a teenager. They were the kind-of-lacy ones, but still vests. If I remember right, I was the only girl in my year wearing them. They did keep my kidneys warm, though!

And bedtime - ohhh bedtime was sooo cold! The heating went off overnight, so I wore a vest, knickers, nightie, long socks and a pullover to go to bed - god was I ever sexy!!!

I agree with you atealthsquiggle, it has never occured to me to buy a vest for any of my DSs except as babies when quite perversely I feel that a baby isn't properly dressed without one even in the summer. I have no idea why i think like this and can't remember whether I wore one as a child (in the North and the 60s/70s so probably) but the sight of a child in a vest always makes me think the mother is oddly overprotective

I love this thread made me LOL.
sunnygirl1412 I wear bed socks, knickers and nothing else to bed. We have the heating off at night because I have to have my head & body cool and my feet warm!!! I would love to keep my Ds in a vest but, he is such a hot potato that all I do is annoy him. He has lovely warm hands I noticed the other day when I forgot my gloves and he won't wear his. His little friends seem a bit colder and need vests and gloves, holding her hand is lovely too as it's so delicate.

I always put vests on ds all year round, as he's still in nappies and the poppers on the vest hold everything in place. I probably won't bother with one as soon as he is toilet trained.

I had a vest until I was about 12 (pfb!) but my siblings haven't worn them since they were about 5 or 6.

My DD wears a vest under her rather thin shirted uniform: she plays in the freezing park for about an hour and a half every day, so she needs it.
If she gets too warm in school, she takes off her jumper and is fine.

I wear a vest, though have stopped tucking it in so obsessively!!!

We also have slippers to wear in the house, as we have freezing tiles in the bathroom and kitchen.

Does this mean that I'm channeling someone's Granny?

The Real Point Here is...

Lil Kiddies Look CUTE In Vests!

I wish I could get my 11yr old Ds to wear them. Aw.

And we all have slippers, big fluffy ones, cos you can see your breath in our kitchen this week it's cold.

Put a vest on and some fluffy slippers, turn the heating down and save the planet.

I live with yorkshire dh who is very frugal with money/heating so we all were slippers in house and extra layers. Have 3 teen daughters though so not vests but t-shirts and hoodies.

Message withdrawn

Both my ds' who are 6 and 4 wear vests. I wouldn't force it if they didn't want to though. I feel the cold so I wear one and they have started since regularly since the arctic temeperatures hit but really it's up to them.

Not only does my son not wear a vest, he doesnt wear pants either (except on PE days), they drive him too distraction!

Everyone seems to find the not wearing pants as he MUST conform.

Vest wearing is definitely not compulsory. I would not make dcs wear it if they were against it, whatever my mother says.

But my dcs do wear vests for layering. Our house is not particularly well-heated or insulated (Victorian). In the house, they just wear a vest and a long sleeve top for their top half. I think it would be too cold without a vest and too warm with a jumper. As it is, they are inordinately fond of their vests.

I like vests with poppers because they keep nappies on and ds is not yet potty savvy. He is always tearing around so the chances of him being cold are slim - and he pulls his socks off immediately upon having them put on so he can't be that chilly.

The cold thing is definitely generational - I have never quite understood the need to wrap even quite young babies in swathes of fabric unless it really is freezing. You can feel whether they are an ok temperature and they will sure as hell let you know if they are unhappy.

DS1 never wore vests past babyhood. He does at the mo in the cold weather wear a t-shirt under a l/s top (or sometimes two l/s tops).

DTs still wear vests at the mo (one year old tomorrow!), although also sometimes just t-shirts under tops.

MIL always comments on DS1 not wearing a vest (even in summer).

Along with feeding them up and keeping them 'regular' - my grandmother was obsessed with our bowel habits. My enthusiastic consumption of All Bran used to terrify her!

Edam - my grandma was like this too! Your post brought back a long forgotten memory that once I was told to tell the school secretary that I might be ill that day as I'd had All Bran for my breakfast. My neglectful mother. I do now panic about DS2 though who has a real penchant for weetabix. He's eaten 7 in a day before now. The nappies are vile. We try and keep him down to two if we can help it! With lots of milk!!!

My DS wears a vest, the ones that do up around the crotch. They're a lovely soft cotton one and he does look so cute in them.

He's also got his daddy's body, which is a longer body and shorter legs, so quite often when he bends down to pick things up etc his sweater/t-shirt will ride up and without a vest he would end up with a bare lower back, especially when he is growing out of the previous size and not yet ready for the next size up. Oh and I don't like the look of the nappy hanging out over the top of his trousers.

I think my DD wore a vest (and only a vest ... and nappy) for her first summer and we haven't seen one since (except in my husband's sock drawer).

DS1 does wear a vest at the moment. I got him 4 thermal ones for the winter. He never complains about them. They're lovely and soft when polo shirts can get a bit scratchy. He often takes his jumper off at school, so I think a vest and short sleeved polo shirt is about right.

Rev I think we have similar houses .

Full-length sleeve thermal vests, fake Uggs and body-warmers here for all of us. Central heating is a decadent indulgence

A quick question - sorry if it's a bit of a hijack. Does anyone know where I can get some vests for me - I don't want really thick ones - I'd like the kind of knitted-lacy ones I used to wear as a child - but now I'd need them in a far bigger size (22-24). If it gets any colder here, I think I'd be really glad of them.

Thanks. As you were.

M&S Autograph have these - here and various other styles

The full-length sleeve ones to the left come in 22

Its a generation thing vests. My mum has bought soem for dd as she didnt have any. the summer vest tops that she was wearing under her tshirt when she did feel cold jsut wasnt godo enough as far as mammy was concerned.

Wqs chattign with a friend about this too and her mum si the same.

Help. Am I in the wrong generation then? I am clearly square