Do you ever let your daughter go knickerless?

[morningpaper]

It's so hot I've just been putting dd who is 2 in dresses and feel a bit bad making her wear pants when I don't wear them myself in this heat.

Is it ok to let little girls go pantless, or not? Opinions please.

Didn't mean to offend, but stand by what I said...didn't realise this was a prickly subject to be honest, and was just giving my opinion.

Sorry frannyf - history!; was a thread a little while ago about letting children go naked on the beach where the dissenters (who would prefer their children to be in swimming cossies) were made to feel a bit belittled. When I read this thread I guess I was almost waiting for the same thing to happen

Ok I would like to announce to the MN world that today, for the first time ever, I am going knickerless (and braless, but that is not for the first time) in a spirit of discovery and greater understanding of my fellow Mners.

I have to say, I am not particularly enjoying the experience, but I shall persevere with it in case I suddenly feel liberated around lunchtime.

Just remember to cross your legs avoid giving an unwitting crotch display.

Handlemecarefully: I can see that "for goodness sakes" could sound dismissive - was not intended to, just meant for emphasis. While not wanting to stir up old arguments, I am just wondering what your reasoning is - if your daughter did flash while in her pushchair - my feeling would be "so what?" But it bothers you, for what reason?

Seems a bit back to front, all these mums with no pants on and little girls carefully covered up! LOL The wonderful world of Mumsnet...

HMC thanks for that!

Oh no Frannyf, don't draw me into that I beg you, because I'll give my reasons and someone will plough in and be scathing about it. Believe me!

My reason is predominantly that I don't want 'unsavoury people' to see dd's bare bottom. I know that nudity in small children is cute, natural, unselfconscious and dd is allowed to run around an natural to her heart's content in her own back garden.

I also know that perverts are actually few and far between and are not on every street corner and that I am overreacting! - I'm not being entirely rational, but sometimes parental choices aren't completely logical are they?

Also, secondarily I was raised with an emphasis on 'modesty' etc - probably too much emphasis, and it is difficult to unlearn what was schooled into me as a child (mum went far too far - she would tell me not to do handstands in case I flashed my knickers!)

I would never go knickerless

except in the interests of sex once in a blue moon, pre-children etc etc

I love my cool cotton pants in hot weather

Even then Enid you could keep them out and just move the gusset out of the way!

Keep them on even!

I do think that the presence of knickers must somehow wick away any moisture as I do feel sweatier down there today than I usually do. Sorry if TMI.

deffo tmi!

Gawd, I wouldn't go knickerless either, ewww.

Gonna give it until lunchtime and then bung some knickers on. Anyway, I don't want dh coming home and thinking his luck was in!

I went knickerless for a short period in my life. Stopped when one day I had forgotten I had a chiropody appointment - which involved elevating my legs and feet

I would at home, but not out and about. actually i was at a car boot sale a few weeks ago and saw a little girl in a pushchair-she was probably about 2 and she had no knickers on, which you could see as she was sat down and had her legs apart-and i thought then that i wouldnt do that. i wouldnt out and about just for the reason of the fact that there are so many perverts out there, and you can never tell who they are, i would be disgusted to even think someone might be looking at her.

Frannyf, there's a big difference between me going knickerless (covered up in my long skirts or trousers and knowing that I am capable of not flashing my bits) and my dd going knickerless (in her short skirts and with her habit of either lying down waving her legs in the air or pulling her skirt up and waving that in the air).

At home of course is fine but never when we are out and about

Looking at the miniscule bits of lace and ribbon in the washing basket that my 18 year old dd calls "knickers", there isn't much left to the imagination. Poor dh does have trouble when he does the washing!!

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It might not be everyone's choice but I really don't think there's anything abnormal about it. For me it's just like someone chosing not to wear a bra, or tights, or socks. Except not so obvious, if you do it right!

In the 1940s someone might have been considered a floozy for going knickerless - but this is not the 1940s and we've all moved on a bit since then! I don't usually make a point of telling people that I don't wear knickers, so they can't judge me for it - they don't know.

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I don't know how common it is - I've never asked, and it's not usually something that crops up in conversation very often

Lonelymum how did you find your knickerless experiment overall?