What clothing do you let your young daugter wear?

I don't have children, let me put that out there first. But I do have opinions on what parents let their children wear. I agree with almost all of what you are dressing yoru child in. I don't think putitng her in shirts that are too big for her will help her in the long run. Or making her wear shorts under her skirts, not only will it add bulk but it will also be very warm during the summer. Buy dressing her in clothes that are too big for her and cover her from head to toe you are teaching her to be ashamed of her body, that there is something wrong with her body and that she must keep it hidden (learned it in a child development class, not making this up). I know this is not your intent, but it is the message that is being implied by making your child hide her body in layers of clothing and too big shirts. Children should be allowed to run around naked in their own homes if they wish. It teaches them to be confident and to love their bodies, which helps prevent against issues that may arise when they become teenages, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder and eating disorders. Perhaps skirts that come to the knee would be a good comprimise? Or leggings underneath, they are in style now so she might like them. Some stores now sell shirts in a "new longer length" so that bellies don't poke out. I love the idea of a one piece swim suit. I don't think bikinis are appropriate for anyone under the age or 14, ever. If you want your daughter to have self respect and confidence and love her body I suggest dressing her in appropriate sized clothing, shop for the look you want without dressing her in layers or in clothes that is sizes too big. Having a fashionaly dressed little girl will make her feel confident instead of embarassed that her mom makes her wear two articles of clothing on bottom and a shirt that miles too big. I really hope I don't offend you in anyway. I just hope your daughter grows up to be a confident young lady.

I agree for the most part. I don't go so far as to buy shorts to wear under their skirts though. My daughters are 7 and 5. The skirts they have that don't come with shorts I still let them wear. They aren't too short and I just teach them that they have to keep their legs down and sit nice so people can't see their underwear. They wear shirts that fit. My oldest does have a two piece bathing suit but it is full sized, it covers her well and the top is like a tank top mostly but it doesn't cover her whole belly. I do think there is too much skimpy clothing available for kids. I won't buy them the little booty shorts that are way too short or stuff like that. I went to get them underwear one day and I was shocked to find they sell thongs in kids sizes as small as a size 6. I looked at in shock and then promptly grabbed the little mermaid underwear lol.

Oh, you have found one of my pet peeves. I am a grandma, and fashion was different when my daughter, who is your age, was little. One Christmas I made her Christmas outfit, a nice fancy top and slacks, because I had seen little girls as old as five holding their pretty dresses up over their heads. My daughter has two daughters and she is very conservative, probably more so than I was. My other pet peeve is that I think kids should have sturdy shoes that fit so that they can run and play. Not high heels and dress shoes and cowboy boots and flip flops and crocs. I can see each of those types of shoes for a special occasion but for everyday wear they need shoes that fit and protect and stay on their feet.

I was pretty conservative when my daughter was little. I let her wear shorts but they were usually came down to the middle of her thighs. She didn't really ever have any belly shirts or anything like that. I also had her wear shorts under most of her dresses, she also wore a lot of the skort type things. Mostly she had one piece bathing suits, I think she did have one two piece but I just find that one pieces are safer to swim in without fear of losing ones top, but if I thought a two piece would be safe like that I would have got it for her, but usually they didn't. She is now 14 years old. She dresses very cute but pretty conservatively. She has some shorts that are a little short but they are not nearly as short as a lot of teen age girls I have seen lately. They cover all the essential parts and her really does not hang out and they go a bit down her leg so I am fine with them.

Hi, pastigger. I agree with you. I don't allow my daughter to dress so provocatively when she is out into public either. I let her wear clothes that are appropriate for her age. When my four year old daughter wore a jean dress a couple of weeks ago, I let her put a pair of cotton baby shorts up under it. I did not want her to risk the chance of her dress flipping up for others to see her undies. I don't understand why any parent would allow their child to wear revealing clothing anyway.. They should dress their children like little girls not like little hood rats.

My daughter is seven years old and I have taught her to dress modestly for the most part. She has to wear skirts and shorts that are longer than fingertip length and I also don't really like for her to wear shirts that let her belly hang out. However, I've never been the parent that would go to the extent of never allowing her to show any skin. Most of her bathing suits are one piece suits, but she does have a bikini that I mostly let her wear when we are in my mother's backyard. She is also allowed to wear halter tops because they do cover the belly even though her shoulders and back are exposed.

I have to agree that there are some clothes made for little ones that are definitely inappropriate and I wonder what the people are thinking that make them as well as what the parents are thinking when they buy them and put them on their little ones. My little one does not really wear skirts or dresses, so that is not much of an issue. She does have one or two dresses, but she hardly wears them, and they have matching bloomers, so it isn't an issue anyway. She did receive and outfit as a gift, and it was a pair of those super-short skirts with a matching top. We had to go out and buy a pair of the leggings to match just so that she could wear the outfit. If we buy her "skirts", they are really "skorts" (the ones that look like skirts on the outside but have built-in shorts underneath), but mostly she just wears shorts. I do not see what the big deal is about her belly showing a little, though. I mean, I don't dress her in bikini tops or anything, but there are some really cute tops that just barely show her belly button, and I don't see the problem with them, but I guess maybe that is just me.

i totally agree with you. i too have a young daughter and I wouldn't want her to look like a tram or something. i would want her to feel comfortable with her clothing but at the same time be decent and proper enough. I let her wear clothes that may show her back or something but only up to the point that it is cute and not trampy. I want her to understand the importance of wearing proper clothes and how people view ones respect for oneself is directly related.

Generally, I agree with you. I work as a teacher and oce had to phone a parent to say that the crop-top she'd sent her daughter to school in was inappropriate. It read 'Future Hooker'. The girl was 6. I don't think that kids should be covered from top to toe, but I do question the attitudes of parents that buy into the sexualisation and objectification of very young children.