Here's a fair warning: I'm a pretty opinionated person and I'm about to be totally honest here. I will probably offended someone. People have different views on what's appropriate and what's not and I'm only talking about what I feel is appropriate for my own children.
I used to love bathing suit shopping. You know, back in the day when I had a rockin' body and every teeny, itty-bitty, bikini looked awesome on me.
When I had a girl, I thought I would enjoy it again. After all, those little bathing suits with the little ruffles on the fanny are so cute.
And then I actually went bathing suit shopping for Melody. Those suits with the ruffles? Yeah, they are hard to find. You know what's easy to find? These.
Seriously? For a 3 year old? This is more like something I would have worn back in college strutting my stuff around the pool (minus the Hello Kitty print, of course).
And how about this sexy little number?
(Photos credit Macys.com)I'm sorry, but really? I triangle top string bikini for a preschooler?
Maybe I'm on glue or something but it just seems inappropriate to dress a three year old in something I would wear to look sexy for
Any thoughts or opinions?
31 comments:
I totally agree and am so thankful I have boys when it comes to this kind of stuff.
I prefer ruffle-bums too! Those don't seem like very good choices for a 3 YEAR OLD! I found a couple cute (unused) ones on ebay last year.
It only gets worse with the girl clothes. I normally by the 3pc sets (bottom, bikin top, shirt) and Gwen wears the bottoms and the shirt. It is craaaaazy, what pple will dress their kids in. Or better still, dress their three year old in a bikini, but tell her when shes 13 she can't wear one. Ok. Ranting. Sorry.
You didn't offend me at all - unless you are referring to the pictures.
This is the only upside to wardrobes for boys... there are far less to choose from, but it's hard to be indecent in swimming trunks.
Thanks for this post... make it a Letter of Intent and maybe someone will come up with adorable kid bathing suits again! :)
I like tankinis because it's easier for Julianna to go to the bathroom. I've had luck at Gymboree, Lands End, Garnet Hill, and Hanna Andersson. Good luck. It's never ending.
i am right there with you, my daughter will continue to wear a cute one piece until I dont know when. I don't like all those sexy little numbers. A tankini would be fine. Gap and target have some really cute ones to choose from!
you already know my thoughts!
Yeah, I'm with you. I do like 2-piece suits for going potty easier. But definitely the tankinis, not the bikinis. I have put them on my older daughter when she was younger, but they never stay in place anyway! What's the deal with retailers trying to grow out daughters up too fast??? GRRR
I've seen really short shorts, crop tops, super low rise jeans, etc. It's insane. Oh, and I can't believe the dress shoes are often heels. We wonder why the girls are promiscuous at such a young age, yet many people dress their kids like miniature 20 year olds.
When my niece was 15, she had a ROCKING body, but yet she was only 15. They could NOT find her a suit without making her looking like she was 21. I felt so bad for her.
I totally agree with you - really? a string bikini? Old Navy has some "fuller" swim suits and believe it or not - One Step Ahead (the baby safety website and catalog) has some super cute ruffly suits too!
Well, since I don't have a little girl to shop for I really don't know much about girls clothes! I do think that alot of the stuff they sell is really not age appropriate. I don't think the first bathing suit you posted is terrible, but the second one is pretty bad!
I was just talking to someone about this over the weekend...what makes merchandisers think this is appropriate? (As Miley Cyrus is on American Idol...hmmmm)
One of my fave southern authors, Celia Rivenbark, wrote a fabulous book called "Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like A Skank" and she couldn't be more correct. I saw a page on FB the other day called RuffleButts that said the ruffle bikinis were in. Worth a shot maybe?
I need to get Claire a swimsuit and I had the same thoughts that you have here. I don't want her to wear a two piece until she is 25. Period. End of Story!
The swimsuits I am seeing are not for three year old little girls.
Yes...I agree! And Emily has a few bikinis. She and Alex had their first swimming lesson of the year yesterday and saw that she had on one of her bikinis when we got there! I was a little embarrassed! I told her that we should save that for home {we have a pool at home and she has several bathing suits...so I don't argue at home!} But those are definitely a little weird to see on a little girl. I have a feeling it's going to get harder as she gets older! Yikes!
I found cute bathing suits on rufflebutts.com for Makayla!
I'm only a mom to boys, so I haven't had to venture too often to the girls section, but if I had a daughter I wouldn't put those on her. My goddaughter (who is 2) often wears bikini type bottoms with the rash guard top. I like that surfer girl type of look... plus it provides more modesty (but still makes it easy for changing a swim diaper- or potty break).
Oh yes, it is hard shopping for girls because of what the store has to offer. I recently some some yoga-type pants for that were a 5T that had "Sexy" across the butt. Really?!?! No 5 year old is Sexy! Ugh! It sucks!
Have you checked out CWD.com or Old Navy or Gap?
Right there with you...it's crazy!
Not acceptable.at.all.
I totally agree. Our society is trying to make our babies look like teens and I hate it. Let them be kids. My girls don't even want to wear tights anymore and it breaks my heart. They also want to wear 2 piece suits and so I am searching for appropriate tankinis. ugh.
I totally agree with you...bikinis are cute on the little ones but I mean COME ON!!!!!! they go a little overboard I think...and I love that you wrote what you would wear for Edward, ahem your Hubs
you crack me up...you are so my Edward obsessed twin :)
absolutely crazy. I look back at when I was a kid in the Dark Ages and there was a lot less sexin' it up as a toddler.
That's just so wrong to have those styles for itty bitty ones....What happened to Osh Kosh B'Gosh and little girls getting to be little girls?!! I totally agree with you girl...
Why can't little girls just be little girls??? It's so sad!
Well now I have one reason I can be glad I have boys. There is no way I would dress my little girl in a bikini. I don't think that's appropriate at all!
I am so glad to find another mom with the same opinion about swim wear that I have!!!! It is so hard to find anything that covers all the parts that I feel need to be covered on my little girls. I think it is awful how early these girls are being forced to think about being "sexy". Three year olds shouldn't need to be anything other than babies!
Thank you for standing up for morality!!!!
Dunno about kids bathing suits.. but dude I would totally rock the hello kitty, forget being 3... but then again i live in Japan and hello kitty and cute characters have no age limit haha ;)
hello??!!! that's crazy. thank goodness I have boys, I wouldn't know how to handle this stuff! :)
Let our girls be GIRLS...for the love of pete! Not little women. They grow up to fast anyway! I agree it is hard to find a cute suit...age appropriate.
A bathing suit is a bathing suit. I wouldn't pick some of these things, but I did have a triangle top for my daughter when she was itty bitty. It was cute... and it had a ruffle bum.
I also had a full one piece Nemo one, and a purple one with daisies on it.
It's all personal style, but..... I'm more inclined to get irritated with DAY TO DAY clothing that's modeled after grownup styles. Low rise for kids in diapers? Stupid idea.
Belly shirts for nine year olds? Stupid idea.
Miley Cyrus sells pushup training bras. Are you serious?
The biggest issue, for me, with bathing suits specifically.. is that these teeny bikini's offer no SUN PROTECTION.
When your baby is wearing a two piece "sexy little number", keep in mind that she's also WITH you. Not a lot of hot little toddlers stutting on the poolside by themselves, seducing men. They're with you and protected.
When eleven year olds are walking home from school on a regular day in a half top and short short jean cutoffs... Recipe for disaster. Especially at an age where they're becoming more aware of their bodies and of romantic feelings.
It's our job, when they're young, to focus on how they see themselves, how they feel about themselves, and to teach them how to respect themselves... so that when they get to the age where they have to do this stuff on their own, they know how to.
If you don't feel comfortable with the clothes, don't buy them. :) And explain to her WHY you feel that way. If you just say, "NO!" she won't understand what the decision represents or symbolizes to you.
Man I'm in a rambly mood today!
:)
AH yes, swimwear for girls. Just wait, it gets better. My girls know I'm seriously strict about swimwear. In fact, bikinis aren't even ALLOWED in our house. I do allow tankinis as long as the tank is more like a shirt and less like a bra. It's just one more way they are trying to tart up our little girls.
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