Clothing for Toddler Girls - Anyone Else Think They're Inappropriate?

Kirstenmumof3 wrote: Josie's post about the baby clothes made me think of this. I was at Walmart and I was looking at the Toddler clothes (sizes 203x). I must say I was a bit shocked. Crop tops and flared jeans. Even the bathing suits were way to mature for any 2 year old to wear, heck I wouldn't let my 9 year old wear a bathing suit like that! I was just wondering is this just me? I'm I not with the times? I mean we've bought Claudia the little velour track suit with the hoddies, those I think are absolutely adorable! But some of the stuff out there, I just don't understand why they are making it for children that young. I haven't even looked in the older girls section to see what's in there, but I imagine if they have stuff like this for little girls, the older girls clothing will be much worse! Why are they making children grow up so fast?

Okay I'm sorry, I guess that turned into a little vent! I really hope that I haven't offended anyone!

atlantamomof2 replied: Oh, I am SOOOO with you! The whole Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen line of clothing is NOT appropriate for little girls. I can't believe what I see on the racks at stores. It makes me ill. Let's teach our daughters how to be modest and not throw sexuality at them at such a young age, shall we?

Maggie never looks like a miniature woman, I always have her in little girl clothes, like she SHOULD be.

Thanks for posting this topic. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the only ones who feels this way about our society.

MomToMany replied: I think it's totally inappropriate for little girls to wear those kind of clothes! Especially the ones with "Hottie" or "Cutie" across the butt. It's awful, there's no way my daughters are wearing that garbage! I love them too much! This culture is too obsessed with looking sexy, and looks in general. Some parents might think it's cute, but it's really not. It's sending the wrong message to little girls. There's no way I'm letting my daughters even wear a bikini until they are 18.

gr33n3y3z replied: I agree with all of you
I'm just so glad when my 15 year old daughter goes shopping by herself she comes home with clothes that cover her stomach and back and NO low cut shirts
Those pants and shorts that have writing on the butt they should not sell them bc the eyes always goes there

Boys r us replied: There are some things out there that I can think of as inappropriate. But honestly..most of it doesn't bother me. I was looking through pictures of me when I was little the other day and there was one where I was wearing a little shorts set and the top was a little halter top that showed my belly, it didn't look bad, it was not "grown up looking" it was in baby pink and had little girly ruffles on it. and then another one of me in a green bikini with all of my fat rolls running towards the ocean when I was about 1! ADORABLE!!!

You know, the thing of it is this, the manufacturers wouldn't make these types of clothes if people didn't buy them If I had a little girl..she'd be wearing flar legs jeans(what's wrong with them????) and cute little shirts. Not belly shirts and not shorts or yoga pants that say things across the butt. But I'll be the first to admit, when I see a little tiny pair of flare leg pants, it makes me say..OMG HOW CUTE! Not cringe!

MomToMany replied: And the low-cut jeans nowadays!! You can see crack with some of them, not to mention underwear (usually THONGS, BTW!). It's ridiculous!

gr33n3y3z replied: My daughter has a few low riders and her crack dont show
But she buys her clothes to fit they way they are supposed to also.
About the undies well they make all kinds so that shouldnt happen no matter what kind pants you wear.

Boys r us replied: little girls just want to look like grown ups..that isn't anything new...It's always been the case. The styles just change so each set of parents has something new to gawk about. Don't you think our parents were saying...omg do you see the way these girls are dressing? Or Have you looked at pictures from the late 60's/70's? when young girls had on their platform shoes and their skirts that barely covered their butts?

gr33n3y3z replied: OMG yes I remember that Nichole

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Maybe I should have been more specific when I trashed the flare legged jeans. I think it's the writing on them that I find offensive. I don't know if I have ever bought Claudia a pair of flared jeans, but Emily used to love them. I won't let Emily wear pants with writing on the bum, I don't care what they say on them, I won't let her wear them. It's just sad the way little girls fasions are!

gr33n3y3z replied: I know what you are saying
Things just are not the way it used to be and I agree I miss alot of those laid back styles but things change.

mom21kid2dogs replied: We call them "jr. whore clothes" around here! Limited, too being a HUGE offender in my book! Yikes!!! What 2 -4 yr old wears silky pj's, teeny bikinis and halter tops. It's almost impossible to find shorts in a size 6 that are longer than an 1" at the leg. I laughed at the Va legislatures propsal to make butt cracks illegal, though. I went to 5yr olds birthday party and saw enough baby butt cracks to last my lifetime. Guess they could all be arrested in Va! I saw thong underwear in Kohl's yesterday in the girl's dept in size 6~please! Other people might buy them but you'll never see them in my cart!

coasterqueen replied: I'm already seeing how inappropriate the little girl clothes are. Ugh! I was looking for an easter dress for Kylie recently and they were all so "grown up" looking . I ended up going with something other than the traditional easter dress because I still want my baby to look like a little girl.

I'm going to have the worst time with clothes and my girls. And to think I despised my parents for being the same way I am now.

ammommy replied: Hmm...I don't really see it in Toddler sizes, but once you are in 4-6X and older some of it is outrageous. Most of the clothes I see could be put together nicely as long as you don't buy the whole outfit.
Call me crazy, but I love seeing little girls in cute bikinis with their little bellies hanging out. Megan had one last year and she was only one. She was wearing it in one of my favorite pics of her. Cute, not sexy....I don't think bikinis are really a problem until they have something to show off and even then, there are some really tasteful ones out there to choose from. Of course, you have to look through all of the sleazy ones to find them

alice&arik replied:
I agree....I LOVE those little girl flare legs. HOW CUTE! When I was told I was having a girl I went and looked at all the cute stuff I could get her. I know some of it I would NEVER buy, but some clothes are just too cute. I don't think there is anything wrong with a bikini when you are little.

Besides I would want my girl to grow up comfortable with her body and not hiding it from the world like it is a BAD thing. Even now I am not comfortable with things and I am an adult. I am not saying they should flaunt everything around. But as long as they are comfortable why can't they be cute?

And I really don't mind Arik looking like a big boy. Sometimes I call him "The big boy in a little boy's body" and I will even let him pick his own clothes, like do you want this or this? Of course that is completleydifferent from thongs and bare tummies on girls. But that is my

My2Beauties replied:

Here was Hanna at 9 mos in her bikini, not sexy at all I think her belly hanging out is too adorable and it is for any girl this age. What is trashy is when they become teenagers and the backs of the bikinis barely have a string there to cover their butt crack and they get skimpier and skimpier the older the girls get (the more things they have hanging out of them)! I wore belly shirts when I was a young girl and loved them I don't think I looked sexy one bit, I think I looked like a young girl who wanted to wear a belly shirt! I don't make a big deal out of the flare jeans and all that because Hanna has tens of thousands of pairs of flare leg jeans. As far as the writing on the butt, to me it depends on what it says, cutie and hottie are out of the question but Hanna had a jogging suit and the jacket said Cute across the front and the butt said Baby across the back and it was a 0-3 month outfit...hardly sexy in my opinion! I saw a girl at the skating rink the other day when we took Desiree and she was probably between the ages of 9-12, she had the word attitude written across her butt, her butt was well big for her age, It was an attention grabber if you ask me! I would never buy Desiree pants that say things on the butt because she is older, but for "baby babies" I don't see anything wrong with it as long as what it says is tasteful and not blatantly sexual like hottie!!!! Who would make something like that!

MomToMany replied: I guess I'm old-fashioned in thinking it's inappropriate to show so much skin so young.

coasterqueen replied:
I'm really the same way. We did get Kylie a little tankini outfit last year but she only wore it a few times...Dh just didn't like how grown up it made her and either did I. Who knows maybe I'll feel differently when we shop this year.

We are the same way with dresses. Dh and I like them to come to the knees. I can't stand to see little girls bend over in dresses and their bums show no matter how young they are. I know that dresses come with bloomer pants but I hate even seeing those. I end up buying dresses a size or two bigger so we don't have this.

TANNER'S MOM replied: Well I have two teenage girls! I like the new styles. And I let them wear them with rules. Belly shirts have to touch the top of there pants and when they lift their arms nothing must show..and shorts and pants both they have to be fitted right and bend over and touch toes...nothing falls out or no butt cracks then they can wear them.

I think ill fitting clothes causes the most trouble. And thong undie's are Ok if they are worn and fitted right, but my girls like the boy undie's not floss they say.

I do raise my girls to be proud of there bodies and CONFIDENT..but not trashy.

And for babies..i think the bikin's are cute...I love baby fat showing.

I don't want them to lose their innocense though you know!

iluvmysweetiepies replied: Aww! Hannah is adorable. I don't have a problem with little ones in bakinis this young either. I do agree though about the clothers for kids! Lots are inappropriate imho. I don't like things written across the butt either. I would never let my girls wear something like that! The Children's Place usually has cute little kid clothes. I have bought clothes there for Ariana & Sofia that are just adorable.

mommy2owen replied: I personally think most of it is cute. I go shopping with my teenage sisters almost every weekend and allow them to get clothes they like and that are in todays fashion with rules, pretty much the same as tanner's mom.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: ITA! I've been ranting about this for years. I have a really hard time finding stuff for Maddie. I want to keep her a little girl and all these clothes are suggesting we do everything BUT keep them little. However, I don't have a problem with bikinis. And like Karen said, the dresses have to be long. I actually LOVE long dresses. I just think the style with the low cut blouses and the shirts with the sides cinched up is going a little far. Little girls don't need to appear 'sexy' at all.

maestra replied:
We are the same way. We don't put Jaci in bikinis, especially with her fair skin in the Az sun. We don't buy clothing with spaghetti straps, and nothing that shows her belly. That's just our opinion.

loveydad replied: Well I don't know what the problem with flare jeans are... I was in henry's class once and there are a ton of girls who were really skimpy thongs or even worst, the ones with the little bit of design in the back and just string! EWW! Who wants to see that!? My wife don't even dress like that!

I think grown women are most attractive when they don't dress like that. I love the way Tav looks in just a t-shirt and jeans to be truthful but im biased.

As for littel kids, I don't really have a problem with the bikinis when they're tiny. It's cute to me. I don't see it as a sexual thing at all I just see it as cute.

But yeah, some of the things - like oh my goodness, I was looking at clothes for Tracy and there was this MINI skirt TINY miniskirt in leather like an adult girl thingy would wear! I was shocked. I dress the kids in outfits that I feel are cute like a dress (one that comes down off their knees) or a cute outfit with a top and a bottom that's stretchy or sweat pants, but never anything like that.

About the Mary Kate line - I think some of it is cute, I haven't seen that much, but I did see a little onesie that said "peace" that was like any other onesie that I felt was really cute! It was too small for our kiddoes though.

I agree. I don't have a problem with crop tops or whatever those ones are as long as they come down past their belly. Some of those are really really cute, but I don't think it's good for people to be able to see a toddlers belly or a 7-8-9 or even teenagers stomach.

loveydad replied: Okay I finally had time to read through all the text here Earlier peter was screaming.

I dont think it's innapropriate for like, an infant to wear something like what Hannah's wearing there. I mean you gotta really be sick to get all perverted over a infants/toddlers stomach and what would you see if she was running around in a diaper with no top.

And I don't think it's innapropriate for a 7 year old too wear a two piece- Let me finish -my freinds 7 year old daughter wore one that was not like a bikini - it was a top like what Hannah is wearing there, and then bottoms like short shorts. The only part that wouldn't be covered up by a swimming suit is the stomach. Now, I don't think its appriopriate for them to be wearing adult style bikinis and all that in public. I would never take tracy to the public swimming pool in an outfit like that. I would be worried about perverts. I would put her in a regular swimming suit and maybe even shorts over that if she wasn't in the pool.

I understand more about what CJMOM was saying about flared jeans. I think it's okay with infants..and maybe younger toddlers.. because don't we all love their little diaper butts!? But when I think about it I don't understand why they WOULD put it there. Why not on teh baby's back and down their legs? But yeah when they get older I think that's a bad idea.

I also don't like the dresses that they bend over and their rear is showing ESP in older kids and toddlers and in public. NOBODY needs to see that kind of stuff! If Tracy's wearing something kind of short (which means just about a few inches above her knees) I put tights on her.

I agree with a point Karen made about dressing Kylie like a little girl cause that's how she wants her to look! I totally agree! Toddlers grow up so fast. My daughter wears stuff that you would look at and say "defiantly a 2t -5t" sometimes I put her in something a little more mature, but for the most part, kids are kids for a short period of time and I believe in dressing my daughter like that. That doesn't mean I don't ever dress her in a tshirt and jeans.

I don't know maybe if someone could try to show me what they mean? I've never seen a toddler wear something that showed her midriff to tell the truth! Except maybe just a diaper!!

Queen-of-the-Testosterone-Castle replied: Yes, I completely agree with you. Walking through the little girl section makes me think it's a good thing that I DO have a house full of boys, b/c the first time someone bought my baby girl a little leather skirt or some go-go boots & halter top, I'd hurt their feelings!

I don't have a problem at all with flare leg jeans and/or little tiny bikinis for LITTLE babies, but I think once they get to a certain age, say 3 or 4 for example, I personally wouldn't put a little girl in a bikini...


..BTW, y'all, I worked at a prison for 8+ years as a correctional officer... There are some SICK people out there & I guess that is where a lot of my opinions arise from... Just an opinion!

Kirstenmumof3 replied: I want to THANK all of you for keeping this discussion respectable. I was worried all day yesterday that I had started a huge debate, once again I have to say how wonderfull all of you are!

party-of-six replied: my girls have been in one-pieces, but now that they are 27 1/2 months old, I will be shopping for two piece suits for them. Why you ask? ever try to pull a COLD WET bathing suit up over a little girl who is potty-training?? Sorry, but the "side-pull" is not always an option there.
I have not run into too much in the infant-toddler section that is inappropriate, but there is some in the little girls section....
What I do not like is how my darling son is expected to look like a hoodlum by wearing all the gothic/skater crap in Target. I have to pick and choose to find him some nice/decent clothes to play in. Sad.
I may just have to take up sewing.

loveydad replied: Good point party-of-six. Personally I think there are cute outfits for home, and then outfits for children to wear out in public. LIke I know known of us are perverts but out in the real world.. *shrug*