When Are Kids Too Big To Walk Around Naked?
Naked babies make us happy
Here at Chez Carroll, we encourage naked babies. In fact, it’s become a nightly custom for our toddler to say, “I be a naked baby now, Mommy,” as she strips off every last ounce of clothes and runs around in the buff until bed time.
She turns 3 later this summer. We think it’s adorable.
But when do naked kids stop making you saw, “Awwww,” and start making you say, “Ewwww?”
I was wondering that a couple of weeks ago when we were at the park. My daughter had to pee and there was no bathroom nearby so she pulled down her pants in the bushes. But instead of taking the pants off, she left them down around her knees and before I could intervene, she let it all out, which meant it all went into her pants. So I stripped her from the waist down and we marched back to the car to go home.
Of course we had to walk by a birthday party for another toddler in progress. Nobody blinked an eye, and in fact, I could have sworn I got a few nods of solidarity from some of the moms at the party (solidarity in what, I’m not sure, but if I’m not mistaken, they still understood).
My kid’s butt is a sight to behold. It’s round and perfect and I could stare at and pat it all day long. I love that my daughter doesn’t know to be self-conscious about her body, because I know that day will inevitably arrive, no matter how many times we listen to Free to Be…You and Me, and talk to her about beauty being from the inside.
But I’ve been at the beach when little boys without swim trunks on turn around and I realize they’re not such little boys. Or girls just shy of training bra age flaunt it like they’ve got nothing to hide. And I feel a little uncomfortable. Not because they should be ashamed of their bodies, but because at a certain age, I think your body should be between you, your bathroom mirror and not too many other people.
What age is that? I can’t exactly put a number on it, but I know the kid when I see it. When the sight of their butt isn’t cute anymore, I guess, for one. Then again, cute butts are in the eyes of the beholder, so where do you draw the line with your own kid?
How do you know when it’s time to stop letting your kid to run around naked in front of more than just the immediate family?
Source: Shine
Image: Meredith Carroll
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There is no age at which them being naked at home stop being cute (well, maybe it stops being cute but it never stops being ok… I still love being naked at home although “cute” may not be an appropriate discription) but naked in public… I don’t know but I’d say school age.
They say kids figure that out for themselves at about age 7. You don’t have to impose it.
There is no age “too old” or “too big” to walk around naked. I’m 60 and still like it! Kids need to be taught discretion, so as not to offend those who get upset by seeing naked people. Kids should not be told that bodies become inherently unacceptable at any age.
Most Y’s and health clubs stop allowing children of the opposite sex into locker rooms at age 7 or 8, so I would go by that as the high end of acceptance of public nudity. At home I think it is entirely up to each individual family. For us it was around age 4/5. But that was also the age my son stopped needing help to take a shower/get dressed, and he was in preschool and then kindergarten where he was expected to use the boys room, not the girls room or a unisex bathroom.
Thye seem to suddenly get more modest around age 7, IME.
And around here, “under age 5″ is the cutoff for locker rooms. I so don’t want to shower with someone’s 3rd grader. That’s waaaaaaaaayyyy too old.
Walking around naked in the privacy of your own home is fine at any age. I don’t think letting kids run around naked in public is ever ok. Too many freakazoids these days.
I think the cut-off might be as old as it is in my rural area, because most places don’t have a family locker room, so they don’t want kids under 8 alone in an adult locker room.
lol my kids i think sometimes are inherent nudists as they prefer to be naked rather then clothed and thats fine with me but never in public because to many perves out there, i remember one time we were traveling through the grey hound and out of no where this guy came up to my son saying today is your birthday and kept hounding me to let him take him to the arcade and he would bring him back, i told him it is not his birthday and i will not entrust a stranger with my son he tried it with 5 other kids and thats when i and a few other parents informed security, guy didnt even have a ticket and god knows where his thoughts lied on his intentions with the children he was trying to snatch. it would be nice if we could be in a world where such things didnt exist and not worry pervs are taking photos and fantisizing but thats not the case . i always bring an extra set of clothes with me in case such things happen , a sheet to cover them up, a small doller store potty seat sometimes and bags to dispose of the waste along with gloves and cleaner and wipes because who wants to play in a park that smells like pee and poop and who wants to walk around smelling like it.
Whenever your child develops modesty and does not want to be naked – that’s the time you must put on clothes. Until then, naked is cool.
No shoes, though, is another issue.
I have three boys and I still take my six year old in bathrooms with me unless my oldest is with me he is will take his little brother in he is just now getting shy about his body being seen naked by others besides his family this is about the same age as my other kids as well and they love naked time from toddler till about six or seven. I spent time in europe and its very different there about being naked or just being accepting of their bodies.
I think in your own home as long as the blinds are closed be naked. My 2 girls and i don’t rush to put on clothes, but we don’t walk around butt naked either.
We were at the pool the other day and my girls 7 and 2 got an eye full of old lady saggy boobs and jiggly booty. They wanted to know why those ladies were naked. I said because they were taking a shower in the girls locker room and we all have the same parts they just hang different. They seemed fine with it. I don’t want anyone to feel ashamed of their bodies, we have what we have.
Maybe I was just raised differently (being from a very old-fashioned Italian family) but I personally believe that the children should never be in public situations un-clothed. While changing diapers is ok in appropriate situations but other then that it would be frowned upon in my circle of friend/family. There are too many people out there that go to pools, beaches and parks just to see other people’s children. Personally, I would not want my child to be oogled by some pervert no matter what age he/she is.
In the privacy of your own home is a different story. My son ran around naked in our home for about 6 months while potty training (it really helped him). Before that he always had on a diaper, mainly because I didn’t want to find “accidents” around. Even when potty training though, if company came over then he had to be dressed (at the vry least have a long shirt on).
Most of you are probably shaking your head and calling me a prude but this was how I was raised. I honestly believe that if a child is old enough to be potty trained then they are too old to be walking around naked. But then again it’s up to each child’s parent. If you believe that your child is in a safe area where they do not have to worry about the other people that are around them then that is your choice. Unfortunatly, these days it’s not just other adults that parents have to be worried about. There are young teens out there that are being arrested and put onto the sex offenders list all the time.
My advice… Just be careful of your surroundings.
Funny, I’m from an Italian family too. Very child tolerant, lots of naked time.
I am not sure what the cut off is, but I’ll be sad when my boys can no longer run around naked referring to themselves as a super hero called “Naked Man.”
LOL @ “naked man.”
There is something about this line that has been really bothering me since I first read it: “But I’ve been at the beach when little boys without swim trunks on turn around and I realize they’re not such little boys.”
What does the author mean by this? It’s okay for what, a 3 y/o girl to be nude at the beach, but not a 3 y/o boy? It’s okay for boys to be naked at the beach as long as they have a small penis?
@Snarky Mama — Who said I was talking about a 3-year-old boy? If you read the next line, I talk about girls who are borderline adolescents who I also think should cover up. In the case of the line that bothers you, it would have been OK for you to take a leap in logic and assume that the boys in question were also older than 3.
So really, you refer to pre-teens as little kids?
@Snarky Mama — Do I think of 7- and 8- and 9- and 10-year-olds as little kids sometimes? Yup.
Huh. Maybe instead of asking your readers to take a “leap of logic” you should, I don’t know, explain yourself better.
Someone’s living up to their name…. :-/
I think it will always be cute, Perhaps the law would differ. What is cute, what is legal, and what is proper, are 3 different things. Of course it would not be ok to be naked always, & everywhere, but people here in the US are way to wound up about being naked in places where it is actually practical… like on the beach.
Some people feel that you are never too old to be naked. Did you know that there are over 200 resorts in North America where clothing is optional? Perhaps you’ve called them a nudist colony, but that terminology is way past. They are clubs and/or resorts and they cater to families and people of all ages who simply didn’t want to get dressed today. Perhaps we can learn from our children that our bodies are not evil, and spend some more time naked. It’s healthy, and relaxing, and the all over tan is great. Did you know that nudists even have their own social networking site like facebook? Check it out at http://www.nudistclubhouse.com
@Jim, I don’t think kids at the beach or anywhere in public is a safe place for children of any age to be naked. You never know what’s going through another’s mind. Even if they aren’t planning on physically harming your child, they store those thoughts away for “later use” and possibly even take pictures.
If I found out that someone has done that with my kids I would go into a homicidal rage! I’m a sexual abuse survivor myself by the hands of my father and it’s not something I take lightly, nor does any other parent. If your own parent is capable of doing it and hiding it so well, there’s no telling what strangers are capable of.
My baby girl is 16 months old and her brothers ( 9 &10) already know not to look or walk in when we’re changing or bathing her. She’d love to walk around naked and I think it’s adorable but we’ve taught them that boys don’t look at girl parts. They are very respectful of that.
When are kids too big to walk around naked?
Never.
The human body is made by God, and no person should ever be taught that it is something to be ashamed of. Yes, there are proper times to be naked and times when it would not be proper, but the body itself is still not indecent or deserving of much of the disrespect it gathers, even such as in the comments here- although I do applaud the good, common sense that I see here as well.
I’ve never understood how one day it’s okay for a child to be naked, and then one day some arbitrary line is crossed and it is no longer okay. Usually that does nothing but confuse the child, and most parents don’t seem to be able to explain the change in a way that doesn’t make the child feel that there is something wrong with them. And as for one child not seeing his or her toddler sibbling, such as during diaper changes- “boys don’t look at girl parts”- that is nothing but destructive conditioning. Teach them the difference, teach them how to honor and respect each other, and the rest will fall in line. There’s no need to foster repression and ignorance.
And don’t take this the wrong way, but comments about it not being safe for children to be naked in public because of weirdos are useless. You should do what is right, and protect your child, but there is no way that you can isolate you child from that completely, and I would rather that my child or grandchild is happy and comfortable than to worry about what somebody else MIGHT be thinking. I won’t let fear control me, or keep me from allowing my child to do something I consider good and decent and holy.
A commenter stated that we should learn from our children that our bodies are not evil- I agree, and suggest that we take it one step more. Don’t just learn from them, but commit to not teach them otherwise later.
The body is a temple to God Himself, and it should be treated with honor, dignity and respect, but never be ashamed of. We are never too old to be naked and unashamed.
I have 4 girls and for the first two, we imposed modesty and privacy rules around 3 yrs old. The second two came along 8 years later and we just let nature decide. Both enjoyed being naked as a choice, but it was occasional not constant. They just were taught to wear clothes when in public or when company was over, for politeness reasons. Around Kindergarten age they became aware of what other families did, and started choosing to wear clothes by their own choice. Comfortable and a learning journey. All 4 are teen or older now and well adjusted. I have a good friend with 3 kids who also let them choose, around age 6 they were wearing clothes almost all of the time, the last one at age 7. They also knew from about age 4 to cover up with company over. Nature and knowledge of society norms takes care of it in time.
@Monica – your sons never babysit or change diapers? Did you know that well-adjusted boys come from families with sisters and that’s where they learn what girls look like – their curiosity will get them in trouble if they have to wait until hormones kick in to learn what girls look like. You’ll find this out soon. They should be taught how to carefully care for a girl including diapering.
Outside of getting changed in a common area of a restroom on a changing table, my baby will never be naked in public. I think it’s disrespectful to her to let her “stuff” hang out for all to see. I don’t go out naked and my baby shouldn’t either. The difference is I can cover myself appropriately but she can’t and counts on me for that. The fact that there is a discussion about when it “becomes not OK” in public to me just means it was never really OK in the first place.
If for argument’s sake children absolutely had to be naked at home and if I had to give an answer, it would be when they begin to know the difference between boys and girls so upper limit around age 2.
Diapering and bathing are different because having exposed areas is necessary to having a diaper changed and to get a bath. This is normal everyday home life and usually how children learn about boys/girls, but they also learn that these areas are special and deserving of respect, which is why clothing is put back on afterward.
It funny how we women talk about things but it we who do things and everyone else just follow along.
Who is always striping children of their clothes at home, it the women.
Who the one who have boys walk around with out any pants on and showing his gentiles. It the women
Who the one who hang out in other women home and watch the mom washing her son or daughter in the tub. It the women.
Who are the one who claims the issues of the male locker room to justified the reason to bring boys in women locker room went it real to exposes their gentiles to other women. When their is a family locker room to use. It the women.
Who the one who sit around and have very deep talk about boys gentiles with each other. It the women.
Who is real behind nudists. It the women. So they can see naked boys and men.
I feel 4 is the cutoff age i have an 8 month old daughter who takes bathes with me but shes a baby so it’s different. But my step son who is 4 knows what naked is and isn’t shy to ask what things are. I’m never naked in front of him because to me i’m not comfortable with the idea, Being he is not my blood child but really it’s up to the parents because there there children. It’s whatever makes the kids happy
I feel pat’s point is extremely viable. Also a little extremist, don’t get me wrong, but pedophila is not gender-specific at all. Women can be pedophiles too so the concept of the Men’s Locker Room being some underground brothel for little children must also be applied to the Women’s as well. Also, there was an earlier comment on ideas being stored for “later use”. Wouldn’t you prefer your child being fantasized about, over having photos taken of them or even having them taken from you and abused? I know it is a hard decision but, face it, you have to choose one and it’ll probably be the first if you have any say, and that’s good! Children should never be taken or abused so if a choice HAS to be made, fantasizing is the best choice. You cant control the thoughts of others so, the fact is, it’s going to happen and you probably won’t even know. It’s much better than the alternative so learn to live with the fact that they are out there. And in defense of the pedophiles out there, they don’t have a choice in the matter. They were born with this interest and can’t really help how they feel. Do you have a favorite food? If you do, why is it your favorite, why do you like it? Did you sit down and decide after cold, hard contemplation that this food was your favorite or that you did actually like it. Did you go over the reasons and weigh the health factor of this food before deciding? Probably not. You probably just made the snap decision that you love that food and it has been a favorite since your childhood. This is like pedophiles liking little boys/girls they don’t know why this is their favorite, it just is, yet they get constant rage from the public on how horrible they are and how they should be killed for an uncontrollable, birth-given preference. Not all pedophiles are criminal. Most would never, EVER harm a child. Let alone take or abuse one. Yet the harsh criticism and hatred continues. Per usual for humanity, I guess though. Yet to keep this more topical in regards to the actual thread, I believe children should decide when to clothe themselves, whether it be in a public place or at home, but especially at home.
I have been a nudist for 8 years. When my wife and I started dating, she joined me. We regularly go to a family friendly nudist resort in Georgia where there are always a ton of kids. From toddlers to teens. Although we don’t have kids yet we plan on raising them with nudity being common around our home. The benefits, both for comfortability and self-image, have been proven to be very high. Kids inherently have no concept of being ashamed of being naked and will only “freak out about it ” when mom and dad do
As a parent and a Dad I have a few observations:
First of all. nudity in the home is your business. Although, when they start noticing the differences and showing modesty, I feel you should start respecting them. Just because you birthed them gives you no right to invade their privacy. And I might add, I do not appreciate your nudest proclivity if my kids is coming over to your house.Keep your kids and yourself clothed if you want my kids to play with yours.Id say, kindergarten is usually the time when modesty kicks in or be encouraged.
But nudity in public is in fact my business! I and my family have no desire to see your nude kids running around. We don’t want to see you changing them at the pool side because you to dam lazy to go to the restroom. Some of you have no respect for your kids or our family, We don;t want to see your little darlings in the opposite gender restroom either. Contrary to belief, predators are not lurking in the bathrooms!We don’t find it cute or enlightening.I don’t need my kids getting an education because your a moron.I also do not care what other countries do, that’s their business.
And if your a nudestest, fine, but keep your activity to those resorts please.
So, is that to say that since you are inconvienced or offended by how somebody acts, that they need to then change their behavior? That is doing nothing other than forcing your own opinions and views on them, which is exactly what you take them to task for, when, in your mind, they have done the same you by how they choose to act.
If you see something that you do not like but that is within the law, you have only the choice to leave or avert your view. You don’t like a child of another gender in the bathroom, but that child’s parent doesn’t like your attitude– who is correct? Both of you. You both have the right to your opinion, and the other parent has the legal right to act as they did. You have no right to tell any parent how to raise their child. You teach you child as you feel correct, and allow them the same respect.
You tell a parent to make sure to keep their child dressed when your child is present- again your right. If their household encourages freedom of expression and nakedness, and you do not agree with that, then yes, remove your child from that environment.
You say it is a matter of respect, but respect goes both ways. If you want them to respect your opinions, views and objections, you must do the same for theirs.
There is no true age kids need to stop. It should be up to them. If my 9 year old daughter doesn’t want to wear her swimsuit at the beach or into the sauna, that’s fine with me.
@Monica, i understand why you feel this way, but it is not a good way to think. @Grant is correct when he says well adjusted men aren’t prevented from seeing the opposite sex naked. Things we are withheld from can turn into a burning or unhealthy desire or even a fear, any way you look at it, it isn’t a good idea.
Also, with regards to other conversations, there is as many pedophiles as there used to be, it’s the media that suggests there are more by bringing our attention to the matter.
The human body is beautiful and children should be taught the attitude to not care what others think and ‘dance like nobody is watching. However, it is not always appropriate to be undressed.