I have boys so haven't had this experience but i cringe at young girls in skimpy bathing suits. 2 piece suits seem reasonable for bathroom reasons, but they should he modest- plain bottom and rash guard. I hate seeing 8 year olds in string things.

The appropriate age is never….i don’t know why you or your daughter wants to wear a bra and underwear to the beach or the pool. Cover up and wear a one piece. A bikini is used to sexualize females no matter how much you deny it. What’s wrong with wearing a one piece? It doesn’t inhibit your speed in swimming in anyway way so why do women feel the need to wear such skimpy swimwear?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:as a foreigner i cannot believe that this thread is as long as it is.
there is no age limit - young or old - for a '2 piece bathing suit'.
most girls where I am from just wear the bottom half until they are like - 7.
y'all are puritan weirdos.

Not everyone is, if you head down to Florida you will be shocked to see the women with large bottoms wearing thongs! But in general I think most people who grow up here want to be in swimming suits that are not too skimpy. Guys usually wear bathing suits that hit right above their knees/ rash guards.

I would not be shocked.
But we’re talking about a child here. Idk if ops concern is propriety or pedophelia but both seem insane to me. Like - get a grip it’s a kid let her wear whatever brings her joy and don’t bring sex into it. Beyond weird and creepy on ops part

Well my DD was very tall and developed early, so I didn’t want to further emphasize to the world that she had the body of an 11 year old at age 8. Easy to judge us as being prudes when it’s not your young child afraid of getting teased for wearing a bra in second grade.

Anonymous wrote:as a foreigner i cannot believe that this thread is as long as it is.
there is no age limit - young or old - for a '2 piece bathing suit'.
most girls where I am from just wear the bottom half until they are like - 7.
y'all are puritan weirdos.

Not everyone is, if you head down to Florida you will be shocked to see the women with large bottoms wearing thongs! But in general I think most people who grow up here want to be in swimming suits that are not too skimpy. Guys usually wear bathing suits that hit right above their knees/ rash guards.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a pretty modest person and I'm old-fashioned in this regard. My 10 year old is lobbying hard for her first two-piece. Opinions?

You are not wrong in your thinking. My oldest is in 5th grade and I'm thinking never!! The only bikinis I've approved are 2 pieces with a top that is a long sleeve rash guard and a skirt with bikini bottoms. I've always thought 2 pieces look like a bra and underwear. I'm team cover up and be modest.

as a foreigner i cannot believe that this thread is as long as it is.
there is no age limit - young or old - for a '2 piece bathing suit'.
most girls where I am from just wear the bottom half until they are like - 7.
y'all are puritan weirdos.

https://www.carters.com/carters-kid-girl-swimwear/V_3Q974310.html

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https://www.hannaandersson.com/swim-girls-swim-separates/67404-1OA.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=19615751249&utm_content=&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwm_SzBhAsEiwAXE2Cv7eljrtO9td526Mp7wBdJu3wijuhByMh5qTvlIy-J8uFCLw6aQpgWBoCv7cQAvD_BwE

Anonymous wrote:You never thought of your daughter possibly being prematurely sexualized by wearing a bikini at a young age?
-OP

There are age appropriate two piece swimsuits that are not bikinis that will probably satisfy your daughter's need to show her belly. My 11 year old wears two pieces that have what is essentially a cropped tankini top. One is from Carter's and the other is from Old Navy.

Everytime I pull a wet one piece up and down my preschooler I wonder what I was thinking. Next year we’re all tankinis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you feel like it’s sexual and invites predators, then the tween time seems like the WORST time for it. It’s either 18 or infancy.

Keep your kids away from creeps and talk to them from an early age about creepy men. The one piece won’t save them. And if you are so crazy to believe it helps, I doubt you’ve been talking to your daughter about actual risks and how to think about, plan for and deal with dangerous men.

I don't have a problem with bikinis because I think it invites creeps. I have a problem with them because they're impractical and ridiculous for a child. My son and daughter wear the same clothes because children don't need gendered clothes. What's creepy is covering a child's nonexistent breasts.

I was completely flat until 13 years old. No different than a 5 year old. At what age should I have thrown on a top?

Bodies of all ages need private areas covered… all bodies are bikini bodies

Ages 0-120

My 7 year old started wearing them this summer. I never thought of two pieces on little girls as sexual. Their bodies are no different than little boys.

I will say just in terms of personal preference, I think the little girl bikini tops that are like two inches of fabric across their chest look so silly. So the ones I got my dd this year were more like long line tops or cropped tankini tops. More sporty.

It's normal to fear that some creep will sexualize your child, but I assure that creeps who sexualize children are doing it whether she's in a swimteam one piece or a bikini. And I certainly don't want to give my daughters the impression that their clothing choices should determine whether other people think criminally or perpetrate criminal acts against them. It's just giving them a false sense of safety, with a side helping of shame.

I teach my kids about the real world. Some pervert might make a comment to you. If you're in a safe place, then say, "Ew, get away, you're gross, I'm a child!" If you're not in a safe space, get to a safe space.