At What Age Should You Stop Being Nude Around Your Children?

I didn't tell my boys anything one way or the other - mostly because I think bodies are bodies, and that making the body of the opposite sex a mystery leads to more issues than it solves. However, in terms of privacy, I let my kids make their own decisions. My older son decided he wanted more privacy around age 8. I respected that, and I noticed that he also started giving me more privacy at that age (eg, not walking in while I was in the shower). My 5 year old isn't there yet. When he has a question for momma, he walks in and asks me.

I did start making clear around age 5 that when visitors were in the house, everyone should change clothes in their room, because guests don't want to see naked kids running around :)

I haven't stopped and my kids are older. We have never made a big deal about nudity. There are plenty of occasions where we have to change in the same room (or tent). We also have to share the washroom getting ready in the mornings, so that means someone might be brushing teeth or using the toilet while I shower. We are just discreet about it. We make a point of not looking at each other.

My kids are 7.5, almost 6 and 2.5. We all, including hubby, shower together at the Y. My kids know to give each other privacy, and to give others privacy, but i still feel comfortable. They are too young, with no exposure to anything, for it not to be not normal. I could see feeling differently maybe when my son hits 7, but at nearly 6, I still feel very comfortable. It's just a body.

Yes, it's actually past time. I don't believe in freaking out if someone accidentally sees someone else, but at this age he needs to be learning about privacy and knocking on doors. He will be in school soon, and he needs to have a sense of propriety when it comes to rest rooms and so on. He also needs to have a sense that his body is private and not meant for public display - that's a safety issue and a question of knowing boundaries. Just because a parent sees a child naked doesn't mean that the child should see the parent that way.

I think explaining bodies to kids is a good thing - they should know about anatomy and the real names for body parts. But I think you do that with books and not with them inspecting or getting a glimpse of anyone's pubic hair or breasts. If you still take him in to a public ladies room with you, I get that - it's a safety issue. If you feel you must take him into the family restroom or the handicapped stall, he may get an inadvertent look at your rear end, but it doesn't mean that you whip your panties off and let him inspect you while you pee - see the difference? If he can use a separate stall himself while you are outside, great.

The thing is, you don't want him discussing other women's (or men's) body parts with them and comparing them with what he sees at home. I'm not a prude by any means but I think you need to give your child the skills to navigate the real world - and seeing other people naked is not part of that. He can't be going to Grandma's or to play dates and thinking it's okay to walk into someone's bedroom or bathroom because "it's no big deal and I see my mommy all the time." And other kids need to learn from their own parents - and later on in health/biology class - and not from their friends.

I think you'll be glad if you start this implementation of boundaries immediately.

as soon as YOU are uncomfortable with it, your kids will be. so stop now.
i never wore clothes much at home. really, until my boys went to college i'd either clothe or not depending on my comfort, not their presence. but i know most folks aren't okay with that, which is fine. they don't live here.
my boys started being conscious of privacy around puberty, and i rarely saw them nude after that. totally fine. their choice.
now that they've moved out, i've become much more deliberate about being dressed when anyone else is around.
never been a big thing to over-think for me.
khairete
S.

I agree that if either of you are uncomfortable then you should cover up, but if you're not, I think it's fine. I will admit I kind of thought at X age my husband and I will start covering up, but yeah, it hasn't happened. My kids are 8 (girl) and 6 (boy) and they mostly still walk in on us in the shower, toilet, etc. Sometimes they even run around the house naked being silly. My 8 y/o is definitely getting more cautious and we give her the privacy when she wants it, but one day she wants total privacy and the next day she's running naked with her brother trying to tag him, so we just roll with it. And definitely when guests are over we wear robes, dress in our rooms with doors closed, etc. We don't want to shame them into covering up, but we do discuss how no one can touch them, etc., etc.

If either of you feel uncomfortable then it's time to make a change. I still take showers/baths with my girls (5 & 8) occasionally but I don't tend to run around nude otherwise. I've been more intentionally covered with my son (10) for around a year or so but if he happens to see me changing then it's not a big deal. Though I will say, we've recently moved into a large home with a HUGE Jacuzzi tub & he asked today if he & I could take a bubble bath in it together (the girls & I just did that yesterday). I just told him that as he gets older I don't feel comfortable doing that particular activity but we could find another way to spend time together. Looks like we'll start a new book together & snuggle for our hang out time. :-)
Grace & peace in abundance!

I started making an effort to cover up when I felt like it, likely around this age, I can't remember. There was just one morning when he was in the bathroom and it felt a little uncomfortable for the first time and so.... I just went with that. We have one bathroom, so like Beaver Canoe, we are mostly discreet about the whole thing. Not a big deal in our house.

in my house the master bedroom is on the second floor, its the only room upstairs. me and dh do our showering and changing up in our room/bathroom. its been this way since dd was 10 months old. so the kids don't see mom and dad in the buff. but with the kids i don't plan on doing anything till privacy is requested.
dd is 3 and ds 5 and nither one see a need for clothing. they have even run out the door to play outside forgetting to put clothing on (i stopped them and made them dress)

About the time when they can talk about it with all their friends.
About 4 yrs old is when they are much more verbal and talking it up in pre-school.
While waiting for my son to finish putting toys away at the end of a school day - I've had kids tell me EVERYTHING that goes on in their house.

In our home, my daughter and I are very open with nudity. She's 11 and we see each other in various stages of undress all the time. She is modest around daddy (for the most part), and he has been modest around her since before she turned 1. I don't think it's a big deal because we have all the same stuff and neither of us is uncomfortable. If I had a son, it'd be different.

I think by age 3. They are not little adults with perverted minds but I am American and we view things differently that some other countries. I think that children should be taught their bodies are private and personal and not to be touched by anyone and that having modesty is a good character.

So by age 3 that child shouldn't be seeing their mother or father running around naked or taking baths with them or anything like that. Just my opinion.

Let's put it this way. I loved my grandmother with all my heart. But I have memories of showers with her. Innocent, but no one needs to remember seeing their grandmother naked. I was probably three or four. Etched permanently in my memory. I won't do that to my kids.

I have been wondering the same thing lately. My son is 2 and my daughter is 4. I stay at home with the kids so I am always changing and showering in front of them. We just don't make a big deal of it, but I am sure there will be a time I need to stop being nude in front of my son. I am just not sure when that should be.

I have 2 boys, 2 years old and 4 months. My 2 year old sees my boobs sometimes when I'm nursing but it's no big deal, I just explain to him that's how the baby eats.

I pretty much haven't been nude around him since I shower after he goes to bed, but he has seen me a few times. He does regularly see me in my underwear and bra when I get changed though. But I do feel like I tend to err on the modest side for him now. I imagine I'll be the same way when my youngest is that age too.

We're more like Tadpole. My kids don't come in the bathroom if door is closed and they don't come in my bedroom if door is closed. So I didn't really think about it, my kids just don't really see me naked.

The time to cover is when it makes either of you uncomfortable, whether that's five, fifteen, or fifty.