Dresses for 1 year olds: impractical or cute anyway?

[kaylinsmommy2]

I LOVE DD in dresses - they are so cute. BUT is it just me are are they impractical? For example, my biggest problem is when she sits in the carseat, the stroller or the high chair, and in order to buckle her up, I have to pull the dress up to her waist. Then it's just a mess. How about crawling/walking? Are dresses okay for those purposes? I own maybe 5 dresses, but she only wears them for pictures and parties (few and far between). Any opinions? Any suggestions on how to make them more practical?
Thanks!
Caroline
Kaylin 6/5/04

[dules]

IMO it depends on the dress and the child. My DD was OK crawling in some dresses but not ones that were too full or too long. She's now walking and doing fine with dresses.

I don't pull them up to her waist to buckle her in - I guess I do pull them up but then I pull them back down again!

Best,
Mary

[ellies mom]

This is really one of those questions where for everyone that says dresses are fine another say dresses are horrible. So it depends on your child. My DD has always worn a ton of dresses even during the crawling and learning to walk stage. We never had any problems. Most little girls I know learned some funny little crawl to get around in dresses. My DD kept one knee off the ground; another girl I knew kept both knees off the ground.

I don't really worry about wrinkles from the car seat or highchair. I don't pull her dress up to her waist though either. They don't seem that bad though.

[sdbc]

In my experience, dresses are cute and practical for walkers, and less practical for crawlers.

[tigalig]

Sometimes impractical, but so cute that I sacrifice practicality for looks. I hope I'm not revealing myself as extra shallow! :) We have over 10 dresses and I love each and every one. I realize that she crawls better without them, but since I'm encouraging her to walk anyway, it works out fine. I don't pull the dress up at any time - I stick it around her so that the dress is strapped in with the rest of her, if that makes any sense. Yes, we're a little more wrinkled, but that's part of the fun.

[AvasMama]

Ava did fine crawling in dresses, but I didn't really start putting them on her until she started walking (the day after she turned 1!). Now, at nearly 17 months, dresses make up probably 2/3 of her wardrobe. They are so easy and cool and they fit my skinny girl much better than most shorts/capris.

Robyn & Ava