A 2-year-old boy was found wandering down the cold road wearing a red onesie with a diaper, and a pair of socks, while it was just 38 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Luckily, the young boy was taken to the hospital to be checked out and was said to be "doing OK"
Source: newsweek.com with video
So why do some parents let their children wear diapers only? Some parents faced challenges getting their children to wear shorts or pants properly without running away. Wearing shorts or pants is an added inconvenience during frequent dirty diaper changes.
Why don't people put pants on their babies?
A tired parent and difficult to handle child will result in some children walking around with just a diaper all day.
As a parent myself, I can understand the difficulties of getting a child to wear pants or shorts because they think it is fun without pants and run away. After a tiring day, you would let them do so one time and they will think it is okay to walk around with diapers only.
A parent shared in Quora too
Because fighting with a toddler over something so inconsequential as being clothed, in the security and privacy of their own home, is a waste of time and energy best avoided some days.
Another parent also shared their experience
Some babies just take their clothes off no matter how many times you put them on. Maybe they get tired of redressing their kid.
Kids can also see other kids with diapers only and that serves as a positive reinforcement that walking without pants is a common occurrence. Therefore, your kid will want to try that once and see your response or grab your attention when you are ignoring them.
Potty training might also result in parents not wanting to deal with poop pants. Children undergoing training might poop into their pants when attempting to remove their diapers but failing to remove their pants fully.
Why do some parents let their child walk around in just a diaper all-day?
The act of wearing only diapers at home can become a habit, similar to some guys being topless at their homes during hot summer weather. Some parents don't see wearing diapers only as an issue at home, and kids are just kids. Some parents find it cute seeing their toddlers walk around with diapers only.
There is some benefit of not wearing thick clothes. In a study, infants who wear thick winter clothes show delays in prone skills such as crawling (Bensen, 1993; Hayashi, 1992), and tight leggings reduce the frequency of upright stepping movements in 2- to 4-month-olds (Groenen, Kruijsen, Mulvey, & Ulrich, 2010). Therefore, wearing more clothes keep the baby warm but might impede infants' ability to learn proning or walking skills.
That's said, wearing diapers only in public during cold weather is wrong and unacceptable.
Parents shared in Quora the concerns of wearing diapers only outside:-
Keyvah Grant shared
Clothes on a toddler is not a battle I cared to pick UNLESS we were going to town. You want to be naked/only in a diaper all day at home, at the beach, at Gramma’s go for it. At the local park, in a store, at church, at day care you must wear clothes. Sometimes sadly my own kids would win. There they would be in a grocery store sitting there in their diaper.
Julie Belstene shared on Quora
I never took him out in public without at least a onesie on or something else on. I think it’s just plain gross when you see a kid in public with just diapers. It’s one thing at home, but it’s just inappropriate in public.
Another mothers' report said that around 27% of infants never walked naked without diapers, as diapers become an essential part of the infant's life.
Is it hard to walk while wearing a diaper?
It is difficult to wear with a wet diaper since there is a bulk between the legs causing wider steps. However, studies showed that there is little difference in risks of misstepping or falling as the child grows up.
- There is an increased risk of 13-month-olds falling or misstepping in diapers (i.e. 17% while wearing the cloth diaper, 15% while wearing disposable diapers, and 9% while walking naked); and
- The risk dropped significantly for 19-months-olds with disposable and naked having the same effect (i.e. 5% in cloth, 2% in disposable, and 2% while naked) (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)