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Hand-Me-Down Underwear: Yay or Nay?
Kids grow so fast, and for parents of two or more children, hand-me-down clothes are great time- and money-savers. But is it a good idea for parents to let their younger kids use their siblings' outgrown underwear? This question recently sparked animated discussions on the iVillage message boards, and one buzz-worthy debate.
Some iVillagers were quick to describe hand-me-down underwear as “eww, a thousand times eww”, “nasty” and just plain “gross.” They, like member crunchy_ananas, think parents shouldn’t have to scrimp when it comes to personal necessities such as underpants: "Underwear is cheap, seriously. There's no reason to hand them down." Member tsarina_andais agrees: “I am an only child with only one son but I think hand-me-down underwear is gross. Underwear is seriously not that expensive. I think I would have issues if I couldn't even have new underwear. I asked my mom about it, who is the youngest of six, and she was horrified. She says all she wore were hand-me-downs, but she always had new underwear and socks. [Hand-me-down underwear] gets a definite ‘No’ vote from this camp.”
iVillagers also pointed out the “ick factor” associated with hand-me-down underwear. Member ashmama says: "Microbiologists in studies have found fecal matter on clean underwear, so I wouldn't do it … I don't think everything has to be perfectly sterile--a certain amount of germs can be good for your immune system--but there is something a little bit nasty about wearing undies with other people's poo on them, know what I mean?”
But some members, such as lois15354, point out that siblings already share germs anyway, so hand-me-down underwear is completely harmless: “ We hand down underwear. I can't see any reason why not… My husband and I are not exactly living in penury, but there are days when one of the kids will holler out that he's out of underpants, and I tell him to go get a pair out of his brother's drawer. Heck, they share a toilet, which I am dead sure is not exactly super hygienic all of the time … They pull toilet paper off the same roll. I'm quite clear on the fact that they are exposed to each other's fecal germs on a semi-regular basis.”
Are the grossed-out parents being too squeamish, too fearful of germs? Member anotherheater thinks so: “ If you sit on the same toilet seat as other people (even your own family members) then you are in contact with lots of germs right there on your hiney. Do you have a separate toilet seat for every member of your family? A separate washing machine? A separate hermetically-sealed spot for toothbruses? Are we truly so germaphobic that we can't be reasonable?”
Some iVillagers also point out one advantage of hand-me-down underwear: it’s good for the environment. Says member jennagreen: “I don't see anything wrong with [hand-me-down undies] as long as they are washed in hot water, bleached, and unstained. Hand-me-downs save money and are better for the environment. We are such a throwaway society!”
Parents, have your say. Do you let your younger kids use their siblings’ outgrown underwear? Do you think hand-me-down undies are a great way to re-use and recycle, or are they just plain unsanitary? Share your thoughts below.
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Crack me up! You have got to be kidding....Of course my 3 sons hand-down skivvies! They are cleaned, bleached, and unstained yes - but heavens - they are BROTHERS!
As a parent of twins, I think it's perfectly okay for young children to wear their siblings' clean, washed underwear. With my twins, it's sometimes to easy to mix up their clothes and their underwear. I don't see why people think it's gross or nasty? They're not wearing holey stained underwear--those go in the trash But the perfectly good ones are okay. If you think it has germs then why would you want the original owner to wear it either? And I like looking at it as recycling too!
I buy used unders for mine at yardsales and sale mine when they no longer fit. They are sanitized thruly. And no they are NOT cheap, 3 for $6-7 pretty expensive especially during training time when you go thru 5-6 pairs a day at times.
LOL! This is such an interesting question. I did hand down my older daughter's undies to her younger sis, and didn't really think anything of it. They were great pairs, clean, and I'm sure they would get more uses. I don't think it's gross at all. They're sisters! It's another thing when a pair has obviously been so used to the point that were fraying.
I hand down my kids underwear.... it really has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the little one wanting to be just like his brother. I don't hand down shoes or socks though... no real reason, just don't do it. I guess because they have changing interests and if one likes Nemo, the other is going to like Cars. Heaven forbid Joel wear nemo shoes. The world would end.
I have a one year old son and I keep everything, even underwear, once they're not soiled or torn. He's growing so fast and I know that I'll be having more kids and they will come in handy.
I think it could be ok but when my mother in law informed me that she'd kept my husband's "underoos" and said we should take them for our son... kinda creepy!
My sister and I are well in our 20's and we still will "spot" one another a pair of underwear if we are around each other and run out. That comes with intimate familiar bonding across the board. However we believe in a little bleach in the wash (or borax or something to give piece of mind). However I'd never do it with a roommate or even a best friend, cause well, thats gross... Our parents bought us seperate undies, but we were only particular about our favorites (which we didn't share) and a parent should offer to buy kids new ones too, but may notice they don't really care if its not forced on them (sharing undies, that is)
I have 3 boys myself ages 6, 5 and 2. They all share skippies. They're all the same size, yes even my 2 yr old. I come from a large family and we shared skippies too as kids. Family moto "we share everything!" There's nothing wrong with it. Also i would like to add undies are expensive. You get a pack of 3 for like $10.00 because you know your kids wont wear them unless they have a super hero or a princess on them. LOL!
I beleive it is fine to hand down undies from about potty-training age to about six/seven-THEN IBELIEVE-we have ALL outgrown WANTING someone elses''used' undies.
I don't see why it's such a big deal. If they are washed and unstained then hand me down undies are fine. It's not like someone would put pee soaked, skidded undies on their kid would they? My son wears his older brother's old underwear and we don't think twice about it.
We have 4 girls ages 12,10 and 6. So if the underwear is not stained or torn the younger girls wear them. In fact, we use TIDE washing powder to clean underwear and once washed, its like new
Just want to say what a nice site. Bye, see you soon.
I have three sons, age 7, 4 and 1. I throw out any undies that are looking old or tatty, or anything that gets stained, but everything else is handed down. Plus my 7-yr-old borrows his 8-yr-old cousin's undies if he runs out while we're staying there, and he inherits all his cousins old clothes. Bet you wouldn't think twice about your kids borrowing a brother's or cousin's swimming trunks to go in the pool - what's the difference? Do you pass on pyjamas? Sheets? I think our society's got a little over-obsessed with hygiene - hence the number of allergies everyone has these days. If it looks clean and smells clean, it's clean enough!
Of course my boys share underwear, if they're clean and not full of holes or stains, why on earth wouldn't they?
I see nothing EWWW about it. It is not gross or nasty to hand-me-down underware. Siblings often put on each others underware by mistake. I would suggest washing them well before handing them down, however.
I confess my first reaction is on the "ew" side, but when I actually think about it The other posters are right. If they're washed and clean, why not? I'm sure my little sis and I swapped undies when we were young and the only reason we don't still is we wear different sizes and styles. I don't buy secondhand gitch simply because the secondhand stores in my area tend more towards very large, fairly worn, beigey fullbacked, "Make it into a giant shoulder bag size" only. Otherwise I'd go for it. I buy new bras because used stuff tends to not fit me too well. (Being slightly lopsided is a pain.)