Baby / toddler girls - is it necessary to wear swim pants to prevent infections or inflammations?
We have just been on a beach holiday in Italy with our almost two year old girl. For a whole week she'd happily run around on the beach, sit and play with the sand, or go in the water, all the time completely naked. For us parents (and more generally in our cultures, i.e. in central and northern Europe) it was completely natural to let her be naked.
Until one day a lady seeded some doubt in my mind. She approached us and said we are in the wrong by not having our daughter wear some swim panties, because (unlike boys') girls' genitals are more susceptible to infections, inflammations, or similar, caused by sand (but not by going in the water?!). She may have meant that the sand can go up through the vagina if no panties are worn.
Is this viewpoint a reasonable cause for concern (for future beach holidays)? Anyone any ideas about this?
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Do adult women on nude beaches have problems with sand? Given the number of times that books make reference to wild lovemaking on the beach of some tropical isle, I suspect that while uncomfortable, it's not a big deal.
Another analogy is the effect of sand in other parts of the body -- mouth, nose. The general problem with sand is when it's trapped and can't be gotten rid of. Being naked on the shore means I can walk into the water and rinse it off. Being in some sort of covering means that sand is trapped between the covering and the skin, and continues to rub.
In general I would be far more worried about pollution in the water -- either sewage, or chemicals, than I would worry about sand. And far more concerned with what she puts in her mouth. (5 day old lobster claw...)
Prepubertal girls are more susceptible to vaginal infections due to
Lack of estrogen - leads to thinning of the vaginal mucosa
Lack of pubic hair to protect the area
Lack of labial fat pads
Source: Pediatrics Clerkship, University of Chicago.
Note that, under Etiology, the above source also lists "Foreign bodies".
Sand can be an irritant:
If an irritant is found to be the cause, it’s important to avoid it in the future, whether it’s [...] or sand (from a sandbox or a day at the beach).
Source: A to Z: Vaginitis, Conneticut Children's Medical Center
There does even exist the term sand box vaginitis:
For the child with "sand box" vaginitis caused by sand between the folds of the labia and vagina, snug underwear and cleansing of the vulva will suffice.
Source: Lavery, J. P., Sanfilippo, J. S.: Pediatric and Adolescent Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York, 1985, p. 231
I'm no medical professional but one could conjecture that a bathing suit would better protect a toddler's genitals from irritants like sand. However, regarding the bathing suit:
Good hygiene habits to teach children:
Change your child's bathing suit as soon as finished swimming
Source: Vulvovaginitis, Cincinnati Children's
The reason:
Don’t sit in wet clothes. Yeast thrives when it’s warm and damp.
Source: Preventing Vaginitis, Saint Luke's
Conclusion:
Sand can be an irritant and "transport" infectious agents. Prepubertal girls are more at risk since their genitals are not so well protected. It makes sense to try to prevent sand from getting there and a bathing suit probably provides protection. However, a wet bathing suit is also a potential risk factor.
You may ask your pediatrician, too. Also check if she got any problems so far. A possible solution might be to make sure she either wears something when playing in sand or sits on a small mat (thanks to @Pam for the suggestion), but perhaps not when she wants to swim.
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