# What's the point of the 'kai dang ku' open crotch pants for infants in Asia? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979 "2003-09-16T19:05:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/1 "2003-09-16T19:05:29Z")
[http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=2&u=/030915/168/59xp4.html](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=2&u=/030915/168/59xp4.html) Why not just have the kid run around naked? This neither collects waste nor covers the naughty bits. Is it a pure fashion/tradition type thing? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/2 "2003-09-16T19:42:43Z")
In China, little kids are pretty much free to pee on the sidewalk, a park, or pretty much wherever the need arises. It’s pretty much a social norm to let kids do their business in public, and the pants help them do it. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/3 "2003-09-16T21:15:07Z")
\>\> Why not just have the kid run around naked? Maybe in warmer weather but you don’t want your kid freezing to death in colder weather. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/4 "2003-09-16T21:50:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ravenman \* > \*\*In China, little kids are pretty much free to pee on the sidewalk, a park, or pretty much wherever the need arises. It’s pretty much a social norm to let kids do their business in public, and the pants help them do it. \*\* That doesn’t explain what advantage the pants have over nudity. The pants have no purpose; why make the kid wear them? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/5 "2003-09-16T21:53:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*\>\> Why not just have the kid run around naked? > > Maybe in warmer weather but you don’t want your kid freezing to death in colder weather. \*\* But certainly these pants would be even more useless in colder weather! When it’s chilly out, would you have your infant wear pants with a bare ass? ---
**Author:** ![Rob\_V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Rob\_V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rob_V)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/6 "2003-09-16T22:15:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ravenman \* > \*\*In China, little kids are pretty much free to pee on the sidewalk, a park, or pretty much wherever the need arises. It’s pretty much a social norm to let kids do their business in public, and the pants help them do it. \*\* Ahh, anothr great reason why **I** wanna go to China. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/7 "2003-09-16T22:21:54Z")
The pants also cover their genitalia. And they do keep them warmer. **Rob V** , China’s an immensely fascinating place. If you get a chance, I’d heartily recommend it. Yeah, their standards of hygiene are different, but it would be a shame to let that prevent you from an awesome cultural experience. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/8 "2003-09-16T23:16:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > **The pants also cover their genitalia. And they do keep them warmer.** Ah! I assumed the 'nads were exposed as well. Now this makes a little bit of sense. ---
**Author:** ![KenGr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@KenGr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenGr)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/9 "2003-09-17T02:01:38Z")
China now has a policy to phase this “style” out. Another questionable attempt to join the modern world? Or a plot by the disposable diaper makers? ---
**Author:** ![ismecdb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@ismecdb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ismecdb)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/10 "2003-09-17T03:44:56Z")
according to a recent nytimes article, it’s a plot. disposable diapers are being intensely marketed, and are now all the rage in urban areas. putting your baby in split pants is for the bumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/11 "2003-09-17T04:01:28Z")
Where can I get a pair of these for my girlfriend? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/12 "2003-09-17T08:06:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\*Ah! I assumed the 'nads were exposed as well. Now this makes a little bit of sense. \*\* [Here](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030915/168/59xp4.html&e=2&ncid=1756) ya go! (I’m guessing this little pic might have inspired this thread… am I right?) ---
**Author:** ![KenGr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@KenGr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenGr)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/13 "2003-09-17T08:18:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KidCharlemagne \* > \*\*Where can I get a pair of these for my girlfriend? \*\* Try this: [Fredericks of Hollywood](http://www.eshop.msn.com/eshopframe.aspx?merchId=2809&catId=212&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww.fredericks.com%2fdefault.asp%3fvp%3dMSN51205) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/14 "2003-09-17T18:26:35Z")
> [@](#): > > (I’m guessing this little pic might have inspired this thread… am I right?) I’m guessing you didn’t see the link in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/15 "2003-09-17T21:29:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\*That doesn’t explain what advantage the pants have over nudity. The pants have no purpose; why make the kid wear them? \*\* As has been stated before, the pants are not completely revealing. If you are standing to the side of a li’l one, for example, it looks like the kid has pants on. I’m not sure how interested most Chinese – especially more urban types – would be in putting their kids in shirts and shoes, but no pants. That seems more silly to me. And as far as hygine in China goes, kids peeing is the least of your worries. The constant spitting of men and women, young and old, is more of an annoyance. But its those quirks that make the place interesting. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/16 "2003-09-17T21:57:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*I’m guessing you didn’t see the link in the OP. \*\* I’m guessing you might be right… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/17 "2003-09-18T01:20:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*The pants also cover their genitalia. And they do keep them warmer. \*\* I don’t get it. How do the kids urinate if the pants are covering their genitals? Can anyone explain? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/18 "2003-09-18T02:16:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KenGr \* > \*\* Another questionable attempt to join the modern world? Or a plot by the disposable diaper makers? \*\* If leaving behind mountains of disposable diapers isn’t a mark of our modern world, I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/19 "2003-09-18T02:45:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ultraviolet \* > \*\*I don’t get it. How do the kids urinate if the pants are covering their genitals? Can anyone explain? \*\* Yeah. They’re pretty open in the back, but come down quite a bit lower in the front, enough to pretty much cover the private parts from the front. This part is a bit hard to explain, but try to visualize (if you’re really intrested, that is): as one squats down to do one’s business, your hips kind of shift back a little bit as your pants kind of ride up a little bit in the front, and voila. If you’re wearing kind of baggy slacks, if you sit down into a kind of baseball catcher’s squat, note how your fly tends to move up a bit in relation to your naughty bits. Honestly, I didn’t study these pants THAT closely when I lived in China… ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979/20 "2003-09-18T03:01:18Z")
> [@](#): > > If you’re wearing kind of baggy slacks, if you sit down into a kind of baseball catcher’s squat, note how your fly tends to move up a bit in relation to your naughty bits That’s why I hate wearing slacks. Every time I sit down, the fly sort of folds and pops up. Makes it look like I’m sporting wood. In church. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-the-kai-dang-ku-open-crotch-pants-for-infants-in-asia/201979.md?page=2)