Excessive dressing-up of children poses both physical and psychological threats to them, an expert has warned, as cited in today's Shanghai Evening Post.

Many young and fashionable mothers like to dress-up their children in the style of little princess or Barbie dolls by curling and dying their hair and also polishing their nails.

After the week-long National Day holiday, many 'Barbie dolls' appeared at local kindergartens.

Xiao Wen, with golden curled hair, was disappointed after returning to her kindergarten. "My friends don't want to play with me and I feel quite lonely," she said.

Dressing up like an adult will do harm to children's growth both physically and psychologically, and children should retain their 'naive' personality, said Zhang Hui, director with the Jianqing Experimental Kindergarten.

Some girls, with their nail polish, are easily distracted in class, and other children will copy them, Zhang said, adding that it only serves to satisfy parents' vanity.

Children are used to placing their fingers in their mouths, so there is the risk that harmful substances in nail polish could cause chronic poisoning to them in the long-run, said a medical expert.

Hair-dye also poses risks to children, the expert stressed, adding that parents should dress-up their children according to their age.

(Shanghai Daily October 13, 2005)