By that time, the boys would eagerly look forward to wearing their first pair of trousers.
The five children of King Charles I of England in 1637.
Second from left with red sleeves is James, still unbreeched at four.
Standing near him in full red is his older brother Charles.
The rest are girls.
The reasons were practical.
Zippers or Velcro were not invented then, and neither were diapers.
Dresses, tunics and gowns also allowed room for further growth.
Four to six was usually the age when boys discarded long dresses for trousers.
The event called for a small private celebration, to which family and friends were invited.
Art by John Badger, circa 1755-60.
Once breeched, boys were expected to behave like small adults.
Many mothers so dreaded the change that they would delay breeching until their sons were seven or eight.
By the late 18th century, society began to acknowledge the important phase of life called childhood.
New philosophies of child-rearing called for clothes that were appropriate for a toddler.
But wearing dresses did not completely went out of fashion.
On the right is Velazquez, the eldest son of Philip IV of Spain.
