Pint-sized proms for toddlers are a thing now

The limo. The gown. The tux. The corsage. The red carpet.

Wow, that sure looks like a high school prom. Except for one tiny thing: These prom-goers can’t even read.

In a trend that has some parents shelling out hundreds of dollars and others scratching their heads, schools across the country are hosting proms for toddlers.

Parents and schools are posting photos of the tykes in their prom finery on Facebook and Twitter. Last month the school district in Belton, Texas, posted on its Facebook page a photo album of toddlers dressed in fancy party dresses and tuxes at their “Enchanted Evening” prom.

“Pre-k proms are gaining in popularity,” warns the Scary Mommy blog. “To those of you who can barely find a matching pair of PJ’s for the dreaded preschool theme days, get your (act) together! Next year you may need to find tuxes and prom gowns.”

These pint-sized parties have all the trappings of their high-school counterparts.

The red carpet!

The limo ride!

The fancy ties and tuxes (or tux T-shirts)!

The dresses!

The dancing!

The king and queen, of course.

“It’s adorable. Girls dancing with girls, boys running around,” New York mom Lisbeth Morales told CBS New York.

But child psychologist Sanam Hafeez worries that this is a case of children growing up too soon. Besides, she wondered, what will they have to look forward to in high school?

“Some of the pictures that I saw were low-cut gowns, you know, getting their hair done, putting makeup on,” Hafeez told CBS New York.

“One of the biggest consequences is that you are missing out on the innocence of childhood; of just playing around, and not having to think about what people think of you, about what your hair looks like, or if this dress makes you look fat.”

Pre-K prom seems to be a do-over for parents like Morales, who missed out on her own senior prom because of an “overprotective mom.”

And for this prom, at least, the guys can skip the elaborate “promposal” to win a date.

Mommy always says yes.

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 4:10 PM.