A fifteen-month-old boy can be seen playing naked on the streets of Gaoxin district in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, when many adults are still wearing thick coats to protect themselves from the early spring chill.

The toddler has a nickname given to him by his father – Lajier - which literally means “son of the dump”. His father, Tan Juncheng, believes that a child with a humble name is easy to bring up.

Lajier has taken a bath in cold water twice a day since he was only six months old, and his father lets him run naked all the year round, say neighbors.

In response to suggestions that he is mistreating his son, Tan says that he spends 1,000 yuan on formula milk powder and healthy supplements every month for the boy.

Tan claims that since he adopted this style of parenting, Lajier is getting stronger. "He has only had a cold once since he was born," he adds, suggesting that "wolf dad" parenting is good for his son's physical and mental health.

Xia Chenling, an education expert, advised that Lajier begin wearing clothes now because children start to be aware of the difference in the sexes after they reach fifteen months.

Liu Yu, a Chengdu-based pediatrician, also suggested that constant temperatures are better for the development of organs, especially for children under the age of three, and that being exposed to cold weather too often can harm a child's physical development.

Tan says in reply that he will bring up Lajier in his own way and that he will let him wear clothes when he is two and a half years old.