Tips on how you all keep your children immaculately clean?

[JiminyCricket]

Everyone else's kids always seem to have clean neat clothes, tidy hair and scrubbed faces, even when we've all spent the day together, their kids have eaten the same as mine, used or not used bibs the same as me, and played in the same places and even at the end of the day they look perfect. And I haven't seen their mums hovering over them with wipes all day either. Mine have hair all over the place, food all down them etc etc. OK, Im not that fussed about cleanliness, and I like them to eat all kinds of food and not to get stressed about messy play, but am i a hopeless case or are there ways I can redeem myself as a Mum?

[JiminyCricket]

Oh and I've got a 6 month dd and a 2.5 year old so toddler and baby tips both equally accepted here

[FrannyandZooey]

I have varnished mine, and just give him a quick going over in the morning with car wax, the dirt just slides off him after that.



I would not bother going to much trouble over this, a quick wipe after every meal and perhaps a clean t-shirt if you are going out seems adequate to me. I would keep their hair short though if the tidiness gene seems to be absent - seeing children with long unkempt hair is not very nice IMO.

[Twiglett]

snurk at f&z .. you are getting more and more funny

[MarsOnLife]

immaculately clean? Never happened in the Mars household. I'm pretty convinced that mine are the only ones that can go into a bath of hot soapy water dirty and come out even dirtier!

[Rhubarb]

I doubt anyone notices! Mine go to school with milky moustaches from breakfast that I've not noticed, but then probably no-one else does, I only notice because I'm their mum and programmed to notice these things just when it's too late to do anything about them!

And tbh, if your kids are happy then so should you be! Kids are meant to be messy and dirty, if they are not then they're obviously not having any fun!

[gigglinggoblin]

a messy child is a happy child

[FrannyandZooey]

Twiglett

I have had a very long and boring day - I will be back to earnest and dull tomorrow.

[bran]

I second F&Z on keeping hair short, my ds is shorn like a sheep every 8 weeks or so otherwise it sticks up all over the place. Also you could colour co-ordinate their clothes to their food, camouflage green when having avocado or orange/red when having pasta with a tomato sauce.

[JiminyCricket]

camouflage..cool move

[Rhubarb]

Or put a hole in a bin bag and stick that over their heads whenever they eat.

[FrayedKnot]

I agree with F&Z about the hair.

DS has more stained t-shirts in his wardrobe than unstained.

It marvels me how people can sell their toddlers clothes on e-bay, I often end up throwing ds' away or cutting up for dusters.

[doormat]

tips
put child inc clothes in bath
get them out of bath and turn on hairdryer
also use steam cleaner for stubborn creases

[Nightynight]

We had pinnys for eating in when they were toddlers. A bit like plastic painting aprons. They still managed to get food on their clothes though.

[spursmum]

Don't dress them!! My ds is happiest wandering the flat in a nappy and wellie boots.
Keeps my washing pile down

[canadianmum]

hose them down after every meal

I think it's genetic. I have non-identical twin boys. One of them always looks as if he's just been pressed, the other one looks like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards about 30 seconds after our morning grooming session (hair, vitamins, teeth, face, shoes). Weird but true .

[kiskidee]

I am proud of the filth dd accumulates by the end of a day. It's her merit badge of sorts. And that's how I know she is healthy and active.

[canadianmum]

doormat, is the steam cleaner for the kids or the clothes?? lol

[doormat]

canadianmum more ethical for the clothes dont you reckon{grin]

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

some kids are muck magnets - dd1 is clean, dd2 isn;t. always been the same and I have no idea why, it's one of life's mysteries. and it has nothing to do with bibs or baby=wipes

[Fullmoonfiend]

my 2 are total muck magnets - gets worse as they get older (now 8 and 5)
However, they are addicted to getting naked as soon as they step through our front door (now, that's a whole new thread - does anyone else's boys do this or have I brought up future naturists??)
it does mean a bit less washing I suppose

[stephanie21]

wrap em in cling film,but leave their heads out!!!