Dressed for nursery

[4theanimals]

Hi. I have a 3 yr old at nursery and she often comes home with paint/marker pen(?)on her clothes where she’s wiped her hands or leant in it etc. I use stain remover but the paint doesn’t come fully out. The nursery say they use aprons when painting. I’m fed up having to keep buying her new clothes( I use the stained ones for playing out in the garden) . I want her to look smart for nursery but now wandering should I just send her in old clothes which very often get ruined anyway!?
I don’t want her being the unkempt one in class. What do other folk do? TIA

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

It’s what it is I’m afraid, my husband bought our 3yr old a new tracksuit for Xmas within 2hrs she wiped pizza sauce down the bum. I knew it would happen, kids that age can’t stay clean!

Don’t send her in clothes u aren’t happen to get messy. She doesn’t have to go in rags. Buy T-shirt’s etc from primark.

Also have you tried washing up liquid on the stains before they go in the washing machine?

[Crazydogmumma]

We ask all our parents to send their children in their oldest clothes- mud, paint and other ‘messy’ stains are inevitable and an indicator that children have been fully engaged with their learning and play. Please save any ‘nice’ clothes for other occasions.

[hiredandsqueak]

Just buy leggings and tops from Asda or other supermarkets or Primark and send her in those even when they do get stained. Save the stuff you like for wearing outside of nursery.

[meltedgalaxy]

Honesty I go to Asda and buy bits from there, you can get some good deals. I have a son so not sure of the girls clothes but I bought lots of the jogging bottoms and tops that look quite nice, not smart but not unkept by any means.

[nannynick]

Does not need to look smart for nursery.
Practical clothes, things she can put on and take off herself. Things that are hard wearing so they don't rip, things that are easily washed.

[WisestIsShe]

Agree with above. I'm a childminder and much prefer it when the babies come in clean but obviously not precious clothes. I want them to be able to enjoy the sensory experience of things without worrying that they'll get too dirty.

[WunWun]

Why do you want her to look smart for nursery?

[spidermomma]

I ended up getting a uniform for mine as they seem to wash up a lot better then clothes. Their was only a handful in nursery uniform but I knew their clothes weren't getting ruined
But leggings and T-shirt's can be picked up from primark for £1.50 each. So £3 for leggings and a top, can't moan at tag at!
But kids do ruin most things anyway! Like someone said they got dd an outfit an got food down it. My ds did the same. Tracksuit cost me £40 for 2 hours wear an it's ruined ! A mucky kid is a happy one ! X

[LegoAndLolDolls]

I wouldnt send my DC to nursery in nice clothes. There was one child in dd nursery ckass who in her ripped brothers hand me downs as she was the third child. Her clothes was clean and mum.was minted. I dont think anyone raised a eyebrow. They all got filthy anyway.

Either send them in clothes they are about to grow out of / end of life or buy some cheap bundles off of Ebay.

[HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur]

Agree with the others, keep marked clothes aside for nurse4

[HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur]

Sorry didn't mean to post so quickly! Keep marked clothes for nursery, they don't need to be smart there, just practical.

[Jellington]

I never send mine in good clothes for this reason. I know they'll get ruined so I tend to just buy dark coloured items for nursery that wash well.

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

Yes, send her in the marked clothes. No need to keep buying new stuff, infact jts absolutely pointless and such a waste.
It's nursery, they don't need to be smart.

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

Ams as above, buy darker colours, it will hide the marks.

[WeatherwaxOn]

Why does a small child need to look smart for nursery? Mine was sent in wearing cheap or second hand stuff that, if it got marked, didn't matter.

[Poppins2016]

I send my DS to nursery in clothes that don't matter (older, previously stained, inexpensive)... I save his nicer clothes for days he's not at nursery when I know I can easily switch his top for painting, etc.

Some days DS looks a little scruffy, but he always starts out clean and warm!

[LittleRa]

Send her back to Nursery in the stained (but obviously washed- clean but with the pen/paint marks on). Unless it’s photo day!

[beargrass]

Same as everyone else, don't send her in in anything special. I'd buy the darkest clothes you can, and if the tops have a pattern then stains will be less likely to show.

[StacySoloman]

Clean, weather appropriate clothes that fit her with paint stains or pen marks on are totally suitable for nursery.

It’s the same when they go to school too - whiteboard pen marks don’t come out of white polo shirts . I just save one nice set for school photos.

[SingingWaffleDoggy]

My DD goes to a childminder and aside from the odd mark on tights or cuffs she keeps her relatively clean. I dress her in nice but not “precious” outfits and her spare change of clothes in the bag are usually old leggings and top so they’re there if they are going to be doing anything particularly messy.
She has a waterproof all in one thing for outside wear.
Saying that, I’m not fussy if she does get marked, it goes in the machine and if the marks don’t come out it’s relegated to the spare change of clothes, with the thought she’ll have grown out of it in ) months anyway!
However, my friend works at a preschool that is very much outside/ forest school led and would send her there in her roughest clothes and not worry because the parents have all wised up and the kids are all sent like that now!

[SMaCM]

I'd rather the children came to me in clothes that don't matter. They're not going to be judged by the other children. There is sometimes great excitement if someone has a hole in their knee, or can still see the mark where the paint went last week. Nursery need to be giving them experiences and caring for the children, not worrying about keeping clothes clean.

[user1493413286]

I have nursery clothes that are cheap and in slightly darker colours (more the trousers) so that the nursery stains don’t show up too badly.
Also another nursery mum told me that blanko gets nursery paint out; I’ve not tried it yet but she said she’d tried loads of stuff and it worked on the paint our nursery use.

[katmarie]

My kids go to nursery in clean clothes which are warm and practical. A lot of them have marks or stains from food or messy play, but I've told the nursery that I never send them in anything precious and if they get mucky, so be it. I keep nice clothes for outside nursery.

[MimiRai]

It used to really frustrate me too when their clothes would be stained but now I just send my DD and DS in clothes from Asda and stick to navy for my DS as it doesn't show the stains as much.
I leave their nice clothes for non nursery days.

[PatchworkElmer]

We have a separate ‘nursery clothes’ section of the wardrobe. Most of the stuff is second hand but good quality stuff as I find it washes better/ is easier to get stains out of- might be worth trying that. He’s also got several pairs of cheap Asda joggers and some of their hoodies, so if they get ruined it’s not the end of the world. We have a designated ‘nursery coat’ too.