To ask why people have clothes “for nursery”?

I definitely have “nursery clothes” for my toddlers, usually dark navy leggings and preferably darker colours so stains don’t show up as much so get longer out of them without them looking like orphan Annie. Yes my kids do the same things at home that they do at nursery, play outside, eat meals, paint etc but unlike at nursery I am here to help with overalls, bibs, and try to minimise mess and damage! I wouldn’t expect a nursery teacher to be able to do this for 8 kids (the ratio for age 3+). No I wouldn’t send them in with holes in their clothes or very tatty clothes, But a bit of paint stain is fine.

I agree kids should not be sent in with holey clothes.. !

Interestingly - although my sons nursery does loads of stuff outdoors and messy play etc..he comes home usually spotless! It's at home where he gets messy as I'm less diligent about covering him up!

Nursery clothes to me are clothes that you won't be too upset if they get paint on that doesn't wash out. Not rags, but might have the odd hole or mark.

Some parents were sending their kids in expensive dresses and then complaining when they didn't come home immaculate.

I have things that I'd rather they didn't wear to nursery,but those are also clothes that if we were going to an Italian restaurant that I'd also not dress them in. So light colored clothes that I really like, or better branded stuff, like the few bits of frugi we've got

We definitely had nursery clothes! I went to primark and bulk bought 8 navy T-shirts, 8 navy leggings and 8 navy hoodies and DS used to wear those each day (and in the spares bag)

No matter how "child friendly" the paint was, he would always come home with orange streaks from pasta, or green paint marks etc etc etc. I didn't mind, as I knew he was having a great time, but there's no way those stains would ever have come out of anything. Dark colours all the way.

plus made the morning and washing a lot easier as "that was his nursery uniform", and even though it was all labelled, even the staff said it was so useful as they always knew stuff was most likely from DS as he wore the same thing each day

My kids nursery was big on mud play, painting, crafts, etc. It was like a badge of honour to them to send kids home looking like one of Fagan's gang. So I adjusted. 😂

I didn't have this issue at all at nursery, despite everyday garden time and what must be daily painting. It all washed out fine. But when eldest started school, he comes home in polo shorts with permanent pen stains, board markers I think? Bizarre!

So no, I don't have nursery clothes. Dd especially wants to wear her favourite elsa dresses and pure white doctor costumes to nursery and it's not an issue. I'm not going to say no in case she tomato stains herself, those are her clothes and they make her happy. But I've also got no issue with her hand me downs from her big brother either, which she also loves!

I had a nursery “uniform” for mine - navy multipack leggings/joggers, multipack bright coloured t shirt, dark fleece and trainers. All stuff that didn’t show stains, washed and dried quickly and easily and was named in multiple places. Might have been a bit bobbled or faded by the end but absolutely none of it was “rags”. And yes, they did also play outside, paint etc with me but somehow that never resulted in quite so many paint and marker stains - I think lots of the stains actually came from being next to other kids with paintbrushes, not their own!

I didn’t particularly want to name every stitch of clothing they owned, didn’t want their nicer things lost, didn’t think my daughter’s beloved pastel rainbow dresses were appropriate and didn’t want discussion every morning about what they were going to wear.

So long as the child is warm, clean-ish and appropriately covered I have no idea why you’d care what other people send their children to nursery wearing.

We have nursery clothes and not nursery clothes. But no my DC do not go dressed as orphan Annie.

Firstly, they attend a forest style school so are outside much more than they are at home. They’re outside in all weathers and need sturdier clothes than they need for romping in our own garden, playing with their toys indoors or sitting in a trolley whilst we go round the supermarket.

They also do messy play and painting and are left to their own devices for dinner so come home caked in god knows what. They’re not deprived at home by any stretch but they’re not getting that messy on my watch so we can put them in nicer home clothes.

Lastly nursery require everything to be labelled and it’s cheaper and easier to label just the nursery bits than everything in their wardrobe.

@Caspianberg haha they're clearly more biddable than the kids at my DS's nursery! They do put their waterproofs on to go in the woods, but honestly no child over about 2.5 would be seen dead in an apron there.

I think everyone's actually got way higher standards than me on this thread, as my DS has holes in the knees of all his trousers. I think he spends all day every day crawling around on concrete or something.

Because they do get grubbier at nursery. Mine tended to do all their painting at nursery. Once an item was paint stained it was easier to keep it as nursery clothes.

We're more of a muddy outdoor family, as long as they had wellies on they didn't actually get too dirty and mud washed out anyway.

We have home and nursery clothes, nursery clothes are super soft and cheap whereas home clothes are nicer like from next because when I crack out the messy stuff at home I'll strip them down- nursery can't do that!

never heard of that phrase but I will hold my hands up and say I’ve definitely given worn looking stuff to charity thinking some people might have very few clothes for their children and might find them handy for playing outside etc. Also I’ve realised that what I think of as ‘good’ because we paid a bit more for it/ got it as a present, some people don’t- I’ve given stuff to people thinking they’d be thrilled and straight away I can see it will be sent to a charity shop (where to be fair someone might love it!!!)

@BarnacleBeasley - he’s nearly 5! Nursery he is 2-6 year olds and even those who are 6 in Sept so almost 7 by June/ July have aprons for painting or other messy activities and Dungarees outside when wet or muddy.

I mean he still uses playdough or draws without , or dribbles strawberries down cardigan or pockets get full of sand or dry mud on clothes etc, but any of that just washes out fine.

I don’t send him in fancy smart clothes, but anything else I send regardless of brand. I just dress according to weather. He wouldn’t get chance to wear most otherwise as he’s there 5 mornings ( and I don’t change him in the afternoons)

I don't necessarily have 'nursery clothes' but I have clothes that are not allowed to go to nursery. e.g. favourite items, or things I've brought that I want to last!
I keep stained items for nursey wear though too. My DD loves zip up hoodies. If they get paint on (that never comes off!!) I don't worry about sending her to nursery in them. Small holes depends how much she loves the hoodie.
Nursery paint ruins clothes no matter how much they say they will put aprons on. And I've found recently as they are outside more, things are coming home dirtier and harder to clean.

My daughter had every day clothes that she wore to nursery and at home and nice clothes that she only wore at home.
Most clothes were fine but there were the odd occasion where they got paint on them that didn't come out or were handed down in that state. I'd use them anytime because I'm not fussed by a few paint stains as long as they fit and don't have holes in them but if I was to pass them on or sell them I'd label them as "nursery clothes"

Clothes that they wear to nursery do tend to get more stains on them than ones at home. Just because at home if there is something that will stain badly (eg tomato sauce on a white top) then it can be washed before its set. At nursery the stain is ingrained before you get it home.

Also clothes at nursery can go missing/get lost. Particularly cardigans. Or clothes from when they are really young and they have a nappy leak.

I don't send them in rags though. Just stuff that I don't worry if it gets damaged. For instance even a tshirt that is one of their favorites, that I have fond memories of an older sibling wearing, I would probably keep for home.

Be aware there are also differences in nurseries. The kind where it’s mostly in door play and they sit them down with overalls to paint, or the kind where they come home with dirt caked into their fingers nails, mud all over their face and an entire helping of tomato pasta sauce down their front.

My 2yo goes to the latter and most days comes back absolutely filthy but happy. He literally sits in a pile of dirt outside rain or shine and plays with trucks and diggers. Some people would be horrified at that but he absolutely loves it so I’m happy.

I've seen some really horrible, worn out things being advertised as free or for sale, and I've started to wonder if some women get a kick out of giving other women their tatty old rubbish.
(I'm not talking about smelly shoes on ebay.)

DS comes home covered in everything - he has separate clothes for nursery that are clean but not necessarily stain free. He might get a mark on his home clothes but I make more effort to get marks out of his nice things.

My MIL also buys the worst character clothes you've ever seen and I refuse to be seen with a child wearing them so he wears them to nursery. Today he is wearing a paw patrol T-shirt and Sonic joggers.

I have nursery and non-nursery clothes because they seem to have some kind of permanently staining paint that any item which goes there inevitably gets covered in.

Anything they get covered in at the weekend tends to wash out without stains.

They aren’t rags though, they’re just not white or expensive.

How old is your DS? Our nursery puts them in overalls up to about 2, and then they reach the 'I don't want to wear an apron' stage and all refuse to put them on!

However, they also mix the paint with washing-up liquid which makes it quite easy to wash out.

My daughter always had nursery clothes and now older has park/holiday club clothes, clothes for places where i know she's going to get grubby/paint covered etc, they are not faded/stretched/have any holes etc as no matter where she was going i wouldn't dress her like that, but are supermarket/H&M things i've bought from Vinted in cheap bundles. She never looks like orphan Annie.
The rest of her clothes are mostly bought new, sometimes Vinted and are brands like Next/Joules/Ted Baker/Fat Face, as at home she is clean and tidy and if doing crafty stuff always wears a coverall (not provided at holiday clubs)

I don't dress my DC in rags, but I definitely have things I put him in for nursery, tends to be darker and cheaper supermarket stuff. I wouldn't send him in with his Little Green Radicals cardigan 🤣

I don't know what they get up to at nursery but he comes home absolutely filthy.

When at home, I'll take his jumper off for messy play or lunch. At nursery he is left to get on with it.

I didn't have clothes for nursery. I just had about 2 outfits thst were really nice and the rest were just normal clothes they wore any day. But then I was not bothered about a couple of paint stains on clothes that they wore other times.

Unless going to a wedding or something I've never been particularly invested in DC looking smart anywhere so a few stains as long as clothes were otherwise clean didn't matter.