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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not want to send DD to nursery in stained clothes

92 replies

PartyFops · 05/09/2013 20:11

I am so fed up with DDs (2.3) clothes getting ruined at nursery, she only goes 3 times a week and I would say at least 50% of the time she comes home with stains on her clothes that don't wash out.

Its either paint or food, today I threw away 2 dresses as one had orange down the front and the other one had blue paint all over the front.

I'm not annoyed with the nursery, as I know its DDs fault rather than theirs, but I really really dont want to take her to nursery in stained clothes.

I don't send her in expensive stuff but still its costing me a fortune!!

Just to add, I dont mind a little stain, but the ones this week completely ruined 2 lovely dresses.

rant over! Grin

OP posts:
Winterwardrobetime · 06/09/2013 09:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

moustachio · 06/09/2013 09:21

I used to row with ds's nursery about this! I don't think I should have to buy second sets of clothes. Its my right as a parent to dress him smartly and not in primark tat. All his stuff is hand-me-downs but decent quality

They said if he didn't want to wear an apron then he didn't have to. He was between10months and 2 years old and I was paying £50 a day for his care. Send her with an apron and say you want her to wear it.

Bonsoir · 06/09/2013 09:24

Do they not wear little smocks for painting and eating?

cory · 06/09/2013 09:28

ime painters aprons are not enough to stop a 2yo getting paint on sleeves, feet etc

we accept that they need non-smart special gear for PE lessons so why not for creative activities?

(tries to imagine the reaction of HT when told by irate parent that she has a right to send him to PE dressed smartly and it is the football coach's job to make sure he doesn't get muddy)

Thepowerof3 · 06/09/2013 09:31

I love clothes but would never send mine to nursery wearing smart dresses, you are inhibiting their play, what's more important your 'right' as moustachio puts it to send them in smart things or their right to enjoy themselves and be a kid

JulietBravoJuliet · 06/09/2013 09:31

When ds was in full time nursery, I bought him a "uniform" - 5 pairs of Asda's £2.50 jeans, 5 dark coloured t-shirts and a couple of dark coloured cheap fleeces for if it was cold. The only time he wore these clothes was for nursery, and if they got wrecked then hey ho! Couldn't care less if people thought I was a slattern for sending him in cheapo, stained clothes lol he was clean and his good stuff was saved for weekends and holidays.

Thepowerof3 · 06/09/2013 09:33

I'd think you were a sensible mum JulietBravo

MiaowTheCat · 06/09/2013 09:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
PartyFops · 06/09/2013 09:40

The dresses she has gone in recently when it has been hot have been loose fitting that would not have hindered her movement, but have kept her cool to try and keep her eczema at bay and also assist her potty training efforts.

I don't feel I had a necessary right to send her in good clothes and them not be ruined. I just get fed up with scrubbing stains and seeing her in scruffy stained clothes.

OP posts:
babybythesea · 06/09/2013 09:40

My dd came home once absolutely covered in paint, and I mean covered.
The nursery were hugely apologetic, but she had seen the paints out, knew she had to put an apron on and done just that. Unfortunately, she had got her arms well into to the sleeves before they saw her - she was busy putting it on inside out. She was caked in the paint left by the previous user on the front of it. So they can have aprons and rules but it might not save the clothes! 'Tis life.

Bonsoir · 06/09/2013 09:41

My DD wore a navy smock from age 2 to age 7 at school and, providing the sleeves of her t-shirt weren't too long, never got stained.

themaltesefalcon · 06/09/2013 10:08

babybythesea What an adorable image, a little toddler conscientiously sticking an apron on painty-side-inwards. :)

jessieagain · 06/09/2013 10:10

I don't want to send ds in stained clothes or cheap, dull clothes.

So he wears his usual clothes to nursery and I just buy colours like blues, reds, greens, browns, greys and oranges. Nothing pale or white.

I treat the stains as soon as he comes home and try usually come out well.

Morloth · 06/09/2013 10:21

Lower your standards, it is the secret to a happy life.

Both my boys had/have daycare clothes, it isn't worth spending any energy at all worrying about it.

Just chuck 'em in the wash, if the stain comes out then all good, if not then oh well.

Accidentallyquirky · 06/09/2013 10:30

Yabu.
Dd got sent to nursery today wearing red check jeggings accessorised with grass stains that I can't remove, one blue paint stain, a tshirt that amazingly is unstained and a river island beige jumper that dd has picked the diamontes off and has a full collection of marks and stains.

I vowed my kids would never go to school and nursery looking anything less than perfect - in reality it's impossible I couldn't afford to buy new clothes each week. I keep new clothes for evenings and weekend and then swop them to nursery clothes when her current nursery clothes are no longer just stained but are actually grubby.

Theas18 · 06/09/2013 10:31

Play clothes are play clothes and are meant to be stained surely? Busy " working" preschoolers get grubby/painty/mucky.

Keep play clothes for preschool/play and " nice" for going out.

REally no one cares what she wears to preschool ( except if she can't get out of it to got to the loo) and the worst out come would be that she also becomes a bit " precious" about her clothes and doesn't then want to get stuck in and learn from messy activities.

AFishWithoutABicycle · 06/09/2013 10:34

Why don't they use washable paint. My dd comes home every day covered in 'fun medals' and they almost always wash out.
Send her in dark clothing bought cheap, I know this is probably what you do anyway.

kittykatsforever · 06/09/2013 10:35

I totally get where your comming from and dresses are so much easier when potty training, must admit I didn't know about a cold wash but disagree about white, bleach works a treat!

I too have fallen fowl at purple paint though and that was on a designer t shirt ! Don't put it on them I hear you cry..... I wouldn't but you can't control dh's
I do tend to stick to sainsburys / car boots etc but I wouldn't want her to go in with stains either and I hate waste

Akray · 06/09/2013 10:39

I am OCD about stained /messy clothes and no way could I send any of my DC out in them, but that's just me ~ I like them to always look nice, but I am a champion stain remover, so they can get as messy as they like, no worries!!!

My eldest DD went on an outward bound day and they were told to wear old / messy clothes ~ I had to go and buy her some cheap stuff from Asda, cos she didn't have anything old and messy ~ crazySmile

DanicaJones · 06/09/2013 10:50

Unfortunately doing a cold wash now won't help as the stains have already been set by putting them in a warm wash. You need to either soak in cold water before the first wash, then spray with stain remover, then wash, maybe with stain wash powder in too. Or you could spray, then do a cold prewash with extra stain remover in. Washable paints and OJ will come out this way. I'm afraid YABU due to your stain removing techniques. Grin

FreudiansSlipper · 06/09/2013 10:53

what does it matter if her clothes are stained she is not a precious little doll to dress up

relax as long as her clothes are clean what is the problem. most children look scruffy at nursery after 5 minutes (well they did at ds nursery)

NoComet · 06/09/2013 11:00

I used to get dirty looks of preschool nursery for suggesting they bought, and used, painting overalls rather than not using useless aprons.

Small children don't have old clothes, they grow out of them before they are old.

They get attached to Mr happy, pink fairy, red ted. They want to wear them. I sodding well don't want the upset it causes when they are ruined.

And most importantly it teaches a dreadful lazy attitude to getting in a mess, that has to be un-learnt as soon as they are wearing £12 school jumpers.

NoComet · 06/09/2013 11:05

Mess is one thing, I don't mind food, flour and a bit of mud. Nursery/school clothes get grubby.

It's not teaching the DCs the difference between mess and destruction that makes me Angry black and red powder paint and white board pens need treating with respect.

FreudiansSlipper · 06/09/2013 11:06

you can but cheap clothes in all supermarkets

why should children be fussing about not getting messy they are learning and enjoying themselves

ds and his school friends seem to manage fine now they are in school and do not get quite as messy as they once did as their motor skills and awareness has developed

Sirzy · 06/09/2013 11:24

If a child is attached to a piece of clothing even more reason to not let them wear it to nursery.

I can't understand this fuss about children getting dirty and clothes getting stained. It happens (in school and out) its part of being a child!