To have taken my daughter to nursery in a paint stained t shirt?

[FigsEverywhere]

Daughter is approaching 3 and is at nursery. She loves it when they paint there and despite painting aprons, can end up with it on her t shirt, vest (??!), leggings, shoes etc. Even her coat has paint on the sleeves from painting outside.

I don't care about this - I only use hand me downs from the eldest, cousins or worst case, a bundle of playwear from vinted for nursery. Nothing she wears to go there has any particular value or sentiment.

I have never worried about the condition of her clothes or the state of cleanliness - I'd rather she has fun while I'm at work.

But this morning I sent her in a jumper that had paint over it - stained. It was perfectly clean, just had green paint splodges over the front. I got an odd look from some other parents dropping off at the same time and on reflection I'm wondering whether it's looking like a safeguarding or neglect issue. She's always clean in herself, just her clothes could have any number of paint splodges over.

AIBU sending her in paint covered clothes, even if she is clean?

Eh? I thought this was standard. Wear old stuff to get mucky in. I can’t imagine anyone gave you a ‘look’

I thought everyone did this. I had a special scruffy clothes pile that was just for nursery! I saw a boy going in to nursery today wearing a pale blue designer tracksuit with matching trainers today. They had tomato soup for dinner. Hope his parent enjoys soaking that outfit.

Completely normal, if I didn't do this her clothes would literally be one wear and bin as if it isn't paint it's food/ staining from the outdoor flooring/ whiteboard marker at school/ any other random substance.

I’m an EYFS teacher and would not bat an eyelid, they get messy in nursery and reception with paint, mud, glue, milk, snacks it’s normal and the sign of a day well spent. As long as the child is clean and well looked after no teacher is going to bother about this at all.

I bought a bundle of toddler clothes, some were paint stained and I washed them and stains didn't come out. Some was too small and the local baby bank definitely did not want anything that wasn't in good condition (no stains).

I don't deliberately use stained clothes and try my best to remove stains, hardly anything has remained stained so far except by certain types of tomato-based pasta sauce. We get nice photos from daycare so I don't send DC like a ragamuffin.

Perfect for the job they were clean just messy play stained why ruin good clothes. I always ask parents to send in old clothes.

Absolutely fine. I work in preschool and much prefer it when children come in in stained clothes. My son is in toddlers and pretty much all his nursery clothes are stained.
Any parent giving you an odd look is the parent who sends their child in brand new designer clothes and then moans when it gets dirty /stained.

Your child a toddler . They aren't dolls . Don't worry about it. With my first child I used to dress him up all the time but I realise now they are young children and should be dressed in comfortable clothes. I never buy anything that looks like a replica of a grown man's outfit. Everything is bright and colourful and comfortable. With his favourite things on his clothes. Don't worry about the paint or what anyone else thinks. Your never gonna get sound advice on Mumsnet either so if you get negative replies ignore them, or better still don't ask for opinions on here . Go with your own gut. I learned this the hard way.

I would presume nurseries would prefer this to "I need to complain my child's 500quid jacket has a paint stain on it I demand reimbursement"

There is a difference in stain and unclean

There is nothing to feel judged about

I send DD in clean but stained things; my DP tries regularly to send her in in yesterday's painty t-shirt 'because she'll only get another one dirty'. We have many disagreements about this (probably because he does the washing and gets fed up with the brimming laundry basket!). I think washed but stained is fine, actively dirty is not, but would compromise - a painty or penny top maybe just about ok, one with yesterday's food all down it definitely isn't.

I do sometimes wonder why nursery don't slip a paint bib on them though - most days she comes home utterly filthy and it does make me sigh a bit to have to change her whole outfit literally every single day!

I sent DD to holiday club in a brand new sparkling white T-shirt with a beautiful brightly coloured flower on it.

paint all over it when she came out. Five washes later, the paint was gone but the colours were dull and white had become grey.

clothes go from best - weekend - home wear - holiday club - bin

I always send my DD in stained clothes - I would be buying new ones constantly otherwise! They are always washed and smell clean but, like yours, they have stains etc on them.

I save her clean clothes for outside of pre school! A mum at our pre school sends her daughter in brand new zara clothes and asks the pre school staff not to let her get messy. In my opinion sending them in sparkling clothes with the expectation that they never get messy is just too much pressure on the staff.

I think you're being unreasonable to believe that multiple parents looked at you oddly. I couldn't tell you what a single child on the drop off or pick up wss wearing and a lightly stained jumper wouldn't have even come close to being interesting enough to register.

There is a child who turns up in a pristine black and white tracksuit and pristine trainers.. I feel so sorry for the nursery workers having to keep them clean.

Mine goes in the stained or "clearance" clothes that I don't mind about. We have specific nursery piles.

I got an odd look from some other parents dropping off at the same time

I doubt this was due to the paint stained clothes. I think you are probably being paranoid. That paint will be all over their DCs clothes too. How realistic is it that they think you are odd for not chucking out anything paint stained and buying new clothes?

My DD went to nursery in the same pink tulle party dress for 6 months, it literally fell off her in the end. I used to wash it every night and hang it in the airing cupboard. It still looked like forensic evidence in a murder case, involving a banana and a fountain pen.
Other parents had toddlers, so they understood.

i wish mine would wear the stained clothes. my 4 year old insists on wearing the fanciest clothes to nursery. I keep having to assure the teachers it's fine for her to get mucky as she looks like she could be going to a wedding some days! but then most of the dresses were her big sisters and were barely worn before she outgrew them so I'm quite glad to see them getting used now really