To ask why people have clothes “for nursery”?

[Enthusiasticcarrotgrower]

Both in local social media groups and with friends, people try to give away clothes “for nursery” that in my opinion are really only suitable as dish rags. Holes, stretched completely out of shape, faded to colourless.

Now, I’m all for preloved clothes and reusing things but there has to be a limit? And I don’t see why it’s ok if these things are “for nursery”?

Surely your child is doing the same things at nursery as they do at home: playing outside getting muddy, painting, climbing, learning to eat nicely, learning to wipe their nose, learning to dress themselves etc. If the clothes aren’t good enough for home, why are they good enough for nursery?

I understand setting aside a few nice, maybe new items for “smart” eg special occasions, but surely either clothes are good enough as day to day play clothes or they’re not? Does everyone send their kids to nursery looking like orphan Annie?!

I think it’s because a lot of people don’t want their children doing anything messy - like playing outside.

I sort of agree, and I don't have different clothes 'for nursery' - there are only two categories of clothes for DS1, the ones he is willing to wear and the ones he isn't. However, nursery recently asked all the parents to stop sending their children in wearing clothes they mind getting dirty. Apparently some of the kids have been worrying about messing up their clothes and that's stopping them joining in with some of the messier activities.

Also, we do playing outside, eating, climbing etc. at home, but I think one of the main benefits of nursery is that I don't have to do painting and play doh as that's covered elsewhere!

Clothes for nursery is a real thing. I got my dd things from pound land, dark shorts and t-shirts because everything got so mucky, stained, especially with that bloody paint they use that just does not wash out!!

I would have proper dirty looking clothes though, there's a limit.

Have you ever sent your kids to nursery? At the toddler stage it’s basically a free for all with paint, dirt, sand and various other arts and crafts. You very quickly give up on the idea of them coming home looking nice.

I don't think the average week at home involves anywhere near as much poster paint and playdough as a week at nursery.

Maybe other people are less concerned about appearances than you are, OP?

Does your nursery not use overalls?

Ds nursery makes them wear overalls for painting, and they wear rain dungerees outside if it’s wet.

If anything he comes home cleaner from nursery than he is at home, so no we don’t have nursery clothes. Just clothes.

Because nursery use 'child safe' paint. When your child is plastered in black paint, you'll get their t-shirt back in a plastic bag at the end of the day and you'll have no chance of getting the paint out.

I think having 'nursery clothes' as in ones you don't care about getting dirty/painted on/other kids snot and slobber on is fair enough.

Wouldn't send them in rags though lol

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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'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.)

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.

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.

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"

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.

@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)

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!!!)

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!

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.

@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.

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.