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 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.

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!

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. 😂

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

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

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 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!

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 with the posters about nursery (somehow) being dirtier than home. Even though they wear overalls there always seems to be some kind of random paint or food stain.

That for me is not the main reason though! I don’t want to put my child’s name in lovely quality Next or Zara clothes I could then sell on Vinted, and I don’t want to lose any expensive clothes. So I buy cheaper clothes I wouldn’t mind losing. I’ve had other children’s clothes come home in plastic bags, inevitable in a busy nursery class!

Mine were in nursery 5 days a week so tbh they did most of their messy play there rather than at home.

But the big thing for me was we had a fair few clothes go missing (even with name labels on) so you wouldn't want to send anything too decent or that DC were sentimentally attached to in case you didn't get it back.

Although my DC wore all second hand stuff for nursery, I never sent them in stuff with holes in though.

Is this an April Fools ?

this was never a thing when my DC went to nursery. They just wore their normal clothes and an apron at nursery when doing messy stuff.

Because if I buy nice clothes from John Lewis for Sunday lunch with the in laws I don’t want these to be the same supermarket clothes my child comes back with paint on or purple food stains. The paint does not wash out.

i thought this was quite a simple obvious concept

Yes we have clothes for nursery/clothes for best…. But (shoot me down in flames if you wish) I wouldn’t dream of trying to sell/hand over filthy holey clothes. I’m all for hand me downs and vinted etc but in reasonable condition. Manky stuff goes in the car cleaning/decorating box as rag. Only your own stains are ok- no one wants someone else’s stains!

Surely anybody can understand why people may send their kids to nursery in different clothes than the ones they otherwise wear?

Our daughter has an item of clothing ruined at nursery at least once a week - they don’t put them in overalls and the clothes get stained by paint, food, mud etc etc. She therefore goes to nursery in leggings and t-shirts from Sainsbury’s for example. Cheap and cheerful so they can be used as rags once ruined. Her wider clothes are more expensive.

I buy my 2 year old DD cheap clothes for nursery. Sometimes paints, or tomato based sauce stains from the hot lunch etc won't come out in the wash, also the garden area has black padding which hasn't come out even when using stain removers. I go into Penny's (Primark in the UK) buy 6 outfits in their 2/3 euro range of clothes so then it doesn't bother me that they get stained/destroyed.

Because clothes at nursery get lost, taken by other children, chucked in the bin if they have a poo accident, and stuffed in a bag for 3 months as spares.

I don't want to lose my favourite clothes to that. So I buy old cheap faded ones that I care nothing about.

My kids are still allowed to get messy at home in their normal clothes.

My 3yo has an actual uniform for nursery so I don't mind the state that gets in. When her big sister went in 2019 it wasn't a uniform and I was fed up of her clothes being ruined.

At DS' nursery 8 years ago he wore the same clothes he wore at home. They used washable paint and nothing got ruined. Everything sent into DDs nursery is stained with paint on the first visit, including coat and shoes. So she has a small separate nursery wardrobe, from vinted. If I am planning to take her out somewhere after nursery pick up, I take a change of clothes to change her into in the car.

Bit of a mixture. I had clothes that didn’t go to nursery but I didn’t go out and buy ‘nursery clothes’.

Nursery was where DC wore all the awful, garish, character clothing from primark that they loved. No cares if it gets ruined.

Our nursery didn’t send kids home too dirty though.

This for us. If DD is not at nursery, we’re:

• at the park/local gardens
• swimming
• soft play
• shops
• and yeah, chilling at home with TV, Sylvanians, Magnatiles.

Messy play is a big reason I send her to nursery! So sue me. She needs quiet days at home after 3 full on days at nursery. Her nursery clothes are mainly her 2 brothers’ hand me downs, so if you’re offended by people buying extra clothes for nursery (?) then don’t worry. Can’t see what else could be the problem - you’re offended on nursery’s behalf, that people don’t dress up to attend?

Nursery clothes just ended up looking like shit. There was always paint/stains that didn't wash out and tbh it was easier for me having nursery stuff that it didn't matter how it looked, as well as other clothes which I knew were okay for general use and wear.

We all have clothing for different occasions though, dont we? You don't know what they're going to be doing at nursery on any given day. At home, if you decide to do painting or messy stuff, you deliberately dress your child for it.

I never sent DD in with holey or scruffy clothing but I always sent her in wearing things I wouldn't mind getting trashed, which was the majority of her wardrobe, so I do take your point. I was never particialy precious about how she looked though, other than clean, tidy (at least at the beginning of the day) and happy. No sad beige childhood here!

Where do I start with this......

So we have nursery clothes. They aren't threadbare infact they are pretty decent quality but they are stained beyond belief!

I buy pretty much everything for nursery from Next. It's decent quality and it washes/tumble dries well. It doesn't fall apart - so it's more cost effective. They are all completely stained on first day of use - with honestly stuff that doesn't come out. I wash everything on a 40 degree wash but my DC clothes are still a mess. But they don't have holes or are threadbare. They are perfectly wearable/warm/protective etc.

On weekends, when my DC is out and about in public (and not just with his little friends in the confines of a classroom) then I'm not ok with him wearing a top with green paint all down the arms.

His weekend clothes aren't stained. If we're doing something particularly messy then I have overalls at home. If he's out doing something muddy - I have puddlesuits or over the top trousers (or I simply change him into nursery stuff). I have the time to change him in a way that a preschool teacher doesn't when dealing with 30 odd kids. You send them in, in clothes you're ok with being wrecked/stained and coming home with pasta sauce all down - things we don't do at home.

I don't see why that's at all difficult to understand?

If you're doing some DIY in the house - do you get changed into your messy clothes or are you perfectly prepared to get paint all down your nice jeans and then wear them for brunch the next day? Didn't think so.....

It's just common sense. It's not rocket science.

I have 'nursery' clothes for my son who just started preschool. They are probably what you'd call rags. We are a very relaxed family who talk about sustainability and reusing a lot with our children, they absolutely go to nursery and play in the garden in rags. I model this too, I wear clothes with small rips and tears. It's more important to me to be sustainable and we have smart work clothes for when it's crucial from a social perspective that we look perfect, events etc. I'm happy they they are clean, hygienic, vibrant and happy children and no less cute for having a stained t shirt. We also do lots and lots of muddy and messy play at home, just like at preschool, expect I am with them 1:1 and the mess is generally more contained, or I am able to remove clothes immediately after play to soak etc. Nursery damage is just on another level!