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?!

People say "nursery clothes" to mean "clothes that can get messy". It's just the opposite of "nice" clothes. This posts sounds like you can't believe people would have clothes that are only for getting messy, therefore good for nursery.

My DD isn't at nursery full time either but she still comes home pitted in paint, glitter, glue, mud, tomato sauce, soup, snot, mess from other kids. We also paint, play outside, craft, eat etc at home, but we can wash stuff that gets mucky quicker, or at least soak it. I can say "hang on, let's get changed" if we've been somewhere "nice" and now she wants to glue.

It seems odd you can't understand that people would refer to clothes they can ruin at nursery as "nursery clothes".

No, what I don’t understand is why they never also wear them at home? Do they dress their kids up smartly the entire time they’re not at nursery?

No, it’s just a blanket term for clothes that you don’t mind messing up.

No one is saying they don't wear them at home. They're just clothes suitable for nursery. Not specifically for nursery.

That’s what I was clarifying. Although from the previous posts, plenty of people do have clothes for their kids that are only for nursery.

I get the big Asda multipacks for nursery. She gets really mucky with paint and mud etc. I have some nicer clothes for the weekends, or clothes that we've been given. She still gets mucky, but I get to enjoy her looking extra cute :)

No but I definitely think you are in the minority if you do all those messy activities with your children at home. Well I certainly didn’t anyway! My kids were super active but we did outdoorsy activities when the kids were little when at home. They might have got their normal clothes dirty and that washed out. They didn’t get covered in paint and play doh and things at home. I outsourced that to nursery!

I think it’s probably because I’m a teacher and I enjoy doing that kind of stuff. Maybe more than my kids! We’re probably not doing other stuff that Mumsnet kids do. Travelling the world on a yacht, for example.

This.
We have clothes that were for daily wear which included nursery clothes then we have a small number of clothes that were reserved for nice days out and birthday parties things like that.
My general view is kids can be messy assume most clothes they wear will get messy!
When my daughter was about 9 months old she managed to permanently stain a top eating an apple! I never thought apple juice would stain a mostly white t shirt but you live and learn!

Nurseries don’t use washable paint.

I think it says more about how lots of people can't bear to put clothes in the bin (me included) than about what is and is not worn at nursery

Travelling the world on a yacht, for example

Ffs 🙄

What?

Yep, apples stain, wouldn't have thought it before I let madam eat one while wearing a white jumper (with a pattern on it).

But also...why are so many little girl clothes white or cream?? Do the designers assume girls aren't messy??

Fwiw the sun is like magic on organic stains like apple, carrot, tomato sauce...

My first one had nursery clothes because he dressed himself (ie chose his own clothes and put the easy ones on) from very young. I really wanted to make it simple so I stencilled some very cheap t-shirts with a logo that was easy to spot in the drawer.
The nursery started doing their own shirts in the end so I didn’t need to carry on for the rest of the DC.

No, but at home if they fancy making mud cakes in the garden for example can do a quick change into something you don't mind getting stained/ripped potentially, at nursery obviously they don't have time for this, so seems sensible to send them in clothes you are truly not bothered about getting ruined. DS only had a few sets of 'smart' clothes for weddings etc, but still had some he used more for nursery.

Just the sun? Or washed and dried on a line?

Sadly, in the UK, this isn't something we see as many times a year as my child likes to eat oranges...

Actually I also wonder if a difference is that all my kids are boys. There just seems like fewer clothes for buys available to start with and they are often in darker colours to begin with.

My kids are all older now (12, 9 and 7) and they still have 'playing' clothes. Cheaper clothes that I'm not fussed if they ruin. May have some stubborn stains that I couldn't fully get out or small holes. I also have cheaper trainers too. We have nicer stuff if we're out and about. So to the pub, out for a meal, shopping, seeing family. My lads are big into brands so no way am I letting them play football at the park in a £80 hoodie.

Sun didn't work on this one unfortunately!
I do make good use of the sun though, we did cloth nappies and our white muslins were still white after 2 and a half years of use by hanging them outside as much as possible!

You will definitely need cheaper stuff with boys that they can get muddy once they hit the brand phase 🤣 mud and grass stains on their Nike tech gear and trashed bright white air force ones is actually painful!

Yes we’re not there yet, thankfully!

I have nursery clothes, non nursery clothes and smart stuff for my toddler, had the same for my eldest.

My children when they are at nursery are allowed to explore which includes mud kitchens, forest school, painting, chalks, dyed water, making salt dough with food colouring etc etc. Not a single day goes by where youngest doesn't come home covered in something (also an apron refuser). He's in 4 days a week stuff gets absolutely trashed! I buy cheap bundles off vinted for that very reason and then it goes in the rag bag collection.

Whilst we do some messy stuff at home it's with an adult sat next to him so he doesn't get absolutely covered. Outside he's in overalls at home (he always takes his jacket off when at nursery).

I do it because it makes life easier nursery days use the nursery drawer non nursery days the other I don't have to scrabble for a tshirt which isn't stained with something.

We used to have day to day wear clothes - that are fine for nursery. Some things were little worn by the end! Definitely things I wasn’t bothered by loosing - and suncream damage to them- I’d rather they outside having fun appropriately dressed and suncream as needed!

I remember the day she came home in the spare clothes we had in a bag….she really looked like orphan Annie - far far to small.

We have bought a lovely new coat which she was desperate to wear to nursery ….it never came home or found!

Clothes to nursery saying is like saying clothes that are practical, won’t be missed or happy for then to have stains on them :)