Would this annoy you as a parent?

[Jodes97]

I work in a nursery and a parent has messaged in asking what kind of paint we use at the nursery. They said it’s not coming out of their boys clothes after trying everything and they’re annoyed about it, saying they’d expect it be water based paint. Would this be something that would annoy you as a parent or would you just think it’s to be expected at nursery?

Hmmm, to be fair, I did always find it a bit annoying when paint wouldn't wash out from school. You know they are little kids. You know they are going to get paint everywhere. Why can't you just use ones that wash out?! Lots of ruined uniform in my house.

That said, I wouldn't phone up and complain!

It would annoy me as they are nursery children, not art students, there are lots of options available for them to use that are child safe, water based, and completely functional for the type of art they are doing. My children’s infant school does this and it’s really annoying. Esp as they insist on a white polo shirt as part of the uniform

Nah. It wouldn’t bother me tbh. The amount of clothes my children have ruined with all types of things. Not even something that would cross my mind tbh.

I’d expect water based paints and also aprons should be provided. My children are now 10 and 7 and last year they spent a term doing an art club after school. The club said parents would need to spend £20 per child on branded aprons. I refused to and sent them with aprons we already had, but privately thought the club should supply their own. It’s an art club after all!! And somehow school always managed to come up with aprons. Anyway for some reason they weren’t allowed to wear their own aprons?! So they came home with paint all over them, no big deal I thought, it’ll wash out. It didn’t. 2 school logo jumpers ruined plus 1 pair of trousers each. I am not fussy at all but I was fuming. The school logo jumpers are £21 each. I can hardly send them in “scruffy old clothes” when they have to wear uniform. Even at nursery they’d come home with a bit of paint here and there but not completely ruined clothes, presumably because aprons etc are provided.

In my experience they used some ridiculous paint in Reception and up to year 2. Plus whiteboard markers. Couldn’t get the stains out of the uniform so had to send DD back in with clean stains. I couldn’t afford to buy more. The change between winter and summer uniform showed the marks on the white shirts and yellow dresses badly. I was very angry about it and felt like we’d be looked down upon because of schools choices. All the paint and markers we used at home washed out of any clothing easily! DD is 13 now but reading this ticked me off that it’s still happening!

I've always wondered what type of 'washable' paint Nurseries and Schools use, as they've NEVER come out of clothes!
As a parent, it's bloody annoying to have clothes with paint stains which you just know aren't going to come out, regardless of how 'washable' they claim to be.
For Nursery, I resorted to dedicated clothes that only got worn there. School is more of a challenge, we've had a few shirts that have just got worn despite the paint stains.

Kiddo never comes out of nursery looking as he did when he went in. He is usually covered in something. Shows he has had a good day. Old clothes all the way!

Ah ha literally just yesterday my little one came home covered in paint again. I’m same as some here and my little one doesn’t have old clothes tho I tend to buy cheap supermarket sets for nursery. Have his outfit soaking in fairy liquid to see if it’ll come out (works better than some branded stain removers) glad to see I’m not the only one who finds it irritating but these paints are used outdoors so I can see why water based would be no good tho I do wish he’d been wearing his raincoat over! I wouldn’t complain though cos messy play is part of the day

Yes that would annoy me. It's completely unnecessary. There are plenty of water based paints, and some people have neither the space nor the money for two sets of clothes.

While I would expect more wear to nursery clothes I would also expect nursery settings to be using water based paint. Not only for the staining element but also because its more child friendly paint.

One off I’d be fine, every week I’d be annoyed. It doesn’t matter if they are in cheap clothes it’s wasteful to go through so many clothes. I would expect ain’t to be water based and thst children would have aprons on.

No, we were warned about the paint not washing out before our first settling in session. Sure there was a reason why they used it but it's a few years ago now so I can't remember.

I'm delighted they get to enjoy themselves on someone else's property. Just send them back to nursery in the paint stained clothes.

A lot of posters mistaking mess for stains.

Mess is fine - but staining isn't really acceptable. The staff surely don't want to have their clothes stained too?

Sending a child in best clothes isn't a good idea - but every child has a favourite top or trousers they might want to wear and it would piss me off to have it stained.

That is annoying. Our nursery use water based paint and aprons so it’s obviously not impossible to help look after the children’s things (but their general approach is very look after them as you would your own)

It would annoy me A LOT.
I never sent my children in good clothes but I did look after their clothes and for them to be ruined because of paint not being water based would annoy me. Different if it became stained with food, mud or torn because they fell.
But nursery not buying water based paint for toddlers to use - ridiculous!

It would mildly annoy me, less about the clothes and more if it got on shoes. I don't have nursery shoes, so when they've got paint on and I can't get it off, that's it!

I wouldn’t be bothered about the stain and I wouldn’t message but equally I’m not sure why you wouldn’t use water based?

As a nursery worker, I come home covered in paint too! I'm pretty sure nurseries will only be using standard poster paint. That's all I've ever seen used in many settings. If you wash the same day you have a better chance of removing the stain, and this stain remover does a good job too. I rub it in with a cloth and leave for a while before washing.
Even if I am not doing painting myself, children will come up and tap me with painty hands, I might brush against a table they have smeared paint on etc. Even the sink is covered in paint! We have tabbards but children often wipe their hands under the tabbard on their clothes! Then there are the children who dive into the paint before an adult can get across the room to put an apron on them. With often only 2 adults in the room and 16 pre schoolers we do our best. If one adult is helping a child in the toilet, that leaves the other adult to man the whole room. Then the 2 year olds are a while different ball game. They love to walk around with the paint tools and it's a case of catching them to limit the damage!
My own children came home very clean from their nursery and I would have rather they had some "play residue" that showed me they had the same play opportunities that my class have. Mud kitchen water, paint, messy play etc are so vital. We don't even do painting as often as we used to due to so many children needing so much support in recent years. In the 2 year old room it's a 2 person job. One on the painting, one on sink to clean them up. Yet they still cover themselves in paint in their exploration.

My DD managed to fall into the paint once... her uniform was bright green from her hair to her shoes. Nursery was mortified. She had not long turned 3, so uniform was new (they went to preschool in the morning and were picked up by the nursery at lunchtime, this was when it was just 15hrs for everyone)

But I'd found out there is a trick to getting it out of clothes... you need to cold soak before washing. Hot water sets the paint into the fabric.

Mine used to go in second hand clothes. The paint rarely washed out. Stain removers triggered my dc's eczema so I gave up trying to remove the stains.

It’s a fair question. But yeah, nursery clothes get stained, so you wouldn’t send them in their best clothes but must be some paint out there that comes out of clothes easier.

This annoyed me at nursery; the paint we use at home comes out of clothes so why can’t the one at nursery.

nurseries should always use paint that is easy to wash out. I’d have thought that’s obvious.

Yes! Was just thinking this. It used to drive me nuts. I can also confirm that in secondary school they still come home with black marker on their white shirts 😵‍💫

Water based paint is so much more expensive and it's the difference of having 4 different colours or 3 for example.
In my experience, aprons are used but children still get paint on them or others as they paint.
I have also had clothes stained with paint or whiteboard pens. Yes, it's annoying but also part of the children's learning in a nursery of self care, expression, awareness of self/ others and physical skills.