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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

designer clothes in nursery

69 replies

outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 21:04

ok i know it is everyone's own choice how to dress their children, but surely if you know that your kids are going to be playing in water and sand and paint and all sorts of goo then sending them to nursery in designer gear is just asking for trouble? Then complaining to the nursery that the kids clothes were ruined?

DS2 goes to nursery in jogging bottoms from asda and the t-shirt with the nursery logo. The jogging bottoms are 2 pair for £5 or something like that so no problem if they get covered in paint.

The nursery also sends out letters reminding parents/carers that the kids are there to get messy so AIBU in thinking that if you put designer gear on your kids then its at your own risk and the nursery shouldn't be responsible for the dry cleaning?

or am i just having another mad rant...?!!

OP posts:
superv1xen · 21/04/2010 21:13

haha, sorry but i don't think you would like me...

i love buying DS expensive trendy clothes and always send him to nursery in nice outfits

he sometimes comes home mucky (ie painty or with food on him) but the clothes wash!!

he has nike, converse, vans and ugg shoes and i only dress him in H & M, next and stuff i buy online.

my friends always take the mick out of me for it but i like him to look nice!

superv1xen · 21/04/2010 21:14

but i can totally see why you send your DS in joggers. (and i would NEVER complain to the nursery if his clothes were ruined - it wouldnt be their fault!)

ruddynorah · 21/04/2010 21:14

my dd wears a fair bit of 'designer' but it's all from ebay so nothing has cost much. then it all goes back on ebay, so i get the cost back anyway. has someone actually complained?

traceybath · 21/04/2010 21:14

I just don't care how other people dress their children.

So yes - you are having a mad rant

hf128219 · 21/04/2010 21:15

I also send my dd in 'nice clothes' to nursery. So nice the nursery staff don't recognise the labels.

As already said they do wash!

SloanyPony · 21/04/2010 21:15

She's talking about designer stuff Supervixen, not high street...

Original poster
outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 21:16

ssupervix its not that i don't like them its the fact that they reckon the nursery should re-imburse them for the "dry cleaning" of the kids clothes.

My two DS's have clothes from Next, Gap, nike, and some H&M stuff but i wouldn't put it on them to go to nursery cos i know what state its gonna come home in.

Like you say the clothes wash but why do some people (not all) reckon the nursery is responsible for the cleaning bill...? Thats what makes me go

OP posts:
MrsStig · 21/04/2010 21:19

I used to send DC's to nursery in Boden...I would have been annoyed if they hadn't come home covered in glue/paint/mud..I was paying someone else to engage my child in messy activities so I didn't have to.

Meglet · 21/04/2010 21:19

I would never send my 2 to nursery in their decent Gap stuff.

I stock up on 'nursery' clothes at NCT sales. Mostly dark colours and tough cotton stuff.

squilly · 21/04/2010 21:20

DD wore Pampolina, Catimini and Little Darlings to nursery. It was all second hand and bought from car boots for buttons, then sold on Ebay, if it was in a good enough state, when she'd finished wiht them. I loved her in the pretty confections I managed to get for her.

Once she got to school age, she picked her own clothes and they were mostly high street. H&M is a favourite, as is Next and I lurve Pumpkin Patch, but she's getting a bit old for it now. Still love it though.

I would never have complained if she'd spoiled anything there, but I did get annoyed when they 'lost' my favourite jumper for her, not because it was valuable, but because it was so cute! I think I did grumble about that and am a little about it now!

Pozzled · 21/04/2010 21:20

YANBU. They have every right to send their kids in whatever labels they like. But not to ask for re-imbursement. The nursery will have to resort to sitting their kids down with a book while all the others play with paint, in the sand pit etc. (Nothing against books of course!)

superv1xen · 21/04/2010 21:23

invoicing them for dry cleaning -

thats crazy.

my nursery would laugh at any parent that tried that! mind you DS's nursery is on the council estate that i live on. probably thats why i class Nike, Uggs and H & M as "designer".....

pmsl!

HellBent · 21/04/2010 21:23

I know someone who sends her DS to nursery in designer stuff, she doesn't buy it her MIL does. Mil found a cute shop in the city that does gorgeous kids jeans so bought a pair, then a shirt and t-shirt and paid at least £100. The wee shop was only feckin Replay! He also has a D&G jumper and Timberland boots (£60)

next and H&M are high street not designer and DC's wear these to nursery without too many disasters between them! Converse are great for sticking in the wash so they both wear them, get em off ebay for £10-£15 so not expensive.

I don't buy clothes specifically for them to wear at nursery so they would have 'label' clothes on sometimes because generally my stuff gets demoted depending on wear -
good/party wear
every day stuff
play/weekend stuff
nursery
scruffy digging mud rolling stuff

It works for us!

Original poster
outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 21:24

see meglet you and i think alike - nursery clothes and nice clothes for DS2 and nice clothes and outdoor clothes for DS1.

DS2 comes home every afternoon covered in red paint, blue paint, glitter and glue and usually what ever he had for snack.... and it all goes straight in the wash (and so does he) then we get changed and go out for the afternoon.

OP posts:
hf128219 · 21/04/2010 21:28

God, I wonder what nursery would say if they saw dd in her 'really good' stuff?

Original poster
outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 21:30

sorry that was a bit a daft rant but i am one of the few volunteers who knock ourselves out trying to raise funds for the nursery and i had spent today going round all the local garden centres begging plants and compost and bark chips for our sensory garden and then came in to pick up DS2 to be told this family were looking for the dry cleaning money..... lost it slightly i think and am now a bit aboout it all.....

each to their own eh?

OP posts:
Northernlurker · 21/04/2010 21:36

The family are being totally unreasonable. It's up to the parents to decide what they want their dcs to wear - and take the consequences. Adults don't expect restaurants to pay for dry cleaning when they get pissed and spill their curry down their posh shirt front do they? Stuff happens.

hf128219 · 21/04/2010 21:38

I don't blame you. Do they really expect the cleaning fees? The parent/s should be told in no uncertain terms 'That dry cleaning or indeed any laudry bills are the parents' personal responsibility - as is made very clear in your terms and conditions'

Original poster
outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 21:41

we've had four newsletters since august each one clearly stating that the kids are there to learn and to get messy and that their clothing should reflect that. unfortunately for this family their kids clothing did reflect it - all over the trousers and top and trainers.

the family have a serious sense of "you owe us" as its not the first time they have tried this or a similar tatic.

OP posts:
arabicabean · 21/04/2010 22:02

Toddler goes to a creche in a very exclusive gated estate. He wears a variety of labels and I have not found the state of his clothes to be an issue. They are probably used to most of the children wearing expensive clothes and take adequate measures to protect them.
If anything did get stained/ruined I would certainly not hold them responsible, would just replace the item if needed.

whatname · 21/04/2010 22:07

DS went to nursery yesterday in ralph lauren polo shirt.
and they were playing with clay!!!
have no idea how they do it, but he never comes home with ruined clothes, not even food stained. But I have spent so much time with the vanish and stain remover getting stains out.
RL tshirts were about $10 in sale in US last year, when husband on work trip

Firawla · 21/04/2010 22:09

Its fine to dress them in what they want, expensive designer or whatever but NOT to complain about the clothes getting messy. Although I do think they should be using washable paint, and if not then they should warn the parents about that so they would know to send them not in good stuff, but if they had been warned then no excuse to complain

whatname · 21/04/2010 22:10

they are unreasonable to expect nursery to pay for cleaning

Maleeka · 21/04/2010 22:13

I learned the hard way not to send my kids in immaculate designer stuff when i went to my first mum and toddler group.

My sister had bought some really lovely white jeans and a gorgeous frilly top for my daughter who was at the crawling stage, and i remember my first proud day walking in with the sunlight dazzling everyones eyes as her bright white outfit came into view

I noticed that most of the kids were in joggers and t shirts and realised why, when we came home and my daughter was filthy head to toe with the worst black patches on her knees as she'd been crawling around on the floor.

Got myself to primark pretty quick after that and joined the other mums who sniggered at the next newbie mum and precious child dressed in clothes that had clearly come fresh from the catwalk

I work in a nursery now and there are some beautifully dressed children, but most are just in joggers and the nursery t shirt

Original poster
outnumbered2to1 · 21/04/2010 22:14

are you implying that the kids in joggers and the nursery shirt are not as beautifully dressed? lol

OP posts:
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