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Original poster

Dressed for nursery

61 replies

4theanimals · 15/01/2021 08:56

Hi. I have a 3 yr old at nursery and she often comes home with paint/marker pen(?)on her clothes where she’s wiped her hands or leant in it etc. I use stain remover but the paint doesn’t come fully out. The nursery say they use aprons when painting. I’m fed up having to keep buying her new clothes( I use the stained ones for playing out in the garden) . I want her to look smart for nursery but now wandering should I just send her in old clothes which very often get ruined anyway!?
I don’t want her being the unkempt one in class. What do other folk do? TIA

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Original poster
4theanimals · 15/01/2021 11:23

Thank you. That’s good to know. It’s just when I see other kids in nice clothes but mine is in leggings and top.

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Original poster
4theanimals · 15/01/2021 11:31

Wow. Can’t believe the response : ) Thank you all so much . Haven’t had chance to read all yet but the few I’ve read so far I agree she doesn’t need to be smart, just clean and practical( which is what she’s been anyway). And it’s good to know that it doesn’t matter if there is still stains on her jumper/cuffs etc. Thank you all again for your advice 🤗

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balloonsintrees · 15/01/2021 11:31

Yesterday my 3 y/o went in wearing leggings with a small hole in the knee and a top that belonged to her brother - he is now 13 so the top is at least 10 years old.
I picked her up and she was wearing her coat and covered in mud as they had been playing rolling down the small hill 🤣🤣. When I got her to the car and stripped the muddy stuff off to her day clothes, they were covered in red paint as she had been painting Owlette from PJ Masks.
It was brilliant and I just laughed...she is blissfully happy with no concerns about getting grubby - she just enjoys herself. The clothes have been washed, stains are still there and I will iron them later (yes I know, but I like ironing). No one cares whether they look smart, what they do care about is whether the child feels as though they can relax and fully engage with all activities including the messy ones.

insancerre · 15/01/2021 11:32

As a practitioner I fear the words “don’t let them get messy”
It means the parent thinks the clothes their child wears are more important than all the learning their child is doing
No mess= no fun
Op, nobody cares what your child wears, as long as it’s appropriate and allows them to take an active part in all activities

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/01/2021 11:35

I used to love it when my two come home wet, muddy and paint-spattered after nursery. It meant they'd had a good day!

Original poster
4theanimals · 15/01/2021 11:39

Still new on here and don’t know how to reply to posts. I think it’s just going to end of posts(?) but there are some handy comments on here : )

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Tumbleweed101 · 15/01/2021 16:40

Don't send them in nice clothes. Clean but old clothes are best. We paint, play in mud, get soaked from the water tray, get food down them where we practise knife and fork skills. Nursery is a very messy place! The staff much prefer seeing clothes that aren't too nice so they don't have to worry about the child getting messy.

TeachesOfPeaches · 15/01/2021 16:57

Send the child back to nursery in the stained clothes, as long as they are washed it's fine

DinosaurOfFire · 15/01/2021 16:57

OP, some of the parents sending their kids in 'nice' clothes may not care that they get ruined. I used to send my kids to the childminder in Jojo, Frugi, Monsoon dresses, but I would usually buy them second hand and knew that if they got paint on it wasnt the end of the world, it would either wash out or that dress would have paint on it till they grew out of it. I figure kids clothes are for getting messy so whatever they wear I expect to have to treat stains/ live with the marks from normal life.

EgSk · 16/01/2021 22:14

Our nursery asks all parents to send their kids in clothing that can get dirty thankfully. I bought some clothing in a massive sale in Next. Tops were £2 each. Plus I have lots of clothing my DS has stained from messy play at home which go into his nursery clothing pile .

Fandabydosey · 20/01/2021 15:16

@4theanimals nurseries are the best place for you little one to experience a wide range of activities including messy play. I can assure you that as a practitioner I would rather a child come to nursery in old clothes than worry about them staying clean. It is incredibly difficult to stop children from getting messy. Don't stress the mess and send her in the stained clothes. It will be less stressful for you, her and the nursery

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