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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Ruined clothes, what would you do?

96 replies

Sakura03 · 02/08/2021 10:17

We're mostly very happy with DS' nursery but its bothers me that the children don't wear aprons when painting as nearly all my son's tops are stained (black paint), on Friday it was top and trousers, earlier in the week he'd covered his hands in black paint and used his top instead of paper, despite using a decent stain remover the top is completely ruined. I buy him cheap clothes for nursery and I expect the occasional accident but I think it looks awful bringing him in in badly stained clothes. The fact that his clothes is cheap shouldn't really matter as in my opinion you should still look after your clothes. That's the way I was brought up and I want my son to learn that we look after our clothes (just the same principle that we apply to toys etc). I feel like pointing this out to staff, what would you do? Do your nursery use aprons? Tia

OP posts:

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INeedNewShoes · 02/08/2021 12:22

My personal bugbear is how if the clothes get wet they shove them in their bag absolutely sodden in a nappy bag. Breeding ground for mould, and totally gross to deal with!

Now this I don’t mind. Easy enough to just empty the bags into the washing machine at home.

The one time nursery did wash some clothes of DD’s we never got them back! Too many kids for them to keep track of what belongs to who (never occurred to me to label DD’s undies/leggings whereas I’m pretty good at labelling jumpers/coats/hats that will be on and off all the time)

WaterIsBest · 02/08/2021 12:24

Alot of nurseries suggest ‘Nursery clothes’

You can get tshirts for £2.50 in Tesco and Asda

MeadowHay · 02/08/2021 12:30

This has always happened to our DD at nursery and it's never bothered us at all. We send her to nursery wearing either hand me downs/stuff from charity shops or very cheap supermarket clothing. She goes 3 days a week and we basically have a full set of 'nursery clothes' for nursery. We always send her with those same clothes, many of which are covered in paint, food, and mud stains that haven't come out even with stain remover. I don't care at all now she's 3 she even knows mostly which clothes are 'nursery clothes' and which are not. Once she's outgrown them we then bin them. Not an issue for us at all, I'm glad she's out enjoying herself, playing and eating independently and learning too.

drspouse · 02/08/2021 12:38

@MiddleParking

My personal bugbear is how if the clothes get wet they shove them in their bag absolutely sodden in a nappy bag. Breeding ground for mould, and totally gross to deal with!

My DCs clothes have never grown mould in a plastic bag over the max. 7 hours between changing them and picking them up. We generally sent a washable nappy bag for wet/soiled clothes (my DD is 7 but still has the occasional toilet accident).

Mammyofasuperbaby · 02/08/2021 12:40

Pretty much @nocturnalcatfreetogoodhome. They even said its only food colouring so it should wash out and we're perplexed when I told them that food colouring is just edible dye.

I'm a TA so have been covered in jelly and allsorts in the name of sensory learning but it would all easily wash out - food colouring in water is 100% not happening and aprons are always worn or the children aren't allowed in the areas.
My son is autistic and loves water so was coming home soaking wet and bright orange, would have been funny if I had a car and the colour washed out.

LaBellina · 02/08/2021 12:47

It seems a small effort for the nursery to let the children wear aprons. It’s a bit entitled of them to decide for parents that it’s ok that the kids clothes can get permanently stained despite it being (easily!) preventable by something simple as an apron. Not everyone has the budget to buy special nursery clothes that can get stained and have naice spare clothes too for their DC. I would definitely bring it up with the nursery and send him in with an apron you bought if necessary.

MistyFrequencies · 02/08/2021 12:52

My kids were both apron refusers. I know nursery tried because in photos on their app lots of the kids are wearing aprons. My little ones were always covered in paint. I put it straight in cold rinse in machine when they get in, then normal wash. The stains dont always come out but I send them in clean stained clothes anyway.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 02/08/2021 13:05

When DD was at nursery I bought a load of white Fruit of the Loom tshirts and white leggings from amazon and we spent a fun afternoon tie-dying them. These became her 'work clothes' and knew she was fine to cover them in paint, mud, glitter or whatever else she was up to. She had several sets and a spare set in her bag too and paint and pen stains just fitted in with the tie dye.

Whilst it's important to teach children to look after their things, it's also important to teach them that different behaviour is appropriate in different situations / different clothing. Just like a builder, artist etc have messy work clothes and clean home clothes.

RedEagles15 · 02/08/2021 13:06

Do they definitely not use aprons? I thought this about dd's nursery until they said she wears an apron and then tries taking it off/puts her hands inside it so gets covered in paint. I send her in wearing the stained clothes otherwise everything she wears to nursery would be one use only

Ozanj · 02/08/2021 15:22

@Mammyofasuperbaby

Pretty much *@nocturnalcatfreetogoodhome*. They even said its only food colouring so it should wash out and we're perplexed when I told them that food colouring is just edible dye. I'm a TA so have been covered in jelly and allsorts in the name of sensory learning but it would all easily wash out - food colouring in water is 100% not happening and aprons are always worn or the children aren't allowed in the areas. My son is autistic and loves water so was coming home soaking wet and bright orange, would have been funny if I had a car and the colour washed out.

Yes this. So called ‘Toxic’ paints for toddlers are those that are inedible and are washable. Non-Toxic isn’t always and the cheaper stuff definitely isn’t.

Even honey sticks when smooshed hard enough into certain fabrics will stain.

Tumbleweed101 · 02/08/2021 20:30

Always put them in scruffy clothes you don't mind getting mucky. It isn't just paint but playdough, water, mud, etc.

Our preschool children will always get an apron as they have better understanding but the little ones are still learning so you can pop an apron on them while they paint and they finish, you clean them up, turn your back for a moment and they are back in the paint, this time without an apron. it takes only a moment of being distracted for them to paint every nearby surface when they are 2-3yo. When there are other children that need assisting it is easy to get distracted elsewhere. That age group also have no concept of pulling up sleeves before they start painting/playing in water/mud etc and they can be in things before the adult is ready to help them. There is a 1:4 ratio so one adult is watching 4 children at any given moment.

Tumbleweed101 · 02/08/2021 20:34

For the pp who dislikes wet clothes in nappy sacks - consider sending in a wet bag. Some of our parents do this so soiled or wet clothes (from play) can be stored for washing. We don't have the time or facilities to wash every ones wet clothes! We do hang them up in the garden after summer water play to allow them to dry but often it's hard to remember what to belongs to which child.

drspouse · 02/08/2021 21:53

I've just realised the OP is also the mum who sends her daughter to Brownie camp in white trousers and says she'll be cross if they get dirty.

ImFree2doasiwant · 02/08/2021 21:57

Just buy the cheap clothes, wash them, and send them in again. It's nursery. They will get dirty, and it's a sign that they're having a good time.

bakingdemon · 02/08/2021 21:58

My DS won't wear the aprons that nursery provides because he doesn't like them apparently, so I've started sending him in with a smock from home in the hope it might save his clothes

scrivette · 02/08/2021 22:00

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

I love this idea.

I have always sent the children in navy blue/darkish leggings/shorts and teashirts and use those as a 'uniform'.

Changechangychange · 02/08/2021 22:07

DS has been through three nurseries (we moved about a bit). Ours all used aprons, but then they always used washable paint as well, so even when paint did end up on the clothes, it always washed out.

insancerre · 04/08/2021 06:27

Tip for getting rid of paint
Soak in cold water and washing up liquid before washing
Don’t put clothes with paint straight in the washing machine as the hot water will set the paint stain and make it impossible to remove

TheWayTheLightFalls · 04/08/2021 06:49

Can you speak to the nursery and ask a) whether they use aprons b) whether you can send in an apron for DS? I'm also a bit confused at the paint not washing off, like others have said. Otherwise I agree with others - we bought a bundle off clothes off eBay and a few pairs of leggings/jeans from Asda and that's what DD goes in.

HalzTangz · 04/08/2021 07:05

I had nursery clothes and non nursery clothes. Nursery clothes were stained, but I'd rather she wore those to get more stains on, than ruin other clothes

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 04/08/2021 07:08

My DD once came home with green hair from nursery. And a green dress in a bag... on the back. She apparently had carefully put an apron on before managing to sit in the paint.

Luckily it was a school uniform dress... the stain resistant grey ones.

Only thing I had to bin after nursery/school was a gingham dress with a browny red mud stain on the back.

Sometimes children get covered despite the best efforts of the staff. I've seen children put the aprons on inside out for example

Nextchapterofmybook · 04/08/2021 08:26

The dirtier they come back the more fun they have been having. Just wash the clothes and send back with stains, no need to throw them away. Relax.

DoubleTweenQueen · 04/08/2021 08:35

I think we just sent them in with an old cut-down shirt or T-Shirt they could pop over their things when painting.
We also had the aprons with arms that velcro at the back which are easy to slip on and off - can you not provide something in their bag, if it's an issue for you?

We never sent ours in clothes that we'd care much about. Food stains were pretty frequent anyway.
If they came home filthy it usually meant they'd had a pretty good day.

WhatAWasteOfOranges · 04/08/2021 08:36

Black T-shirts are great for nursery

MuchTooTired · 04/08/2021 09:35

My nursery told me to put them in old clothes as they get messy there. They’ve only been during covid times so not sure if they wore aprons beforehand, or it’s their policy not to. I don’t think my kids would wear one for long anyway! I just buy cheap clothes for my DTs to go to nursery in. They get absolutely filthy whether at nursery or not, so it’s no big deal really to me. If I was shelling out for brand new expensive clothes for them I’d be devastated, so I don’t.

I flog it all on once outgrown on eBay - unmarked stuff in one bundle, nursery clothes cheaply in another.

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