Filthy clothes from nursery

[Taybz]

My 20 month has recently started nursery. I didn't realise how filthy his clothes would come back (ftm mum here). I'm talking paint marks and food stains top to toe. They don't seem to put a bib on them when eating or an apron when eating. Is this the norm? I've got a few ruined clothes on my hand now - what do you dress your kids in for nursery? I'm seriously considering putting together a nursery uniform of just black cheap clothes! Any suggestions please.

Yep my 2 year old just started nursery and his clothes come back stained. Putting together a nursery wardrobe is exactly what i’m doing :)

We found the same and TBH I gave up caring too much as long as she was cared for and having fun. We got a load of cheap separates from Primark and kept those exclusively for nursery so it didn't matter what state she got in!

You don't send them in nice clothes for nursery, they're there to play and learn and they have lots of children to juggle. If they're safe, changed and entertained, then they're doing enough. We send ours in in old battered second hand clothes that usually go in with stains on!

Yep. Cheap or old clothes that you don’t care about. Tbh I’d be more worried if they came home clean!

Just send him in to nursery in the stained clothes.

And get used to it because when he starts school, his school shirts will be marked with paint and marker pen in about 3 milliseconds.

My kids' nursery puts aprons on them for eating and painting, and takes their clothes off altogether if they're doing something really wet or messy! But they still manage to get quite mucky especially if playing outside. I'd just send him in in second-hand clothes and not worry about it too much - just be grateful they're doing all the messy play so you don't have to!

Just send them in non ironed, stained clothes that’s mis matched. I have a separate pile of clothes for at home and nursery

I just bought lots of good quality (but cheap) second hand stuff from Facebook marketplace. DC had a bespoke ‘nursery’ section of their wardrobe which we didn’t mind getting trashed.

Your child's job is learning. The nursery workers' job is helping them to learn and keeping them safe. Nobody's job is standing over any potential source of mess and ensuring clothes stay clean.

So if there's a painting activity, and about 20 kids milling about, how are the workers supposed to ensure that every child has an apron on? You'd be helping one and another three would sneak up behind your back and get stuck in. Ditto lunch - putting bibs on 20 kids and keeping them on would take up the entire time allowed for lunch and most of the kids would get bored while you do it and start crying/taking them off/whacking each other etc. You can have a rule that kids should wear xyz but ensuring they all do would drive the workers around the bend.

Can you spend some time in the nursery to have a more realistic idea of what goes on? Their focus is learning, not laundry! Just send him in clothes you don't mind getting trashed.

If your child comes back clean from nursery or childminder, they aren't 4 and aren't a neat child then they aren't learning and having fun.

Even if bibs are put on them they get paint, crayon, food, sand, mud, etc in places you wouldn't think possible.

Oh and don't be surprised if he loses socks because he has decided to take them off and put them somewhere.

Yep cheap clothes. Doean't matter if they are stained

Yes cheap as chips clothes. The only time I was a bit annoyed was when they painted outside in the winter and her coat got paint on it (which didn’t come off). I didn’t have a separate nursery coat at the time!

Yes, we just used second hand ones from our local clothes exchange. Also clothes were passed down from older children to younger ones at nursery as it was an outside forest nursery and they got very very dirty! They didn’t bother with bibs or anything.

Agree with what everyone else has said. Cheap clothes or charity shop clothes only for nursery. My DD has a multipack of shorts and leggings, some charity shop tshirts and couple of cardis/jumpers that are for nursery and 'regular' clothes don't get sent.

Yep we have separate nursery clothes.
Asda, primark and H&M is where we get ours.

I wouldn’t say filthy but DD definitely comes home in stained clothes. I wash the clothes obviously but don’t make extra efforts to remove stains - they are fine with a few paint marks etc. I like the fact that they do messy play at nursery as we don’t do a huge amount at home and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect nursery staff to have time to keep the children free of stains.

Clean, but stained, clothes are perfectly fine for nursery.

Buy second hand clothes, darker colours like navy and grey. If they get stains then pink vanish gel is amazing! If the stains don’t come out then just reuse the clothes, as long as they are clean who cares if stained!

I would be way more sad if my child came home in clean clothes from nursery!! Normally he has a paint mark or good mark each day but it comes out in the wash.

please tell me you don’t have a little girl and sending her in white and pale pink!!

Yes, send in cheap and even stained clothing.

we eventually switched to an outdoor forest school. They literally had a mud kitchen. I always came with big towels and plastic bags at pickup just in case and it was always straight home for a bath.

Sounds as though you ought to send your child to the nursery my SIL turned down. They proudly showed her the myriad folders of colouring in sheets and pre handwriting sheets they had down loaded. She rightly said if she wanted her kids to do those she would do them at home, what she wanted from a nursery was outside space to run round in, places to dig,big bikes and trucks, , water trays, sand trays, mud kitchens , painting tables , clay, glue , all the stuff she couldn’t provide in her small rented flat with no garden.

You'll need to get used to this. Mine went to nursery in clothes bought dirt cheaply from charity shops so it really didn't matter what happened to them.

Young children are masters at spreading food, paint, felt tip pen and worse over their clothes. Mine would even manage to shove food up underneath bibs if wearing them, so food stains were unavoidable. I only expected them to be changed into their spares after a nappy leak or toilet accident. Everything else was par for the course.

Completely agree with previous poster - if your child came back clean from nursery, that would'be been concerning.

Buy a few cheap sets of navy and black clothes to rotate and only use those, and already stained clothes in future.

Yeah just 2nd hand or cheap stuff for nursery... do the same with shoes!!

Ok, I hear you all and appreciate your suggestions! I was just miffed because there are only 5 babies in the baby room including mine as he's still with the under 2s. I am glad he's learning and having fun, it just took me by surprise just how filthy his clothes became. I'm still learning this mum thing; I guess I need to get started on arranging a nursery wardrobe asap. 😅