Painting in nursery is this right?

[Angeldelight21]

Hi all, DD 20 months was painting in the nursery yesterday and apparently she took the apron off, so covered in paint.

I have soaked and washed the outfit and the paint marks did not even faint. I was just astonished that it is not a water based paint.

Do you think it is ok? Is it safe? DD has eczema, on hands as well so just makes me wonder.

TIA

It's important to check the paint's ingredients with the nursery to ensure it's safe for kids with eczema. Non-toxic, water-based paints are generally a better choice.

Water-based paint can still stain clothes. Do you mean that the paint hasn't come off at all, or that there is a still a colour stain where the paint was?

I'm surprised they didn't fade, but yes, paint stains.
Send old, paint stained, but washed clothes to nursery. Keep the nice stuff for home.

Even non toxic paints that say they don’t stain clothes still do I’m afraid especially blues and reds. If you are concerned ask them to show you what paint they use but I’m sure they won’t be using anything that’s harmful to your child.

The paint didn't come out at all after soaking in Vanish and 3 hrs wash cycle

Water based paints are very hard to remove from clothing when dry, I don't think the fact it hasn't washed out suggests its not suitable. You can ask them of course, but unless you've noticed an eczema flare up and are concerned this has caused it then I'm sure its fine.

So there's physical paint still stuck on the clothes? Seems unusual for water based paints.

The simplest thing is just to contact the nursery and ask them the brand of paint that they've used if you're concerned that it's toxic.

If it's just stains, then nursery clothes do get stained. The great thing about small children and nurseries is that paint stained clothes are totally ok to be worn again.

Yep, happened with my DC's and very annoying. They would tell me it's washable but it definitely wasn't. They used to say just send them to nursery in clothes that can get ruined but not ideal to have two sets on clothing!

Did you soak it in cold water? I am sure I read on here that most nurseries use water based paints but that they can still stain clothes so you soak/wash them first in cold water and then wash them in warm water. If you soak them in warm water you just set the stain. A bit like blood.

I think we used to just accept that certain clothes were the ones they wore to nursery because there would always be something on them. Mine wore Primark t shirts to nursery so at £1.80 each they were a bargain at the time.

DD wears clothes to nursery from vinted or eBay for this reason, after she fell in some green paint last year.

A trick for getting rid of ‘washable’ paint is, before washing, rinse in lukewarm water and cover with handwash. Give the stains a scrub, add more handwash, scrub again and let it sit for 15-20 mins before popping in the washing machine. Doesn’t work once clothes have been through the washer as the heat sets the stain but worth a shot beforehand.

This is the number one most frustrating thing about having kids in nursery for me. And I've got 3 in there at the moment 😂 The "washable" paint stains so badly. I soak their clothes in cold water with some stain remover oxy powder stuff and a generous squirt of washing up liquid overnight then wash in the machine. It doesn't always get it out completely but fades it considerably. Blue and green is the worst followed by red. The paint issue is the reason I favour dark, cheap clothes for nursery and they have a specific nursery wardrobe. Their nicer, and light coloured, clothes are never ever worn to nursery!

You definitely need a second wardrobe of nursery clothes. Essentially that's what they have for school with uniforms so no different really at nursery.

I get most paint out but it's the blue that usually stains.

The worst stain is mud for me. No idea how to get it out so my little one has loads of trousers with brown mud stains on the bum. So long as they are clean I still send her to nursery in them

Thank you for your replies, lesson learned: nothing fancy for nursery

Your assumption that a water based paint will dissolve in water is sadly wrong. Water is the solvent for paint together with pigments and binders. The alternative would be oil based.
Walter is a solvent. It can dissolve compounds. You have a dirty pan, you add water, some of the content dissolves.
Water is the solvent base in water based pain, the liquid needed.

This however doesn't mean, the pigments and binders go easily away from fabric. In matter of facts, they won't . It will be nearly impossible to dislodge the pigments from clothes. Heat makes it worse.

My son gets absolutely rotten in nursery. Paint, food, mud, messy play, the lot.
I think its actually part of their ethos they're very big on giving the kids independence and letting them self feed, go out in all weather's etc. They've even got some kind of sign in reception along the lines of a messy child is a happy child.
I just send him in cheap, usually navy, clothes that I don't mind getting wrecked. If I'm perfectly honest I'm a bit of a scruff myself so it's a relief that he isn't expected to be sent in looking immaculate tbh ha.
In all seriousness though I hope the paint doesn't set off your daughters excema. I suffer with contact allergies / dermatitis and the itch is unreal.