Mumsnetters share the biggest mess their children have made while out and about with Nice ‘n Clean

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed - thank you to everyone who shared their stories

It’s happened to all parents, you turn your back for all of three seconds and what you see on your return shocks you - it’s difficult to comprehend how your child made that much mess! Whether it’s Sudocrem, spaghetti or paint that they’ve managed to cover themselves in, the clean up is more manageable in the comfort of your own home. Baby wipes can be an essential when out and about, but with increasing awareness around their environmental impact, it can be easy to feel guilty about their use. With this in mind and following their launch of plastic free baby wipes Aqualettes, Nice n Clean would like to hear about the biggest mess your child has made while out and about.

Here’s what Nice ‘n Clean have to say: “Kind to little ones and even kinder to the planet. Nice ‘n Clean Aqualettes are truly environmentally friendly baby wipes. The wipes are plastic free and made from plant based, biodegradable fibres helping to ensure a brighter future for children everywhere. Super soft and gentle, each wipe cares for delicate, new skin using a natural pre-biotic to help protect baby’s skin whilst being pH skin neutral.

Not only are they loved by mums and dads nationwide, Nice ‘n Clean Aqualettes are dermatologically tested and paediatrician approved too. As a family business, we know how precious every baby is and how important their future is too. That’s why we’ve made our wipes from biodegradable fibres and our packaging recyclable*. We think looking after little ones and their planet is a big deal. If you think so too, find out more at aqualettes.co.uk. We’d love to hear from Mumsnetters about how they look after their babies' skin whilst they’re out and about.”

What was the biggest mess your child has ever made while out and about? How did you tackle the clean up? Do you have to approach the situation differently if you’re out of the house? Do you feel guilty about using baby wipes containing plastic?

All who share their stories on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

*Packaging is recyclable where recycling facilities for shopping bags exist

When my DS was 3 he picked up the word fk from nursery, and no matter how many times i told him not to say that word it's naughty and not nice he said it constantly for about 3weeks.
I took him in to town and bought him a ice cream he was in his buggy and i sat on a bench to eat my sandwich,
When a dear old women come up yo DS bent down and said to him mmmm i bet that ice cream is nice i wont pinch a bit you can tell your enjoying that when all of a sudden my DS rams the ice cream full force into the old womens face and shouts Fk off!!
I was mortified.

got to be icing sugar in the supermarket.bent to grab flour and turned back to her sat in the trolley.oh my goodness! she had pulled icing sugar off the shelf it had exploded all over her,trolley contents,floor. everyone was very helpful.someone brought a wet towel and was quickly moved out the way iwith someone with a brush,who cleverly said wetting icing sugar was not a good idea! brushed her down and took her to the toilets to sort the rest.

On holiday in hire car, visited a PYO and picked lots of strawberries etc. Toddler had a fresh homemade strawberry ice cream and 20 minutes into the journey home projectile vomited all over. Herself, my hair, centre console, back of the seat, even dads legs (he was driving) the stale smell of rancid strawberries was horrific!

Took my nine month old out with us for lunch. It was a dog friendly gastropub, so we took the dog too. Somehow my daughter managed to yank one of those suction bowls off her highchair tray, and tip the entire bowl of cous cous over the dog. Who then shook, showering the whole restaurant in cous cous, including several other customers

My child was unwell when the air pressure change unsettled them when landing from a flight. They vomited everywhere. Revolting. Since then I have always made sure that I have a change of clothes for me in my hand luggage as well as for the children!

Early on in potty training saw several puddles on shop floors! I began carrying a potty and absorbent roll around with me!

Sicked all over many tables and floors many times as a horribly refluxy baby! Pulled a tablecloth and most of the contents off at a very young baby age too! Babies have quite the skill and a weird amount of strength when it comes to mess making!

My eldest gets travel sick so we've had a lot of vomit in the car incidents.

The worst was actually DS2 though. On a long car journey and he needed wee. Middle of the country side and he absolutely could not wait until the next toilet so we had to pull over in a lay-by. Because we have a lot of car seats in the car the easiest way for him to get out was to climb over the front passenger seat.

So he gets out, has a wee and climbs back in. I jump back in my seat only to be hit by the worst smell imaginable.

He'd only trodden in the biggest dog turd ever and he's now walked it all over the car. I don't know how I didn't notice it but I didn't so I'd then say in it. I don't do dog muck at all so this started me off vomiting before I manage to get out of the car. This starts DS2 off and he starts vomiting which then sets DS1 off.

DH is running round flapping, DS3 is finding the whole thing hilarious and the baby is still fast asleep oblivious to the mayhem around him. We had to clean the mess up the best we could with baby wipes. I had dog mess and vomit all over me so I had to strip down to my underwear at the side of the road. Luckily DH had a hoody in the boot so I stuck this on. DS1&2 were also covered in vomit so they had to strip off.

We turned round and drove home and I had to dash into the house before the neighbours saw my arse in my half dressed state.

Not our finest road trip!

Letting them 8mo feed them self directly from a pouch of Ella’s Kitchens prunes whilst out in the pushchair.....

I was on maternity leave and had been brave enough to go for a job interview after 18 years at the same place. I agreed to meet them at a coffee place and had no childcare so they said bring the baby along.
Baby had a particular habit of pooing in their car seat and decided on this particular day to do what can only be described as utter carnage. It was all over them, the seat, my hands. The place I was going had one toilet which had a queue. I had no way of contacting the person meeting me - so I did my best in the toilet but had poo down my leg too. I had to do the whole interview with a bit of crap on my leg and a significant amount of smelly plastic bags full of soiled clothes in my changing bag, right next to interviewer. I had to just come out and explain it all.

Got the job though!

Jam doughnuts from Nana, one bite and the jam went everywhere! Very sticky and messy children

We were shopping in IKEA when DD made it clear that she was extremely hungry. So we made our way to the family room to feed.

Towards the end of the feed, the unmistakable sound and smell of a nappy being filled, filled the air. So once we finished feeding, we started to use the changing facilities.

In my over eagerness to return to shopping for flat pack furniture, I forgot to place a muslin underneath DD. As DD was still a little bit dirty, and I needed to open a fresh pack of wet wipes to finish the job, I also didn't place a fresh nappy underneath.

Sensing her unexpected freedom, DD immediately took the opportunity to piddle. Since there was nothing underneath to soak up the urine, her clothes were in imminent danger. Instinctively, I quickly scooped her up.

The rapid change in position, accompanied by a light squeeze around the middle, meant that for a second time the sound and smell of a nappy being filled was experienced. Except this time, there was no intervening nappy.

DD had taken an immediate dislike to the use of the changing facilities, and I think she took great pleasure in re-decorating them. And the wall behind them. And part of the floor.

Unfortunately for her, half of the freshly opened pack of wet wipes were sufficient enough to repair the alterations made to the room. A fresh nappy, a change of clothes for both me and her (she hadn't stopped piddling and I hadn't been swift enough to save her clothes), and we soon continued our hunt for more Swedish innovative storage solutions.

Mid potty training we took then toddler DS1 to a dinosaur park for a day out. Whilst inside this giant dinosaurs tummy (it has a slide at both ends) he calls out 'daddy I done a poo'

He rather helpfully had tried to take off his dirty shorts and pants and had spread poo everywhere inside this thing. My husband is 6ft 2 - the inside of the dinosaur is not... Our friends stood at the bottom to stop any children coming up while my husband and I used an entire pack of wipes to clean up our son and the many many surfaces of the dinosaur he had transferred poo to

Our friends carried on keeping guard while we went to customer services and explained that the dinosaur needed a disinfectant before it could be opened again and they were quite calm and said it happens plenty and many people don't even bother telling them. They sanitised it and we tried to enjoy the rest of the day.

We still go here now and aged 7 he still says oh look this is the dinosaur I pooed in and you used all the wipes!

I can remember one day I went to town with my friend and my daughter was in the pushchair, we had to stop at boots for toddler milk and wipes and stuff when I was browsing the make up I saw somebody I knew, was having a chit chat as you do whe I noticed Olivia was very quiet, looked down and to my suprise she had got hold of a mascara and managed to put it all on her face was even worse that it was waterproof mascara 🙈🙈 wet wipes made it even worse so was my que to leave town to go home I never took her with me to get make up again

DS1 on a cross channel ferry, was going a bit green, so I took him to try and find somewhere quiet to sit. We found a bar/lounge with fewer people than the restaurant we’d come from. As we walked in, he suddenly announced, ‘Mum, I’m going to be si...’, then span round as he projectile vomited, spraying the carpet liberally in a circle around him. With some horror, I guided him out, whilst apologising profusely... then I saw the tanned, manicured foot of a very well groomed passenger. Dripping through her toes and the straps of her bejewelled sandals, was DS1’s recently eaten lasagne... 🤢

I have two.

I collected my 2 y/o from nursery and got sidetracked by a staff member as we were getting coats and boots on. When I turned around to compliment my little lad on getting on so beautifully with his hat and gloves and scarf, I found he'd discovered a large bottle of black poster paints and was busy emptying over the cloakroom floor like a giant oil slick.

The worst one though was when he was four and did a poo halfway through his swimming lesson meaning the entire pool had to be emptied.

Our worst out and about happened at a beautiful wetlands centre in sussex. Dd1 was toilet trained but still at that stage where if she said she needed the toilet you had a matter if mins to respond. We were working our way along the board walk and had stopped at a small playground which we imagined was miles away from the centre where the toilets were. Dh supervised dd off to do the toilet which turned out to be a no 2. Luckily dh had wipes and a dog poo bag so bagged the evidence. Dd went back to play for a bit then we realised it had been a circular walk and we were actually just at the education centre and gift shop. All the time we were watching a the short film I could smell poo, then again in the gift shop.It was overwhelming once back in the car. We realised dh had not picked up all the poo and Dd must have stepped in part of her own poo and then trailed it everywhere . I dont think there would have been enough wipes on this earth to sort that mess out

At my parents' house I left both toddlers while I popped to the shops. When I returned my mum proudly said how good they'd been while I looked over her shoulder in horror at one of my Mum's brand new chairs (upholstered cream cushions) coloured in black felt tip all over. I spent the next hour scrubbing the chair with fairy liquid which fortunately got it looking almost ok.

My eldest DS was about three and saw a few boxes of duck eggs at the counter of farm shop. At the precise moment I was handing over my money, he picked up the boxes, but being a toddler and clumsy, he dropped them everywhere

Eggs are really messy, but a dozen duck eggs in public are worse.

My one year old taking a dirty nappy off 😑😣 it took all morningto clear that mess and she was only left alone a minute to get a nappy and wipes!

Great question.

I remember when my eldest two were little (1 & 2) and we used to visit this little play group in a church. The other mums were judgy and I was young, so it was more about them having fun than me enjoying it. My 2yo was potty traning and had a wee accident on the rug, soaking herself while I was feeding the youngest. I'd forgotten her spare clothes, I was flapping trying to fix it and mop the floor with youngest dangling off my boob feeding while all the mums watched and nobody helped. The 'helpers' helpfully informed me I couldn't leave her without pants while I was cleaning up, but also could not leave the mess unattended. Helpful. Then my youngest was sick to top it off. I wanted to dig a hole and live in it forever.

When DD was 2.5 she fell flat on her face in a puddle. Nothing to be done while we were out, but it was clothes off and in the washing machine and DD in the bath before I even let her stand on the floor!

Oh and MamaBearThius has just reminded me of lunch in a 'Spoons and profiterole sauce from head to toe! Another one that had to be cleaned up at home!

When DD was about 18 months, we went to the park with a new friend. It started raining so we legged it to Caffe Nero. I was sitting chatting with my new friend (in that stage of getting to know someone where you're still pretending you have your shit together and your kids aren't animals etc), who had had a cup of peppermint tea. Our empty cups were on the table between us and DD was pottering around pretending to drink tea from the empty cups. Next thing I know, I look down and DD has picked up the peppermint teabag and squeezed it - green gunge all over her hand. Before I could react, she stuffed part of it in her mouth. I expected her to gag and spit it out, but instead she proceeded to eat half the contents (and get the rest all over her hands and face). I have a picture of her looking gleefully at friend's DS, who looks utterly baffled. Baby wipes did not cut it for the mess; I had to put her in the bath and soak the mint leaves off when we got in.

Picture this .. Away for the weekend in a 1 horse town to attend a wedding .. no supermarkets to buy supplies (very relevant)

We husband & I and 4 kids under the age of 7 all cooped up in a bnb room and trying desperately to get done and out of there to attend said wedding. Running around like a headless chicken getting everyone sorted but got distracted by a phonecall ..
not even 2 min on the phone I turn around and ALL 4 covered in body cream, bum cream & vaseline 🙈 I kid you not! Hair, face, body covered!!!

I lost my &£&£! Trying to clean them up the towels were soiled .. used all the toilet paper.. asked bnb owner for cleaning cloths, kitchen paper hell more toilet paper and she would not help out! We had to use dirty clothes to try and scrape off as much as we could and then give them a wash down..

No amount of soap or shampoo would get the gunk out of their hair! Time was flying and we needed to get to the venue. Needless to say the kids rocked the oil hair look and they were gleaming to say the least!

Never did I ever leave products in reach of them again!