How dirty are your daycare kiddos at the end of each day?

[Sassygirl]

Hi there. I currently have all 12-14 month olds in my care. Half are walking... half are not and are crawling still. No biggie. I have a huge fenced in backyard with all kinds of play equipment, slides, climbers, sand and water tables, ride on toys and a little cottage. Not to mention all the balls, trucks, bubbles, etc they play with. We tend to stay outside almost all day. Heck, I even bring my highchairs outside and they eat out on the deck and watch the bird and squirrel show while they eat and they LOVE it!
I have one parent of a crawler who seems to almost complain at the end of each day how dirty her daughter gets. Dcg LOVES being outside the most. She crawls all over the place and has a blast. That said, at the end of each day she is usually on her second or third outfit change and has dirty fingers nails and her clothes may be wet or mucky. The mom says almost every day at pick up "Wow, look how filthy you are" and I usually respond and say "But she had a blast".
I feel like there is such a short window with nice weather, lets stay outside as much as we can. Whats a little dirt?
What is everyones thoughts? How dirty are your dck's at the end of each day?

[Bookworm]

If we have been outside quite a bit in the day, they go home pretty dirty. My kids are all walking though, and one doesn't like getting her hands dirty. However, none of my parents have complained about their kids being dirty.

If the parent has a problem with how dirty her child gets, then put she should put her in clothes she doesn't care about getting ruined.

[Momof4]

I completely agree - mud is fun! Painting and markers and playdo caked into jean knees are all fun too. I make it clear to my daycare families that any clothing worn to daycare must be expendable. I had a client a long time ago that liked to dress her little girl in frilly dresses, white and light pink colours including the shoes. Boy did she learn fast! Oh yes, and jumping in muddy puddles is fun too!

[playfelt]

We do outside play at the end of the day too and yes I do it that way so the sand in the pockets and cuffs goes home and that may be what the parent is really complaining about in the sense of all that dirt is now going to be falling off in the carseat and car and she will be the one responsible for cleaning it up - better the parents than me having it all come back into my house and having sand in the nap mats daily.

[cfred]

My guys go home quite dirty most days in the summer. It's to be expected during our short lived summer. I've not had any parents complain. I will only change them if really wet or head to toe filth. Usually a wash of exposed skin is enough. My clients often forget to leave extra clothes as well, so a change if often out of the picture. If I know a child has somewhere to go after daycare, I'll make sure they're washed and changed. Otherwise, it's just the end result of a great day together

[Monday 2 Friday Mama]

I may be in the minority here, but I try to have my dck's cleaned up when their parents pick them up. Don't get me wrong -there's lots of dirt, and water and paint going on here - and frequently the children go home in a different outfit than what they started the day in, but I just find sending them home clean keeps the parents happy. While everyone says that they want their children to play hard, most don't appreciate being passed a grubby monkey at the end of the day - and I don't want to be perceived as a poor caregiver because the kids are messy. Our routine here is around 4 P.M. everyone comes inside and we all get cleaned up - hands and faces washed, frsh clothes on and dirty ones bagged up, fresh bums for the road and (if needed) a quick brushing of hair. We then read stories and do other "tidy" activities for the last half hour of our day.

[Wonderwiper]

Totally filthy!!! My parents love it too! I tell parents in the interview that I love to be outside, don't stop kids from playing in mud etc. so everyone knows. Unless they are soaked or covered in wet mud I don't change them. I keep wipes outside to wipe hands before they go home, that's it.

[momofnerds]

I understand mud and all (i live in the country and own a ditch, mud is nothing) but as a parent I would be angry if I was picking my child up every day and they were filthy. I don't have time to clean up my child if they were dirty, make dinner, clean up and listen to my other children kwim.
sometimes you have to look at it as a parent, we dont' know what their plans are after they leave our house. And really, how hard is it to clean up a child befor they go home. Now if you have play time at the end of the day, like one of the above posters thats great, but if your going to do play outside all day then they should be somewhat clean to go home.

[Momof4]

Oh, I should have clarified, faces and hands are washed here before and after meals and when we come in from outside. If their bare knees and elbows are really filthy I wash them up as well but that's because I have beige carpeting and couch. What I was saying was that parents should not expect their children to stay away from dirt, mud or fun crafting materials at daycare. If parents want their child in a bubble then they need a nanny.

[Wonderwiper]

That's me exactly momof4. Kids get dirty. I don't have time to change 5 kids every time they get a grass stain on them. I assumed anyone would realize I don't send kids home looking like they have been mud wrestling. Visible skin is clean and clothes are dry.