Wearing nice clothes to Daycare

[Mamateach]

Good morning!

This is not a huge problem, but just one that gets on my last nerve on a daily basis.
I have a little DCG who I adore! I knew I would love her the second I met her. Her parents are very nice people and I don't have any problems with them except for the fact that they continue to wear very nice clothes on her to daycare. I have in my contract that I am not responsible for any damages done to clothes. I ask parents to wear clothes which are not 'cute' or 'nice' as we do a lot of painting, markers, and outdoor play. This particular child does not walk yet, so when we go to the park, she sits and crawls in the sand/grass. Today for instance, she shows up in a beautiful white long sleeve shirt and white jeans!!!! I've asked them on numerous occasions to please not send her in nice clothes...no such luck. I am planning on taking them to the park in an hour...should I just let her sit in the sand and let her jeans get dirty? They do send other clothes which are nice but of a darker color but I don't think I should have to change her everyday before we go to the park because they insist on wearing 'pretty AND expensive' clothes on her. What would you do?? At this point I really want to let her get them very dirty to send the msg. Is this really unprofessional of me?

[Skysue]

What's wrong with nice clothes? They probably have sooooooo many outfits for her and it would be a shame if she didn't get to wear them all. I would put smocks on her for craft but other wise just let her be.

I have a daycare child who is always in designer clothes as well and her Mom doesn't mind if she gets messy as she is just a child.

On the flip side I had a daycare child who always wore stained or beat up hand me downs to daycare so they didn't get there nice clothes ruined? She often looked frumpy and in my opinion when is she going to wear her nice stuff?

I'm the type of Mom who let's my DD wear her fancy dresses whenever the mode strikes her because if I'm spending a lot on an outfit then she better wear it often so we can get our money's worth! LoL it drives my husband crazy.

Don't know where the thumbs down sign came from?

[JennJubie]

Let her play just like everyone else. I tell parents the same thing, don't send your kids in anything you don't want to get dirty. I had one dcg that used to come in lovely, frilly dresses every day. Her parents would pack a change of clothes and ask me to change her if we were going to play outside. I told them I did not have time to do that, and the change of clothes was for wet or dirty clothing mishaps. They kept sending her in the frilly dresses with the change of clothes. I kept letting her play in the dresses.... and they got pretty dirty some days. Eventually they got the point and started sending her in more appropriate clothing. We don't have time to be changing the dck's clothes everyday unless it's necessary. And I would never hold a child back from playing because they were sent in 'nice clothes'.

[treeholm]

I have a little girl who comes in nice things, because the grandparents buy her lovely things and her mom wants to see them worn. She has a baby brother, so they won't be passed down to anyone. Her parents never complain when she goes home with her embroidered white romper caked in mud LOL.

[apples and bananas]

Yup, let her get dirty.

If I sent my child to daycare and they came back clean I would wonder what they're doing with the kids?

I don't mind pretty clothes, because if the parent sends them, then in my mind they expect them to get dirty. Because I have that in my policies as well.

What I hate is difficult clothes! Leggings on tiny, cute, pudgy girls. Jeans with belts! Rompers that don't undue at the bottom for easy diaper changes. And my personal "favorite" the overall. They're not in style, they don't look that cute, they're a pain for me and the child as the shoulder straps are always a concern. Why bother!

[dodge__driver11]

Hi there;

I expect my son to get dirty wherever he plays. And, as a daycare provider my rule is, "if you don't want them to get dirty in it, don't send them in it." The thing is I buy most things for him gently used and he loves it..He still gets to be in brand names, but mommy didn't spend a whole heck of a lot..So it isn't a big deal.

And too if they are growing so fast, let em wear it, cause it'll end up at a gently used store and I'll buy it lol.



Dodge

[KellyP]

If this is a subject you talked with the parents about before enrolling (getting dirty) then I wouldn't spend one more minute worrying about something so silly.

She came dressed. Let her play like everyone else. If she gets dirty or her clothes get ruined and the parents are upset, they'll start sending her in play clothes.

If they don't care, why should you?

Sometimes parents need natural consequences too.

[mimi]

If the parents want to send their child in their church clothes that is up to them as they will get dirty/stained here. It is the footwear I have an issue with. I ask parents to send their children in shoes that are meant for running and playing and not about making a fashion statement.

There are a lot of very cute girls shoes out there, but I don't want to see them at daycare. Most are not meant for active play and some of these styles are just tripping hazards like flip flops and jelly sandals. You would think that after noticing your child comes home with scrapped knees everyday that a change in footwear might be needed.
I have had kids this summer who have grown out of their sandals with another month of warm weather to go whose toes are hanging out and getting scrapped and the parents say they don't want to spend the money.

[daycare2019]

I hate when kids show up looking frumpy because their clothes don't fit, or they are trashed. I've had a parent in the past who always sent their kid wearing 'floods' (aka too small pant), because she didnt care if they got ruined. There is no reason why parents shouldn't buy clothes that fit, and that are free of holes. Ia also expect parents not to send their kids in anything they would be upset at getting ruined. Stuff happens - sometimes it is inevitiable. If you wanna send your kid in fancy or expensive clothes - be my guest, but dont freak out if they get paint or dirt on it. It must be practical for play though - no long dresses on crawling babies, spaghetti strap dresses when it is 5 degrees outside, or skinny jeans that forbid floor play, etc.