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MrsSteinel'sHouse 04:22 AM 07-15-2013
OK, I know people on here that hate art, hate messy play... I hate dress up clothes. I feel they are messy, dirty, they get torn up. I haven't had any in years. But, I feel like maybe I should re-explore this area. Help from those of you who love it. And if you have hats etc how do you clean it all on a regular basis?? So where would a good starting point for me be?
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MamaBearCanada 04:38 AM 07-15-2013
If you don't like them start with accessories

Plastic hats - wipe with Lysol wipes (& no risk of speeding lice )
Purses, briefcases, wallets
Ties, beads, bangles
Large scarves - can use as skirts, capes, blankets etc
Aprons & tool belts - great for role playing

Then build from there
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daycarediva 05:41 AM 07-15-2013
I HATE dress up. I have a ton of the clothes, and I refuse to put them out. Only 2 of my littles can dress themselves, so entire playtimes were me taking on/off clothing. Hats are fought over, although I did buy 6 good quality plastic fire hats we use for fire safety month, that is IT.
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blandino 05:54 AM 07-15-2013
We have dress-up, but it isn't out all the time as a dramatic play center. I keep it all in a closet and bring it out for an activity. I used to have it all in a large bin, but was realizing that 80% was just getting dumped and walked all over. So I bought the huge storage bags and divided the clothes up 6 ways, trying to make each bag even with x number if shoes, costumes, purses, etc. they are playing so much better now and using so much more if the dress up. We get out 1-2 bags at a time.
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cheerfuldom 06:34 AM 07-15-2013
i have it all accessible in a large toybox all the time. I dont dress any kid that is able to dress themselves and i make the kids clean up when they are done. nothing gets used more than our dress up!
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SilverSabre25 06:57 AM 07-15-2013
I prefer only accessories. I find those get the most use anyway. But I recently hacked a really cool dress up clothes cabinet! I want more non-princess-dress clothes.
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Happy Hearts 07:03 AM 07-15-2013
I have some dress up clothes and really don't like it much at all. Only because of the dressing/undressing aspect. They are on hangers up high on the pegboard so they have to ask for them.

I love the hats, though. They are accessible all the time and super easy to clean up.
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momofsix 07:29 AM 07-15-2013
I don't have much, but what I do have gets used quite a bit. I have some glittery skirts that are pull on, some suit coats, ties, a couple of sports team jerseys, a tool belt, aprons, and purses, keys etc.
I'm also not into a whole lot of "clothes" for dress-up. Keep it simple and we're all happy!
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JoseyJo 07:55 AM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
i have it all accessible in a large toybox all the time. I dont dress any kid that is able to dress themselves and i make the kids clean up when they are done. nothing gets used more than our dress up!
This is what we do to. I will tie up/ button up clothing one time per child but the rest they either do themselves or dont play with that item.
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Laurel 09:31 AM 07-15-2013
I go simple with mostly accessories also and they are not always out.

Hats, gloves, wallets, old watches, purses (child sized) and I also have some tutus that they only need to pull over their heads and down or step into. Oh and gloves can go on feet for 'chicken feet', lol. I have found that child sized clothing is best. I have a baseball shirt that is popular and it is about a size 4 or so. I have some scarfs and aprons that someone gave me. The aprons aren't bad as they can be used for capes and only need to be tied once.

If I didn't want to do it though, I wouldn't. I hate puppets and won't do those. I have one or two but they can play with them themselves. No puppet stuff here. I have had older children who wanted to so I had them make popsicle stick puppets and put up a curtain for them and they did everything themselves. The littles loved their show! As long as they do it themselves I don't care. I'll be in the audience.

Laurel
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MarinaVanessa 09:56 AM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
I HATE dress up. I have a ton of the clothes, and I refuse to put them out. Only 2 of my littles can dress themselves, so entire playtimes were me taking on/off clothing. Hats are fought over, although I did buy 6 good quality plastic fire hats we use for fire safety month, that is IT.
So .... what are you planning on doing with these dress-up clothes??? I'm always in the market for used, inexpensive costumes .
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daycarediva 10:11 AM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
So .... what are you planning on doing with these dress-up clothes??? I'm always in the market for used, inexpensive costumes .
MY 5yo son would kill me, if I have just my older crew here, (the ones that can dress themselves) I will let them play with them. DS (and his little friends) get the most use out of them.

My Mom got my ds several costumes from halloween clearance for Christmas one year. We have the full policeman, fireman, construction worker, mailman, a bunch of super heroes, and EVERY OLD HALLOWEEN COSTUME from 4 kids for the last 5-14 years. and ONE princess costume.
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Hunni Bee 11:07 AM 07-15-2013
I hate the Disney princess dresses...they are expensive, fragile and not sized for bigger girls. When I had my old Dramatic Play, I had men's shirts, womens dresses cut off, jeans/pants cut off, tu-tus, etc. Real clothes. I didn't dress anybody...if something was stuck, I'd help.

I would just start out with button down shirts, big tunic like shirts and tu-tus, and accessories. I wouldn't waste any money on children's costumes.
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My3cents 11:15 AM 07-15-2013
I only put stuff out that I can machine wash. Hats ect.... or hard hats. I took out the hard hats because they were hitting each other with them. I put them with the other dress up stuff

Other dress up stuff is something I take out when I want to use and not often. I dress and undress them enough. My hands are sometimes raw from the buttons and diapers drying them out. I need to take this stuff out more but I just don't.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 11:18 AM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBearCanada:
If you don't like them start with accessories

Plastic hats - wipe with Lysol wipes (& no risk of speeding lice )
Purses, briefcases, wallets
Ties, beads, bangles
Large scarves - can use as skirts, capes, blankets etc
Aprons & tool belts - great for role playing

Then build from there
This is mostly what I do!

This week in the dress up buckets there are bracelets, necklaces (the party bead kind LOL), gloves (fancy gloves and winter gloves), purses, ties, a couple of gift bags, a tutu, bandanas, scarves, playsilks, ribbons, and one dalmation "costume" (basically a sewn up long shirt with elastic at the bottom to "cinch" it with a tail sewn on the back). Little accessories come around every so often as well. Last week there were Doctor accessories there. They're very creative with what they are.
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Childminder 12:01 PM 07-15-2013
I went to thrift stores and garage sale and bought cheap real life stuff, hats, jackets, dresses, small adult shoes, purses, costume jewelry, etc… Holds up well, the kids love dramatic play and help each other get dressed. One of my little guys wears the size 5 high heels every day all day.
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harperluu 01:02 PM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBearCanada:
If you don't like them start with accessories

Plastic hats - wipe with Lysol wipes (& no risk of speeding lice )
Purses, briefcases, wallets
Ties, beads, bangles
Large scarves - can use as skirts, capes, blankets etc
Aprons & tool belts - great for role playing

Then build from there
This is also what I do. I have a couple halloween costumes thrown in that originally belonged to my own children. Mittens and boots are also a hit.

Like others on the board, I only have the dress up clothes out a couple days at a time. If I notice they are playing with a few select items frequently I put those items in a smaller bin for awhile longer. I don't mind the mess of dress up clothes, but only for short bursts of time.

When the couple of days are done, I throw all that can be washed in the washing machine. Everything else is sanitized and put away. I do not have many hats other than a few plastic hats, a McDonalds visor, some plastic crowns and head bands with different types of ears. I do find the kids like to tie the scarves on their heads to have "long hair." If lice is going around at the schools, no dress up clothes out at all.
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Scout 01:50 PM 07-15-2013
All of mine are old halloween costumes from dh nephews or ds's so most of the sizes are way off but, they do love them! I too will help one or two times max! All of the hats i have are plastic and came from the Dollar Tree so they were super cheap! I do not put out any necklaces or purses as I don't want to worry about strangulation!-but, I am a very cautious person!
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MarinaVanessa 03:45 PM 07-15-2013
Originally Posted by Hunni Bee:
I hate the Disney princess dresses...they are expensive, fragile and not sized for bigger girls. When I had my old Dramatic Play, I had men's shirts, womens dresses cut off, jeans/pants cut off, tu-tus, etc. Real clothes. I didn't dress anybody...if something was stuck, I'd help.

I would just start out with button down shirts, big tunic like shirts and tu-tus, and accessories. I wouldn't waste any money on children's costumes.
Aww man ... okay, I tried .
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