Wearing The Same Socks Day After Day!

[LindseyA]

I have had 2 unrelated dcks in the past two weeks wear the same dirty mismatched socks for 3-4 days in a row! They are clearly the same socks, and dcks even say they are the same socks as yesterday and the day before, etc. When asking parents about them, they have said, "oh, I wasn't going to fight that battle this morning!" I know it's pretty common for kids to walk in with the same pjs, or shirt once in a while, but the socks are grossing me out! I have changed their socks (they all have a complete change of clothes always) but I am thinking this time, of telling the parents something along the lines of "Oh boy! I think Mommy/Daddy needs to get washing some socks! After a couple days, these babies are retired!" and hand them the dirty stinky socks. Just. EW.

[hope]

Well then DCM, you will have to provide clean socks to leave here because I need dcb to be wearing clean clothes each day.

[Ariana]

We had a seminar on abuse and this was a big part of it. At the centre where I worked their was an autistic child who had the same underwear on for 4 days in a row! I immediately told my boss and the girl had different underwear the next day. Laziness or "fights" with a child are no excuse for neglect.

In this situation I would either wash the socks myself with laundry I am already doing (like bins and wash cloths) or I would change the socks when they got here, put the dirties in a bag to be washed at home. I would just say something like "bettys socks are needing to be washed so I popped them in a bag for you...she has dc socks on right now so you can return them tomorrow" or something to that effect.

It really depends on the parent. I had a parent who sent their child in a filthy snowsuit...and I mean FILTHY. I ended up washing it myself because I knew mom would do nothing and I felt like there might have been some depression/neglect going on.

[VWMom]

Currently going through the same issue here. I have a 3yo DCG who is on day #4 with the same sock on. Yesterday her mom didn't send her shoes so she walked out in those socks to the car. Today she is in a pair of my spare socks because there is NO WAY those filthy things are going in my play room
The issue might resolve itself soon as her mom never works a full week, always calling off for some reason or another, and I hear she is on notice at work

[childcaremom]

Ew!

I would take them off right at arrival, handing them back to dcps, and let the dcks put the new, clean ones on.

If it happened again, I would verbally tell dcps that child needs to be in clean clothing (including socks) each day.

They can not fight those battles with their children on the weekends.

Kids in the same socks wouldn't really bother me, same underwear....ICK!!! Even same clothes bugs me. But socks I could live with. Four days is a bit extreme.

[Josiegirl]

What if you send home a note to all parents, reminding them to please send their child in clean clothes, including socks/underwear, each day as it is a sanitary issue? Anyone not found to be following these rules will be sent home to change.
Either that or continuously change their socks when they get there and send home the dirty ones, telling dcm you need more. I think I'd ask for a few extra pair though.
A couple days(as long as they haven't been walking in the barn or mud)with the same socks wouldn't bother me but I just don't get peoples' thinking sometimes.
I'm all for picking your battles with kids but I truly think way too many parents use it as an excuse now and stopped using common sense. Would dcm go to work in the same clothes for 4 days???
Very lazy parenting IMO

[Sheri]

I understand "choosing your battles" but at a certain point it can become a health issue and what could they be tracking into the daycare center and then back into their own beds?