Is it tacky to wear sweats or pj's when doing home daycare? My kids get here at 5am so I am usually in sweats or pjs should I wear jeans?

Reply

I never do it. On occasion, I will wear yoga pants. Otherwise, jeans or skirts/capris in the summer. That being said - it is your house, so it is your rules! That is one of the perks of this job ~

Reply

Sorry, if I was getting up at 5am, I would be wearing sweats! I would change into clothes early am, so I wasn't in them all day but I wouldn't open at 5am for anyone, let alone be dressed and ready for the day.

Reply

Yoga pants, plain t-shirts and crocs are my go to outfit for daycare. I wear an apron that the kids painted over top and it feels professional and comfortable for a home daycare. My hair is usually in a pony tail and I rarely have any makeup on during daycare hours unless you count chapstick or if we are planning a walk, having a visitor or going on a field trip. The times I have put makeup on and done my hair I end up looking wretched by the end of the day because of running around with the kids and getting so sweaty my hair kinks up and my makeup runs.
On occasion I wear my pajama pants and top. Usually these are days when I need that extra 20 minutes of sleep and my parents have no problem with it. We all have days where we just fell out of sorts the only difference is other people stay home from work while most of us just keep chugging along.
I tell my parents at the interview that they will rarely see me look as I do at that moment and ask them not to be scared when they see me without makeup. I tell them that there may be some days I'm in my pajamas and they usually respond that they would stay in their pj's too if they were with kids and home all day. A lot of my parents are younger and college students or they run a home business themselves and are usually sporting close to the same attire as I am.
That said, wearing pajamas could hurt your parents seeing you as a professional. Thus, they could be less likely to follow your contracts and policies and may be more likely to try and argue and less likely to listen to your concerns. So if you decide to wear pajamas I would do it sparingly if at all and consider your client base when making the decision.

Reply

I will wear yoga pants or lululemons but not pjs. That is unprofessional, IMO, and I want to give off a more put together vibe. I think if the parents can be dressed and at my house early, then I can be dressed when they get here.

Reply

Not sure I would consider pj's an option, but at 5 am, they might find me without make-up and not 100% put together, so I think sweats or yoga stuff is fine!

Reply

My earliest one (10) gets a nightgown and robe. He comes anywhere between 4:45 AM and 5:15 AM. I shower and dress after he falls back to sleep. The next one gets jeans and a t-shirt.

Reply

I am up, showered and fully dressed by 5:30 a.m. I personally, would NEVER wear sweats, pj bottoms or yoga pants while on the clock...but that is my personal opinion/choice.

Here is a recent poll about what FCC providers wear https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55665

Reply

I totally wear jammie bottoms (zebra print, fuzzy neon pink, etc) on occasion... but, I jazz them up by wearing a matching headband and cute top or something - sounds weird, but I pull it off pretty well and my DCMs always comment on how cute I look :P

I usually wear plain yoga pants, or sweats - again, I will wear nice tops and always have my hair done, and usually have my nails and make-up done so I do look decent.

I sometimes wear nurse scrubs, or have an apron on all day - and I often end up changing clothes at some point in the day!

I always look clean, awake and ready to go... which I think is important. I wouldn't just roll out of bed in the my sleeping jammies with messy hair and an unwashed face and open daycare like that (well, unless I'm pretty sick or WAYYYYY tired).

Reply

I get up at 5AM and am ready to open at 6AM...dressed, hair done and makeup on.

Reply

maybe I shoulg get up at 4am and get ready a bit. I do like wearing yogo pants since I am on the floor all day but I just wasnt sure about the pj's

Reply

I wear sweats. I don't think sweats are tacky. Depending on the type of care, I would think pajamas could go both ways. I can see how they can be cute as someone mentioned aboved, but I personally never wear pajamas in front of parents. My first child gets here a little before 6 AM, and I try to be somewhat put together. I at least change out of my pjs if I don't do anything else. Sometimes I put makeup on before, or I do it later in the morning. Most days I don't wear make up at all, but I make sure my hair is brushed and styled. I advertise my childcare as a preschool/daycare. I want the parents to veiw me as professional and I don't want people to start taking advantage of me because they think I just lounge around in my pjs all day. Of courseI could be being paranoid. If the parents don't mind and you feel comfortable then do what suits you!

Reply

I wear jeans and t's with a printed scrub jacket over.

Reply

My lordy at that time you'd probably not see me even in clothes yet....lol sorry TMI

If it were a child or two, I get it. But if this is when everyone arrives and these are your operational hours for all, then I would be ready set dressed to go.

I do wear jogger suits every day. Nike, sports, victoria Sectet pink suit collections, juicy joggers.... I run, walk, jump, roll, squat and tumble every day. No way I could do that in jeans....

Reply

Do I think it is tacky? Yes.

Reply

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable wearing sweats or pj's but I think a lot depends on how they look on you. If you look like you slept in them all night and just rolled out of bed, it would look tacky. My dd wears sweats and pj's and with the tops she pairs with them, she actually makes them look good. Maybe if I looked like her in them, I'd feel more comfortable wearing them!

Reply

I used to wear pjs when I had just the one dcb. But, his mom is a friend from high school. I sent her a text one morning asking if it was going to be her dropping off cus my jeans were in the dryer & from then until last week I did, if I had no clean pants dry! If they don't care I see nothing wrong with it.

Reply

For me pj's never.
I wear jeans or khaki's when it's cold-shorts or capri's in the summer. Decent tops.
Yoga pants about once a month. I can't wear them all the time because I do feel like I'm in my Jammie's!
At 5:30 I'd be in yoga pants tho.

Reply

I wouldn't. I treat it like any other job. At least jeans and a sweatshirt for me! I think parents will take you a little more s seriously. Although pj day would be fun for everyone!



QUOTE=Little Love Bugs;292791]Is it tacky to wear sweats or pj's when doing home daycare? My kids get here at 5am so I am usually in sweats or pjs should I wear jeans?[/quote]

Reply

I hate to say it, but I would never wear pj pants during work hours other than on pj day. My dress down days are yoga pants and that's as far as I'd go. Today is jeans and a blouse.

Reply

there is no way I would get out of bed at that hour, but does this child go back to sleep. If he does then I would wear my pj's and then clean up after he falls asleep. But if he's up then I would be ready for the day. I just started wearing skirts and love them. But I like to look neat and clean in the morning.

Reply

I don't think PJ's are appropriate in MY opinion, but if it works for you go for it.

I am 6 1/2 months pregnant so my go to pants are yoga pants. They are the only things that fit my waist right now. When I'm not pregnant you can find me in jeans almost every day and only on rare occasions yoga pants. I just stopped wearing my jeans about a week ago, they were too tight and I couldn't move as freely with the kids as I wanted. All my daycare parents commented that they were surprised how long I wore jeans for!

Reply

I wear jeans regularly and long cotton t-shirts (baby T type shirts) on a typical day. Sometimes I wear my yoga pants too. I don't know that I'd wear sweat pants (I don't own any) since I can wear my yoga pants (btw I don't do yoga ). Even then I make sure that my clothing in't faded and free of holes etc. I do have a pair of pants and a tshirt that are plattered with paint already for the really messy days but other than that I make sure not to wear something that I wouldn't wear out in public.

I've heard of providers wearing scrubs and that's sounds alright to me. It's considered a uniform and you can get really cute kid friendly prints. They're easy to launder and sturdy from what I hear so worth the money but I doubt theyre very expensive anyway. I had some donated to me a while back ago but they were plain so I don't wear them often. I wear leggings and a comfy shirt under them and throw on the scrubs and they're really comfy. They feel as comfortable as sweats/yoga pants but more professional. If you want to wear sweats/jammies maybe you can try scrubs instead.

Reply

I normally wear yoga pants or leggings and a fitted T, or tank top. I really think its important to be comfortable since I am CONSTANTLY getting up and down and running around. Jeans are just too restricting to me, but I do wear them occasionally. However, I don't PERSONALLY wear PJs or Sweats by the time kids get here, but I also don't have them coming at 5 am. lol. My earliest kid gets here at 7:30 and by that time I've already been up for at least and hour with my daughter. I do however try to look presentable and have my clothes match and fit appropriately. I also put mascara on and keep my hair pulled back. Other wise I look like a disaster at the end of the day (curly hair).

Reply

I dont even know what yoga pants are lol . I imagine them to be like those fittness skin tight leggings of some sort ? I usually wear jeans and a cotton top. Mostly a nursig tank with some kind of nice pull cer or jacket to cover it half way so it doesn't look just like a tank top . My son still nurses and I still cant fit into anythig but my maternity clothes :0 !

Reply

I'm still under the opinion Hugh Hefner is the only person that can get away with wearing pj's to work and its considered ok.

Reply

I used to do this. It was my alternative to scrubs. They were NEVER the same ones I'd worn to bed, and I always picked ones that didn't look like pajamas. T
They were the Old Navy Jingle Jammies...the kids always loved them. Now I have to wear a uniform, and I have a ton of pj pants I dont use because I hate wearing pants to bed....

Reply

I wear whatever I would feel comfortable going outside in, normally... So no, I don't wear pjs. But at that time of day? I don't see it as an issue. I personammy wear yoga pants or jeans and a scrub top or tunic style apron.. That way I can take it off and go if I need to.

Reply

Yeah, I make them fun - I'm quirky though and wear flowers in my hair, have lots of tattoos and piercings, etc. But I am EXTREMELY professional and strict with my policies - for the most part my DCPs are very respectful of me, my home, my family and my rules. There isn't one person who knows me that doesn't take me seriously despite my appearance... but I think it's more my personality than anything else.
I think it's awesome that so many providers here are really proud of giving off a professional vibe - I am too, I just happen to be able to do it cute jammies if I want. LOL!

Reply