Providing Daycare-Only Clothing for DCKs

[craftymissbeth]

I know I've seen this somewhere, but can't find the thread. Sorry if this was already asked!


I have been wanting to buy some cheap t-shirts and pants for my dck's. We are super, super messy here and I hate sending them home with stuff on their clothing even when it's play clothes. I do try my best to clean them up, but really we're not careful when it comes to our messiness. And I have no intention of being careful.

Anyway, my question is...

For those who provide clothing for your dcks to wear do you have any particular advice? Only use white/colored shirts? How many pairs of clothing do you have per child? Any advice is welcome.

I'm going to walmart today and plan on buying what I need.

[nannyde]

I provide all outdoor gear, second layer gear, and have full sets of footed jammies, sweatpants, sweatshirts, and indoor slippers. Clothing is one of my biggest pet peeves so I have full sets of easy on/off clothes in stock.

If the kids come in anything ill fitting or cumbersome I have everything I need to switch them into easy to deal with clothes from head to toe.

I use my clothes a lot. I just switch them into my easy stuff when they arrive and back into their clothes before they leave. For me, it's easier to switch their clothes into mine than to deal with the clothing they are sent in.

If I run seven, eight kids it is normal for me to have to provide easy on fitted clothes to five or six of them each day.

[craftymissbeth]

That's awesome, thanks!

So do you not always change them into your clothing? I'm thinking about changing them into mine regardless of what they come in. I just don't want the headache of having to be clean all. the. time.

My dcp's know that we do lots of messy fun stuff. They know and have been told multiple times that they need to send their children in "disposable" clothing. They don't complain about stains or anything, but do they listen? No.

One of my dcg's came in a freaking tutu twice in the last month. She wears a onesie underneath so the tutu comes off (and I don't say anything to the parents because frankly I don't care to) and she can just walk around in her onesie for all I care.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by craftymissbeth

That's awesome, thanks!

So do you not always change them into your clothing? I'm thinking about changing them into mine regardless of what they come in. I just don't want the headache of having to be clean all. the. time.

My dcp's know that we do lots of messy fun stuff. They know and have been told multiple times that they need to send their children in "disposable" clothing. They don't complain about stains or anything, but do they listen? No.

One of my dcg's came in a freaking tutu twice in the last month. She wears a onesie underneath so the tutu comes off (and I don't say anything to the parents because frankly I don't care to) and she can just walk around in her onesie for all I care.

I just put my stuff on if the clothing isn't easy or ill fitted. With the babies I put old school footed jammies and sleep sacks. I don't like doinking with clothes so any jeans, anything to long or too tight or requires buttons and snaps... comes off or I leave them on and undone with a sleeper over them.

I don't have the messy deal except when I get a baby that spits up. I don't do costumes either.

The parents don't care. They know I keep a huge stock of stuff and I keep it clean.

Clothing is tje bane of my child care job. I really hate the clothing made today.

[blandino]

Originally Posted by nannyde

I just put my stuff on if the clothing isn't easy or ill fitted. With the babies I put old school footed jammies and sleep sacks. I don't like doinking with clothes so any jeans, anything to long or too tight or requires buttons and snaps... comes off or I leave them on and undone with a sleeper over them.

I don't have the messy deal except when I get a baby that spits up. I don't do costumes either.

The parents don't care. They know I keep a huge stock of stuff and I keep it clean.

Clothing is tje bane of my child care job. I really hate the clothing made today.

I can't imagine what most parents are thinking when I get kids sent in outfits that are practically unmanageable. I guess when you have one child it is easier to fuss with an outfit at diaper changes ?!? I can't imagine that I would be willing to do it with even one child. But I don't care for costumey/silly dress for children, I don't think that being a child warrants silly outfits.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by blandino

I can't imagine what most parents are thinking when I get kids sent in outfits that are practically unmanageable. I guess when you have one child it is easier to fuss with an outfit at diaper changes ?!? I can't imagine that I would be willing to do it with even one child. But I don't care for costumey/silly dress for children, I don't think that being a child warrants silly outfits.

They don't. They send the child to daycare in the clothing they don't want to deal with so it gets worn. They save the easy stuff for home. If any of my stuff gets out the door it never comes back.

With low income families you end up with a lot of used clothing that was given free or near free. Clothing that is donated is often cumbersome and ill fitting. The easy on stuff gets used and worn out so it's not donated as often.

[Sunchimes]

I tell my families from the beginning that their kids will get dirty and at times, I will put them into my clothes. I stress this almost as much as I do prompt payment. The families I've had up to now dress their kids in really cute clothes. They all tell me that it's ok if they get dirty and stained, they are kids and it's ok. (I have really easy going parents.) But, it bothers me to ruin cute clothes. I also happen to know that most of my parents get and give hand-me-downs between the cousins. So when I dress them each morning, if there is any chance of getting excessively dirty (mud or paint), I dress them in my stuff and change them before pick up.

I pick up my things at yard sales for a quarter, sometimes 50¢. One of my dcgs won't eat spaghetti unless she is wearing the "bear shirt". I do the same with shoes. I keep their "mud" shoes in a box beside the door. Even the teensies know to go out the door and sit on the porch to get outside shoes on. So many tennis shoes now have those deeply carved soles and they are dirt traps.

[craftymissbeth]

Yeah I've mentioned it to my dcp's, but they act like it's no big deal. I still have a hard time getting messy things on all of these cute clothes.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I keep large shirts to pull over if I know something is messy. Spaghetti etc I remove shirts unless if it is winter and then I pull on a tshirt.
I do tell parents that I ruin clothes! I have tried to get over feeling guilty!

[se7en]

One thing to remember with the children who are 2,3 or 4 years old is they sometimes want to choose their own clothing in the morning. I think that explains why many come in Tuus, superman capes, etc. As for the clothing at daycare, good idea. However, as a mom, I am very stringent about my children wearing shoes which are not theirs. I would prefer to leave a pair of cheapo shoes at the provider`s house that only my child wears. I have this hang-up about shoes. Lol

[blandino]

Originally Posted by nannyde

They don't. They send the child to daycare in the clothing they don't want to deal with so it gets worn. They save the easy stuff for home. If any of my stuff gets out the door it never comes back.

With low income families you end up with a lot of used clothing that was given free or near free. Clothing that is donated is often cumbersome and ill fitting. The easy on stuff gets used and worn out so it's not donated as often.

The clothes I am talking about are more on the cutesy side. Rompers, full length some with snaps down the full length of the leg. Or shirts with cross crosses in the back, so getting the arms in the right spots is impossible. Skinny jeans that are impossible to pull up and down. I have the biggest problem with incorrect sizing. Children in clothes that are too big or little drives me batty. My lower income families will do a lot of hand me downs, and those tend to be where I notice the size discrepancies the most.

I don't have nearly as much extra clothing as you do, and all of it has either been left here or donated to us, and I only use it if we are out of spare sets of clothing for that child. But I bought the iron on transfer paper, and the daycares name is now written largely on all of our spare clothing so that no one would want to keep it. That started after I saw one of our spare outfits being worn in a picture on FB. Even with the big ugly writing, not all pieces come back. Go figure.

[craftymissbeth]

Originally Posted by blandino

The clothes I am talking about are more on the cutesy side. Rompers, full length some with snaps down the full length of the leg. Or shirts with cross crosses in the back, so getting the arms in the right spots is impossible. Skinny jeans that are impossible to pull up and down. I have the biggest problem with incorrect sizing. Children in clothes that are too big or little drives me batty. My lower income families will do a lot of hand me downs, and those tend to be where I notice the size discrepancies the most.

I don't have nearly as much extra clothing as you do, and all of it has either been left here or donated to us, and I only use it if we are out of spare sets of clothing for that child. But I bought the iron on transfer paper, and the daycares name is now written largely on all of our spare clothing so that no one would want to keep it. That started after I saw one of our spare outfits being worn in a picture on FB. Even with the big ugly writing, not all pieces come back. Go figure.

I made my own daycare logo shirts so that I have a "uniform" so I have some of that transfer paper. Having it on my dck's clothing would be a good idea.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by se7en

One thing to remember with the children who are 2,3 or 4 years old is they sometimes want to choose their own clothing in the morning. I think that explains why many come in Tuus, superman capes, etc. As for the clothing at daycare, good idea. However, as a mom, I am very stringent about my children wearing shoes which are not theirs. I would prefer to leave a pair of cheapo shoes at the provider`s house that only my child wears. I have this hang-up about shoes. Lol

If the parent wanted the child to have new shoes and I didn't have that I would buy a pair of keds for him. I want good solid easy on shoes that are identical. It helps so much getting them ready fast.

[renodeb]

Its in my contract that each child must have two sets of spare clothes here and labled with there name. I keep some s[are stuff as well. My current group always brings it back but in the past once it leaves this house its gone. I buy stuffrom second hand places or walmart. A few things in each size. Mostly uni sex stuff when possible. One time I had a pair of cacky shorts that I wrote my dc name on in big letters and the parents still never returned it! I tell the parents that they will get dirty and there cool cool with it. I slip t shirts on over there clothes if it to messy.
Deb

[JoseyJo]

Originally Posted by MrsSteinel'sHouse

I keep large shirts to pull over if I know something is messy. Spaghetti etc I remove shirts unless if it is winter and then I pull on a tshirt.
I do tell parents that I ruin clothes! I have tried to get over feeling guilty!

That's us! We use size adult small tshirts for "art smocks" anytime we know we are going to get messy (messy meals or painting usually) but other than that they just get dirty! Don't feel bad, they chose to send them in that outfit even though you warned them it would get dirty. Some of my dc parents have said that their kids get so many clothes from family thatthey really don't care if what we think are very fancy clothes get ruined.