How often do your kids' clothes just come home destroyed?

[anna7602]

I'm good at getting stains out (a combo of soaking in Oxi Clean and scrubbing the heck out of the stain after with Ecover stain remover stick), but DD gets a hole in the right knee of nearly every pair of leggings she owns. I have no idea what she does to get the hole originally, but I know that she idly picks at it while she's sitting in the classroom (because I've seen her pick at it while sitting around at home) and makes it bigger. I can't GAF anymore and just let her keep wearing the leggings with a hole in the knee until the hole gets too big to be ignored.

[mswax]

I don't send shirts that I really about to daycare. I also send shirts that have already been stained at daycare back to daycare.

Also, doctors can tell the difference between messy and ill cared for. Don't stress.

[karinothing]

Ruined? Never really. He can get his clothes pretty dirty but they always get clean. I don't do anything special except use tide.

[Deleted]

I don't think they've ever had clothes ruined at daycare. Maybe some minor stains here and there that didn't come out occasionally.

DD2 on the other hand comes home weekly with huge holes in the knees of her pants now in first grade. I dot know what's going on, but she's going to run out of pants if she doesn't stop whatever it is.

[jeaniebueller]

Never destroyed. DS did come home with paint stains on shirts a few times. I never dress them in white tops either. Annnnnd this is why I dress my kids in character shirts and garanimals and carter's at daycare, haters.

[zarapipe]

I've had a few shirts that I couldn't get stains out of. But yeah mine usually come home looking pretty rough.

[sju1982]

anna7602 I soak my stained items in Oxyclean as well, but when do you use the stain stick? After soaking but before you throw them in the wash?

[ewall]

A few spots here and there, but nothing has been destroyed. Our daycare makes sure he is relatively clean if we are picking him up for a pediatrician appointment. I don't ask them to, they just do it.

[steamboat185]

We've never had anything destroyed. I'm sure some stuff is stained, but roughly 80% of DD's clothing is handmedowns so I don't care.

[VillainV]

Never. I also suck at laundry, but the only clothes that have ever been ruined are from on my watch, not theirs. They are super-diligent about bibs, smocks, rolling sleeves up, etc.

[jenn248]

Dec 14, 2015 14:38:00 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

Crusty with food or craft supplies, probably weekly. Permanently ruined / stained, maybe a few times per year.
(We still send him to daycare in the stained stuff.)

Same here.  

I usually do make an effort to get most of the food/paint/whatever out, since it (irrationally) bothers me to have her running around in obviously stained clothes, but there are a few things (e.g. a $4 Kohl's shirt that she probably wore 15 times) that I've decided aren't worth my time or energy.  

[sookie]

Does your daycare not try to cover their clothes when they eat if it's something messy? Whenever they have spaghetti or something else that is guaranteed to get all over her shirt and stain it, they put one of the big t-shirts on her to cover her clothes that they use for art time. Occasionally there will still be a stain, but it's usually not too bad and something I can live with for being a daycare only type of shirt.

The best stain remover I've found for DD's clothes has been this one: www.amazon.com/OxiClean-Force-Stick-Ounce-Pack/dp/B005N7ETR0

[anna7602]

Dec 14, 2015 14:41:53 GMT -5 sju1982 said:

anna7602 I soak my stained items in Oxyclean as well, but when do you use the stain stick? After soaking but before you throw them in the wash?

Yes. I like Ecover specifically because it has a nice, scrubby brush attached to the top. I feel like just brushing alone sometimes releases the stain after it has soaked, without needing to squeeze the actual Ecover product on the stain. 

[magpie]

Hardly ever. She comes home with food stains at least once a week, but they usually wash out. We don't send her precious clothing to daycare.

This brings up my tangent--My friend sends her DD to another preschool that we are considering and they kids comes home literally covered in paint like most days. The school keeps a whole room full of long, long lost and found/"Community" clothing that the kids can change into and take home if their clothing gets too wet to be comfortable, so this girl always shows up at the park after school where we have a weekly playgroup either covered in paint or in random weird clothes. I can't decide if this is a reflection on the school being super fun or just plain sloppy.

[preppy]

I am wondering about this as we gear up for daycare. I spend good money on DD's outfits and usually donate the stuff MIL buys since I don't like the style and fabrics. Should I keep some of the junky stuff for daycare clothes? Will it be stuff that even oxyclean baby can't remove?

[jeaniebueller]

Dec 14, 2015 15:12:13 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Ok, I'll get the scrubby brush one. I use a spray oxyclean and then also the straight up powder, but tomato soup and sauce stains remain.

I mean, today she's in a $5 Old Navy shirt, but shit. This will probably never be the same. I put her jacket on over it, though it's too warm for that today, and thankfully she's naked for most of the appt.

Can you send one of those giant toddler bibs for her to wear during meal times?

[jeaniebueller]

Dec 14, 2015 15:13:40 GMT -5 preppy said:

I am wondering about this as we gear up for daycare. I spend good money on DD's outfits and usually donate the stuff MIL buys since I don't like the style and fabrics. Should I keep some of the junky stuff for daycare clothes? Will it be stuff that even oxyclean baby can't remove?

I personally would not invest much in clothes that will be worn to daycare and keep the nicer stuff to wear on the weekends and keep the stuff that your MIL gave you for daycare.

[Deleted]

Never. I don't think anything has ever been ruined, unless there was a poosplosion and I tossed it to save myself from washing. My DD isn't hard on clothes at all.

[curbsideprophet]

I am also a little confused on why you think they will think she is ill cared for because of a few food stains. If you are really bothered by it just change her shirt before you go in.

Some things get stained at daycare, something's get stained at home. I don't really keep track.

[Cioccolato]

I send DD to daycare in clothes I'm not attached to (hand me downs, etc). I work in a preschool (my kids are 2-3 years) and really appreciate it when the kids are dressed comfortably not stylish (short sleeves are best!). Your kid's going to get messy and wet! We have a 2 year old who comes in button down shirts, vests, sweaters over his shirts, popped collar, etc and its all Burberry/Hugo Boss. He gets changed into one of our tshirts daily. His parents just don't get it. So annoying!

[greycat]

I've only had a few things get stained and nothing was ruined. I use shout spray on all food stains. If that doesn't work I've also had luck pre treating with a paste out of oxyclean.

ETA- I did complain on here once when DS clearly painted without a smock and had paint everywhere. I was able to get the stains out of his shirt using oxyclean.

[mainelyfoolish]

Dec 14, 2015 15:42:02 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

I think I have a loose definition of ruin. Stained permanently to me is ruined. Maybe I need to lower my expectations.

I let my kids wear stained clothes to school. They're just going to keep getting stains on them anyway.

[gibbinator]

Dirty with food, often. Never ruined.

[niq]

In 4 months in the 2s room, he's so far lost 3 shirts to paint stains that we can't get out. We send white or white-with print, but he can ruin a colored shirt too

[robot]

If I sent her in white clothes, they would probably be stained at least twice a week, if not more. I solve this problem with brightly colored clothes

[closertofine]

It's definitely lessened as they have gotten older. Ds is 2 and he's pretty infrequent at once a month or so. Same with dd at 4. I make zero effort to remove stains. 95% of my kids' clothes are hand me downs or purchased by their grandparents. And I keep using stained clothes for daycare and around the house.

As babies, it was multiple times per week.

[july]

Dec 14, 2015 15:16:37 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

This also might be a little eye rolly, but I bring a clean outfit if we have to go to the doctor after daycare.

My husband has purchased a new outfit because her outfit got messy and we didn't have a change of clothing. I am talking a five dollar walmart dress.

[kershnic]

I'd be annoyed if my kids were coming home from daycare like that on a regular basis. As far as I can tell they eat and do art projects covered in IKEA smock bibs, which is exactly how I like it. Sometimes they do get stuff on them and then daycare changes them into one of the spare shirts I leave at daycare. My kids have only been in daycare about 3 months but I can't think of anything that has been permanently stained.