How Parents Dress Their Kids, Unbelievable!

[caregiver]

Does anyone else have ddk's that are dressed for daycare like they are fashion models? I am so tired of parents dressing their kids, especially the girls in clothes that are first off inappropriate for being in daycare and for the changing weather. I have one 2 yr old dcg who is dressed to the hilt every day with clothes that must be the high fashion clothing for girls,the fancy legging,with the high fashion boots etc. She looks like a mini fashion model. She doesn't look like she is very comfortable in them either. I have repeatedly asked parents to dress their kids for play here and not good clothes that they might ruin, but it doesn't seem to register with these set of parents. The kids look nice all dressed up, but it is not for daycare where they play and do crafts and might get the clothes ruined. Another thing with the girls is parents putting the fancy hair bows or clips in their hair when at daycare the girls take them out or they just fall out and get lost.

This is just a vent, but just was curious how many of you have parents like this and how they dress their kids for daycare.
I guess it is non of my business how they want to dress their kids, but for daycare they need to have "play clothes on" in my opinion.

[Leigh]

I was one of those parents-I always dressed my son in clothes that I loved. I certainly didn't expect them to come back clean from daycare, though. I just can't see buying "ugly" clothes that I don't like. My provider had apologized early on about a spot on his clothes, and I let her know that I didn't hes clean. expect her to worry about keeping his clothes in new condition.

I tell parents in my handbook that kids are messy and not to send clothes that they are not willing to find stains on. I don't care how they dress their kids as long as they don't expect me to keep their kids from spilling food or getting dirt on them. If a child's clothes do get something on that looks like it may stain, though, I change the child and pre-treat the spot with a laundry stain remover immediately, and send it home in a bag.

[nanglgrl]

I have one like this. She looks adorable but sometimes uncomfortable! Besides wearing clothing that was always perfectly put together including matching boots/shoes she also used to always come with a HUGE bow in her hair. The bow looked uncomfortable and would start to sag and hang in front of her eyes. The bows were always about 1/2 the size if her head...she's only 1 1/2. She no longer comes with bows, I think mom got the point after having to retrieve the bows from her cubby for a couple of weeks. I started just taking them off right away because they would hang in front if her face and she looked miserable! I was also afraid they would make a bald spot because she has thin baby hair and they were heavy! Her clothes aren't uncomfortable looking but they are always brand names, I just treat them like any other kids clothes and if they get messy oh well. Thankfully mom doesn't seem to mind.
I do have to say this mom is vigilant about taking care of her children and gives them the best of everything and at least they are dressed for the weather. We went on a field trip last week and it was cold but not super cold, this mom had them dressed like we were in the middke of winter (snow pants and everything). Another parent only brought a spring coat even after I reminded several times that they had to come dressed warmly or they would be turned away. She acted shocked when I told her she needed to bring him back with a winter coat and hat or he would have to stay home. Sorry lady, not taking your child on a 30 minute walk to the fire station when there is frost in the grass and he only has a spring jacket on! Oy, I'd trade the other mom for this one any day. It's always something!

[slorey]

I have one who is dressed inappropriately most of the time. It drives me crazy! But, it is a slightly different problem with her. Mom puts her in jeans almost every single day, which wouldn't be a big deal, but they are always too tight in the legs, waist or both (she is a solid little girl). She walks around like a penguin half the time because her pants are too tight for her to move her legs properly! Not to mention she can't button and unbutton them so needs assistance every time she goes potty. On top of everything else, I think she buys the lowest waisted jeans they make because her butt crack shows all day. I mentioned something to mom about boys jeans having more room and how boys jeans fit my daughter better than girls jeans, because she was complaining about how they fall down all the time, but if she tightens the waist, dcg complains they are too tight. I am surprised she can't see that they are so tight on the thighs that it is next to impossible to pull them up all the way! Once in a great while she will come in sweats and it is such a good day for everyone!

[sharlan]

I have one that can't seem to find the right size clothes. Everything is either way too big or way too small. Awhile back Mom gave me money to buy clothes. I did and haven't seen the clothes since. I THINK she buys the kid's clothes off of ebay or craigslist because they're always used and don't fit right.

[Soccermom]

This drives me bananas! Or the dressy coats for outdoor play that have only buttons and no zipper so the cold air goes right through them. Poor kids stand their with their hands in their coats in their little high heeled boots to cold and fancy to move a muscle.

I now take all hair accessories and put them in their bin upon arrival as they will end up lost by the end of the day anyway. Also on the days that DCKs wear super fancy clothes here we tend to do A LOT of messy exploration, crafts and painting activities.

They eventually get the hint.

[Candy]

I do not like the big hair bows. One little girl had three big bright orange and pink bows in hair. Most of the time they end up tearing and you have to hot glue it back together. I don't really see boys dressed wrong that much.

[Unregistered]

I have an infant that is currently being brought to daycare with a size 3T jacket for outdoors. Yesterday he had a 3-6 mos size onesie and a size 3T jacket. Drives me bonkers!!!

[daycare]

I have a kid that who is 3 that comes in a onesie, then two shirts over it. also had leggings on over it, then had a dress over all of it top it off for a total of 3 layers.

Oh and she came in with a jacket on, but mom took that off.

Did I mention that it is still in the mid 80s here....

[caregiver]

I am glad that I am not the only one going through this with parents dressing their kids like this. The kids do look nice, but some of the clothes they come in look like they are uncomfortable for them and don't really fit right. I guess I come from the time that kids had play clothes and dress clothes and I wanted mine to be comfortable in their clothes if they were playing and when we went out somewhere where they had to look nice, their nice clothes were in good shape.

How many of you have kids that their shoes are really either too big or too small for them and you watch the kids trying to walk in them and they seem to trip all the time. I usually have the kids take their shoes off when they come in the house, but some of them like to take their socks off and run around barefoot, which is fine in the summer, but now it is getting much colder and their poor little feet are so cold. But it just seems to me that I have to scrunch shoes on some of the kids because they are too small, or that some just are walking right out of their shoes.
I have one dcg who her shoes will not stay on because they are just too big for her, but her Mom said she had to get them for her because the shoes were so cute and they had only one pair left, so she bought them. Oh she will grow into them she said, but meanwhile the poor dcg can not walk in them without them falling off. Just another vent and wondering how many others of you have this going on. Just curious.

[BrooklynM]

I have one with the best shoe collection- ****, Converse, Sperrys, Toms, Nike, ******s. His shoe collection is better than mine! I never thought about putting a little boy in **** but he sure does look freaking cute! I take so many pictures of the kids as soon as they are dressed cute I get excited to take pictures. Oh and he wears all kinds of cute jeans, omg- joes jeans, True Religion, etc, and he has at least 3 Northface jackets. I want his wardrobe budget!

[BrooklynM]

I have one with the best shoe collection- ****, Converse, Sperrys, Toms, Nike, ******s. His shoe collection is better than mine! I never thought about putting a little boy in **** but he sure does look freaking cute! I take so many pictures of the kids as soon as they are dressed cute I get excited to take pictures. Oh and he wears all kinds of cute jeans, omg- joes jeans, True Religion, etc, and he has at least 3 Northface jackets. I want his wardrobe budget!

Hmmm... The word it bleeped out is U-g-g-s. And J-o-r-d-a-n-s. I wasn't cussing or anything... That's weird!

[Blackcat31]

I couldn't care less what the kids come dressed in.

I only require that ALL clothing is well fitting and easy for the child to manage.

I do require shoes with laces though. NO open toed or Velcro shoes.

If I had a parent that sent their child in something that prohibited them from participating, I would just talk to the parent and let them know my concern and what I'd like them to do to remedy the situation.

[caregiver]

I guess it's that I really don't care what the kids come dressed in either, but it is just that sometimes they are dressed where they look uncomfortable. Even asking parents to dress them comfortably, I still see this.
I guess it just gets to me when parents, and it is their choice and money, but have to have their kids dressed in total fashion,the dress or skirt with the lacy leggings under the dress or skirt,the layers on top,which the kids get so warm and then over the feet of the leggings have a pair of socks on and then the shoes, then that are too tight because they have the legging feet and then the socks on their feet and then try and get the shoes on over all that.
I'm all for kids looking nice, but also being able to move in their clothes.
I guess it goes way back to when my kids were toddlers and my sister in law would dress her girls like they were dolls and had to have them in the most fashionable and expensive dresses and liked to let you know that she payed x amount of dollars for this dress and would hold that over you knowing that she spent more then others. I guess it's more the parents that grip me then the kids coming in whatever clothes,but it just seems like parents today want their kids to be fashion diva's and not thinking about how practical the clothes are for daycare. It's just me!

[dingledine]

My daughter wants to wear a dress, EVERY SINGLE DAY. So, as I am the daycare owner... I tell her fine, but when we go outside, you need to go upstairs and put on pants to go outside and play in. (Or pants under her skirt, if it isn't TOO nice). As for bows.... I used to use them... nice... fancy ones... but I don't have time for that much anymore. Bows are cute, until they fall off (hers did NOT), and babies start eating them, etc.

Yes, it is frustrating, and I would definitely make them aware that the childs clothing could get very dirty, and you are not responsible for that, and I would say those are so cute, but it is a shame, because they will probably get dirty.