Parents Don't Want Their Kids Outside

[snbauser]

I have told them not to dress them nicely, to dress them in play clothes. That is also stated in my contract. I've told them we spend a good bit of our day outside. But when they pick their kids up and they were dirty and sweaty, they would yell at their kids for being a mess. Then fuss with me over their kids' appearance. It wasn't right for their kids to get in trouble by their parents for being messy, so I started keeping them on the porch and sidewalk so they stay clean.

I guess I will just have to either keep them clean so the parents don't fuss or let them play like I usually do, and the parents will either get used to it and learn to dress their children for outdoor play, or leave my daycare. I just hate that the kids get yelled at by their parents for being dirty.

If they make a fuss at pick up I would simply say "that's what happens when we play outside. Good thing kids are washable" or something along those lines. If it happens enough, they will either get over it or start sending them in appropriate clothes. It's not fair to you or to the kids to not be able to play outside.

[NightOwl]

It's actually in my handbook that children should come to my house in "appropriate" clothes for daycare and I make it very clear that they WILL get dirty. Let them ruin a couple of nice outfits and they'll get the hint. These are children we're talking about, not porcelain dolls.

[Leanna]

Who sends a little kid to daycare in white shorts ? All my families know from day one that we play outside daily and to send them in play clothes. Sounds like you've had that talk! I would send a final note reminder that we play outside and they need play clothes. If they still send them in "nice" you have a few choices:

Play outside anyway and take your chance they will terminate.

Change them into their spare outfits at the end of the day. Wash them up, put them in a clean outfit, comb their hair...maybe picking them up cleaned up will lessen the annoyance they have at the original dirty outfit.

Scour garage sales and thrift stores for cheap shorts and t-shirts in a few different sizes. Change them into these when they arrive and back into their own clothes before pick-up.

Keep doing what you are doing and being cooped up and miserable. (

If you need to, tell parents that they must text you when they are on their way at the end of the day.

Good luck!

[NightOwl]

If they make a fuss at pick up I would simply say "that's what happens when we play outside. Good thing kids are washable" or something along those lines. If it happens enough, they will either get over it or start sending them in appropriate clothes. It's not fair to you or to the kids to not be able to play outside.

[NightOwl]

Who sends a little kid to daycare in white shorts ? All my families know from day one that we play outside daily and to send them in play clothes. Sounds like you've had that talk! I would send a final note reminder that we play outside and they need play clothes. If they still send them in "nice" you have a few choices:

Play outside anyway and take your chance they will terminate.

Change them into their spare outfits at the end of the day. Wash them up, put them in a clean outfit, comb their hair...maybe picking them up cleaned up will lessen the annoyance they have at the original dirty outfit.

Scour garage sales and thrift stores for cheap shorts and t-shirts in a few different sizes. Change them into these when they arrive and back into their own clothes before pick-up.

Keep doing what you are doing and being cooped up and miserable. (

If you need to, tell parents that they must text you when they are on their way at the end of the day.

Good luck!

I tell parents to text me when they're on their way if we're outside at the water tables! I say "if you'd like a dry, clean child at pick up, please text when you're about 20 minutes away!"

[debbiedoeszip]

I would stand firm on this too (that they go outside to play and will get dirty). I've never heard of a daycare (home or center) that doesn't have the kids play outside for at least a couple of hours per day. If she/they wants her kids to be inside all day then maybe she/they should hire a nanny, or get grandma to watch them.

[permanentvacation]

I used to love summers at my daycare. I used to have the parents bring them in the morning wearing their bathing suits and we would play in the water for a good hour or so when they first arrived until 8:30 then we would get dried and dressed then eat at 9 am. Then we would go back outside (in the dry area of the yard) and play until lunch. After lunch, we'd have nap then snack and go back outside until they were picked up to go home. Unless it was extremely hot. Then of course, we would be inside longer after nap, but typically would be back outside by 4:30 or so.

I've allowed this group of parents to make me change the way I do daycare and I don't even like my own company now.

Yeah, I'm going to tell my parents that we WILL go outside, they WILL get dirty, and therefore they NEED to be dressed appropriately for CHILDREN to go to DAYCARE and have FUN all day.

[NightOwl]

Hell, even I get dirty! So I know better than to wear nice/expensive clothes while working. And NEVER anything white. Lol.

[TwinKristi]

Sorry but what kind of idiot buys WHITE shorts for a young child?? I had a mom bring her son in a white button up shirt and wouldn't you know... Pasta with red sauce is on the menu! I put a bib on him and wipe him up but I don't stain treat and I don't change clothes unless I really need to. We play outside a lot and if someone said something to me about not going outside to keep their clothes clean I would make a POINT to get extra dirty that day! These are CHILDREN!! Not dolls that we dress up and sit on a shelf to look pretty. They need comfortable play clothes.
I saw a mom from baseball wearing white like 3 different days last week and finally said "you're always wearing white! If I wore white it would be black by the end of the day!" I honestly don't own a stitch of white clothing!

[permanentvacation]

Oh, for lunch, I often spoon feed the children when we have messy food! Yep, just so they don't get any food on their shirts/shorts, I spoon feed 4 and 5 year old at times! Not every day, just when the meal is a bit messier and I'm afraid they might get food on themselves. I also have taken things such as spaghetti sauce off the menu. Instead of spaghetti noodles with spaghetti sauce, I serve plain spaghetti noodles with seasoning. But no spaghetti sauce! I never had parents like this before who yell at their children for getting dirty! (Other than that one kid my sister had).

[Unregistered]

Sounds like a perfect day to bring out the sprinkler and mud kitchen!

[cheerfuldom]

Oh, for lunch, I often spoon feed the children when we have messy food! Yep, just so they don't get any food on their shirts/shorts, I spoon feed 4 and 5 year old at times! Not every day, just when the meal is a bit messier and I'm afraid they might get food on themselves. I also have taken things such as spaghetti sauce off the menu. Instead of spaghetti noodles with spaghetti sauce, I serve plain spaghetti noodles with seasoning. But no spaghetti sauce! I never had parents like this before who yell at their children for getting dirty! (Other than that one kid my sister had).

get a dozen mens tshirts, thrift store or whatever and put over the big kids before meals. this will be easier than spoon feeding big kids. and might be worth it just to not have to deal with the parents.

[craftymissbeth]

Oh, for lunch, I often spoon feed the children when we have messy food! Yep, just so they don't get any food on their shirts/shorts, I spoon feed 4 and 5 year old at times! Not every day, just when the meal is a bit messier and I'm afraid they might get food on themselves. I also have taken things such as spaghetti sauce off the menu. Instead of spaghetti noodles with spaghetti sauce, I serve plain spaghetti noodles with seasoning. But no spaghetti sauce! I never had parents like this before who yell at their children for getting dirty! (Other than that one kid my sister had).

I'd be stripping them to the waist before I ever spoon fed a capable child ::

Yeah you're going to be so much happier when you are able to do what you love... and it sounds like you love getting outside and letting them do their thing. I'm sure those poor kids will be happier, too! :hug:

[craftymissbeth]

get a dozen mens tshirts, thrift store or whatever and put over the big kids before meals. this will be easier than spoon feeding big kids. and might be worth it just to not have to deal with the parents.

Oh I'm stealing this

[Heidi]

Print this picture and hang it by your parent board. These people need to get a clue and you need to give it to them. Stop letting them bully you or those kids. Tell them. These children are going to get dirty. I don't want to hear another complaint, period. It's what they need to grow up happy and healthy.

If someone has a doctor's appointment, etc, they tell me, and I make sure their child is presentable when they leave here.