What Do You Wear During Daycare Hours?

[Cat Herder]

Jeans, khakis, full-length shorts, soft tops with modest necklines (for 2 reasons ) and A-line summer dresses with bike shorts.

I don't do leggings or yoga pants because I feel undressed in them. I ruin my favorite shirts often with bleach and wear holes just above the belly button where I lean against the diaper changing table/kitchen sink while changing kids, sanitizing toys and doing dishes. ::

[Unregistered]

I find longer shorts at target.com. Not usually available in store. Lots of sales too.

[Cat Herder]

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/charter-club-mid-rise-twill-shorts-created-for-macys?ID=5244114&RVI=Bag_1&CategoryID=5344&tdp=cm_choiceId~z5244114~xcm_pos~zPos1

The Mid-Rise Twill Shorts I love are on sale at Macy's for under $30 right now. They go fast.

[Baby Beluga]

Casual black pants, tops and a cardigan when needed.

The pants I wear are advertised as "athletic pants" but they look just like black dress pants. Even a DCM of mine who is a teacher asked where I get them because she wanted some to wear to work herself. I also get them tailored to fit me properly...proper length and proper fit. Not too tight, not too loose.

I don't wear regular T-shirts. 1) because I don't like how they look, I am plus size and woven more structured tops work better for me and 2) I want to feel professional while working.

[Ariana]

In summer I have a couple pairs like BC posted and different colour capri leggings. I found a really comfy tunic T-shirt I love because it is moisture wicking so I bought a bunch of different colours.

I also wear sundresses with leggings underneath or long maxi dresses. This year I bought a pair of sweatpant type shorts which I will wear with t-shirts as well. Shorts are always bermuda length!

[Meeko]

Casual black pants, tops and a cardigan when needed.

The pants I wear are advertised as "athletic pants" but they look just like black dress pants. Even a DCM of mine who is a teacher asked where I get them because she wanted some to wear to work herself. I also get them tailored to fit me properly...proper length and proper fit. Not too tight, not too loose.

I don't wear regular T-shirts. 1) because I don't like how they look, I am plus size and woven more structured tops work better for me and 2) I want to feel professional while working.

Me exactly

[Unregistered]

Regular clothing.
I’m a jeans/khaki and T-shirt type girl....Casual but presentable.
I don’t wear yoga pants or pj’s for work. Ever.
I despise yoga pants worn outside of yoga class.
I’ve been both fat and thin and don’t buy the “need” to wear them for movement etc...(sorry if this offends those who do wear them). It’s just not acceptable to me personally.
I also don’t understand how so many providers are covered in so much “kid stuff” as that’s just never been an issue for me... !

How in the world do you care and play with kids and babies at their level, interacting with them and stay clean? Do you not come in contact with them or touch them at all? I always have "kid stuff " on me. I am ok with it, it is part of the job.

[HappyEverAfter]

I’ve always worn athletic type clothes like t shirts, sweatshirts with Nike shorts or pants. I do always wash/blow dry my hair and wear makeup so that I’m presentable even though I’m super casual. I have 4 kids under the age of two so I’m usually on the floor with kids in arms and hanging all over me so I found myself not comfortable in jeans or khakis as I was always pulling and tugging on my pants whereas the stretchy, athletic pants and shorts just moved better with me.

[Blackcat31]

How in the world do you care and play with kids and babies at their level, interacting with them and stay clean? Do you not come in contact with them or touch them at all? I always have "kid stuff " on me. I am ok with it, it is part of the job.

Other than drool, what kind of "kid stuff" are you referring to?

Snot? I have a really strict illness policy.
If a child isn't capable of caring for their runny nose, they are excluded from care.
No snot here.

Food/drink? We eat and drink at the table only.
No opportunity for food ick to be anywhere other than the table.

Poo/pee? It's been a reeeaaalllllyyy long time since I've had a child that has diapers that leak enough to get any on me.

So I don't know...the kids sit on my lap, sit next to me, give me hugs, we do yoga together, we high five etc.... and even with all that physical interaction I still don't get any "kid stuff" on me.....at least nothing that warrants altering my wardrobe because of it.

What type of "kid stuff" do you get on you?

[Rockgirl]

Other than drool, what kind of "kid stuff" are you referring to?

Snot? I have a really strict illness policy.
If a child isn't capable of caring for their runny nose, they are excluded from care.
No snot here.

Food/drink? We eat and drink at the table only.
No opportunity for food ick to be anywhere other than the table.

Poo/pee? It's been a reeeaaalllllyyy long time since I've had a child that has diapers that leak enough to get any on me.

So I don't know...the kids sit on my lap, sit next to me, give me hugs, we do yoga together, we high five etc.... and even with all that physical interaction I still don't get any "kid stuff" on me.....at least nothing that warrants altering my wardrobe because of it.

What type of "kid stuff" do you get on you?

Pretty much the same with me. When my grandson was an infant, he spit up a large amount a couple of times, to the point of me changing my shirt. Other than that, not much messy stuff.

I stay on top of runny noses, and we wash hands/faces with washcloths before leaving the table after eating.

[Unregistered]

Other than drool, what kind of "kid stuff" are you referring to?

Snot? I have a really strict illness policy.
If a child isn't capable of caring for their runny nose, they are excluded from care.
No snot here.

Food/drink? We eat and drink at the table only.
No opportunity for food ick to be anywhere other than the table.

Poo/pee? It's been a reeeaaalllllyyy long time since I've had a child that has diapers that leak enough to get any on me.

So I don't know...the kids sit on my lap, sit next to me, give me hugs, we do yoga together, we high five etc.... and even with all that physical interaction I still don't get any "kid stuff" on me.....at least nothing that warrants altering my wardrobe because of it.

What type of "kid stuff" do you get on you?

So, you have 10 kids enrolled with a strict illness policy that excludes runny noses? None of your kids have runny noses? That is interesting. If they do you exclude? You must have low attendance then. I could never exclude for just "snot". I would make no money. I have been providing child care for over 20 years. "Snot" is pretty standard. And it certainly gets on my clothes because for as long as I have been doing this little toddlers are not real sanitary.

[Rockgirl]

So, you have 10 kids enrolled with a strict illness policy that excludes runny noses? None of your kids have runny noses? That is interesting. If they do you exclude? You must have low attendance then. I could never exclude for just "snot". I would make no money. I have been providing child care for over 20 years. "Snot" is pretty standard. And it certainly gets on my clothes because for as long as I have been doing this little toddlers are not real sanitary.

Isn’t it great that we can each do what works for us and our daycare families? That’s one of the great things about being a business owner.

[Blackcat31]

So, you have 10 kids enrolled with a strict illness policy that excludes runny noses? None of your kids have runny noses? That is interesting. If they do you exclude? You must have low attendance then. I could never exclude for just "snot". I would make no money. I have been providing child care for over 20 years. "Snot" is pretty standard. And it certainly gets on my clothes because for as long as I have been doing this little toddlers are not real sanitary.

Doesn't seem all that odd to me....
Especially since another poster just said the same thing.

As for my strict illness policy... you must have just glanced at what I said... I didn't say anything about exclusion for runny noses..... I said I have a strict policy but I didn't say I excluded all kids with runny noses.

My income has nothing to do with attendance so even if I had "low attendance" it wouldn't effect my finances.

FWIW though my attendance isn't low.... I believe the foundation to good health (both physical and emotional) is good sleep, healthy foods and plenty of exercise. Those 3 things do more for keeping common colds/illnesses away than all the medication in the country do... Most my clients believe the same thing...

My toddlers are very sanitary. They are skilled with utensils and cups without lids. They are taught very early on to use a tissue or get an adult to help if necessary. I agree that kids are messy but they don't have to be.

I don't know why that's interesting but there ya go.
That's how I roll.... No snot or "kid stuff" messing up my clothing. Been that way for over 20 years here too... I guess I've just learned over time how to avoid "kid stuff" and not accept it as a "standard" part of the job.

[Pestle]

Wrangler cargo pants (pockets! heavy canvas that doesn't rip the third time I wear them!) and quality thick, solid-colored tee shirts (I love the Eddie Bauer shirts--get them off thredup.com). And drool. So much drool. Noses get wiped as they run. Most of the mess comes from weeding during outdoor play. Socks in the house and soft-soled leather moccasins if my feet are freezing; sneakers outside.

I've been known to wear overalls and I put my hair into braided pigtails when I care enough to do anything other than tying it back, so I describe myself as "Wednesday Addams meets Jed Clampett." I'm in Tennessee so I figure I can get away with it. My day care families all wear scrubs, athletic clothing, or durable clothing for manual labor; the only person who shows up spiffy is in his police uniform. One thing I've loved about my career change is not having to wear impractical synthetics and foot-destroying shoes to meet a company's creepy beauty standard. Business casual? Never again.

[Unregistered]

Doesn't seem all that odd to me....
Especially since another poster just said the same thing.

As for my strict illness policy... you must have just glanced at what I said... I didn't say anything about exclusion for runny noses..... I said I have a strict policy but I didn't say I excluded all kids with runny noses.

My income has nothing to do with attendance so even if I had "low attendance" it wouldn't effect my finances.

FWIW though my attendance isn't low.... I believe the foundation to good health (both physical and emotional) is good sleep, healthy foods and plenty of exercise. Those 3 things do more for keeping common colds/illnesses away than all the medication in the country do... Most my clients believe the same thing...

My toddlers are very sanitary. They are skilled with utensils and cups without lids. They are taught very early on to use a tissue or get an adult to help if necessary. I agree that kids are messy but they don't have to be.

I don't know why that's interesting but there ya go.
That's how I roll.... No snot or "kid stuff" messing up my clothing. Been that way for over 20 years here too... I guess I've just learned over time how to avoid "kid stuff" and not accept it as a "standard" part of the job.

You said " No snot here" And you avoid "kid stuff" Do you care for human kids? Because the reality is little toddlers have snot and are not capable of always containing it. They also get sticky and play in dirt. At least on planet Earth. Maybe I missing something here? Also you exclude for snot and still get paid? Wow, too good to be true. I must have this daycare thing all wrong.