As a child minder I was always looking for ways of entertaining the children that would be fun and educational at the same time.
Sometimes, these activities meant that the children in my care would get a bit messy.
One of these children would always arrive looking like she was wearing her ‘Sunday best’ and I was concerned about getting her beautiful dresses messed up. I did suggest to her mother that she might prefer to send her daughter in clothes that were not quite so special, she replied that she liked her to look nice, but didn’t mind if her clothes became a little messy ( I did put an apron on the children, but this only protected a certain amount of their attire). In fact, she added that if the girl came home looking as prime and proper as when she sent her, she would think that she hadn’t done much all day!
Another parent was the complete opposite and really couldn’t cope with her child getting the tiniest amount of mess on her clothes Her poor daughter was very aware of this and worried about messing up her clothes. I dealt with this by removing her t shirt and putting on an old top of my son’s and then put her own back on before she went home, the child seemed more relaxed with my approach, but I did feel that I was being a little dishonest with her parent.
I always asked parents to provide a spare set of clothes in a child’s bag in case of accidents.
One child who had special needs liked to paint the other children’s clothes rather than putting the paint on paper, but no one seemed to mind this.
Going back to the child who wasn’t allowed to get dirty, when we visited a farm and she got mud on her wellington boots, she took delight in using a hose which the farmer used to clean the cows udders before attaching the milking machine to clean her boots. She did this about a dozen times making sure every speck of mud was washed away.
I believe that children should be able to behave like children even if it means getting messy, that’s why we have washing machines, isn’t it?
Of course, this works both ways, I have had children arrive looking unkempt and as on lookers presume that all the children with me are my own, this can be a little embarrassing at times.
I would be interested to hear what other child minders or parents who use a child minder think of this subject .
As always questions, comments and topic suggestions are welcome.
Until next time.
Karen
x
I make it clear to parents that their child will be coming home less clean then they arrive as we will be outside and using resources that may get past the edges of aprons … If a parent doesn’t like that then I’d suggest they go elsewhere as messy play is an important part of development
Thanks, Julie for sharing your thoughts x
Definitely not. They are there to learn and have fun. If that means getting dirty then that’s all part of the fun x
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Helen, I loved every minute of looking after your son,! X
My parents love a messy picture they always say if they are not messy they would be worried. If they messy shows they have had a great time.
Thanks, Emma, totally agree x
Who wants a child that always looks super clean after her time with childminder, a child that looks a bit mucky is a happy child ,after all thier days are supposed to be enjoyed. I think the same about dogs, a wet muddy one has had a great time running around.
Clothes will always get cleaned! I don’t mind Olivia coming home a bit mucky 🙂 #KCACOLS
Living on a farm and running farm holidays I think you know my answer. Kids should definitely be encouraged to get grubby, keeping them safe is the childminders job, not keeping them clean. #GlobalBlogging
I think as a parent you know your child and know how messy they get in activities. Hubby as a child could wear white and still keep clean but Ben loves to get in and dirty so a spare pair of clothes is always needed. However that should be expected when taking a child to childcare – but I’d also expect the person taking care of them to have an apron for them to prevent as much mess as possible. But its not a big deal.
Thank you for sharing this with us at #Triumphanttales. I hope to see you back next week!
as a childminder myself, i ask parents not to send their children in their ‘best’ clothes. that if they are dirty there should be a spare pair in there bag. the kids in my care get treated like my own
Interesting debate. What I would say is that I think that if children arrive unkempt it can be a sign not of a bad mother but of one who is perhaps struggling with mental health issues and lacking in as strong enough support network. If everyone in society looked out more for this and cared, we would be far better off methinks. #TriumphanTales
I understand if they get messy doing activities but if they have food or ‘boogers’ on their face when they have colds, I would want this cleaned up. I totally agree with the spare set of clothes and if it’s all in the name of fun and education – then no biggie. Like you said, thats why we have washing machines x #TriumphantTales
I never used to send my daughter to nursery in her best clothes as I knew she would be dirty and messy coming home. I always supplied spare clothes too. I would personally not be bothered if she came home from a childminders with clothes messed up from activities #kcacols
well. I think you should keep a child clean to an extent. I always have an extra set of clothes packed in my daughter’s backpack. She’s in Kindergarten and has had a few accidents at school already because she’s too busy playing to go to the potty on time. She’ll change her clothes and the nurse will pack the other clothes back into the plastic bag inside her backpack. I don’t think that YOU should remove a child’s clothes, not even their shirt. You should have them do it themselves unless they are too young such as a 1 year old or 2 year old. I just think that if you can eliminate the possibility of a child telling their parent something that sounds like you did something wrong, then it is just better for you. I agree that a parent should send their child to you in clothes they can get dirty or provide them with an apron or a change of clothes and instruct the child to change themselves for the project. Great post, as always you bring up some good questions. #Alittlebitofeverything
What you have said makes perfect sense, Alice, I was just doing what I believed was best for that particular child at the time, thanks for sharing your thoughts x
A little bit of mud never hurt anyone. My eldest however (ASD) never liked to get his hands dirty. Thanks for joining in with #PointShoot
I’ve been working in childcare for over 10 years now and we have met parents whose children aren’t allowed to get messy and then those who really don’t mind, I don’t think there is a right or wrong way of doing it you just have to see what happens with the children on that particular occasion. I love doing messy play with my children, and I understand it’s important to get messy so when my daughter started nursery she got a ‘nursery wardrobe’ which was cheap t-shirts and leggins to be able to explore and enjoy all areas. I do think its responsible to keep them as clean as possible – but only in the sense of using aprons, cleaning noses, wiping hands and faces – not eradicating it all together.
I think you did the best thing in this situation, the child was happier not having to ruin their own clothes but still being able to take part in the activity.
Thanks, Helen for both your approval and for sharing your thoughts and experiences x
I think if there is going to be a particularly messy activity on a certain day, a heads up is warranted, but kids are going to be kids – which means getting messy. Mine still comes home from school covered in mud some days. #kcacols
I do think children should be sent to daycare in clothing they can get dirty. That being said, I always kept a bin of donated clothing that I would put over the kids if they were going to get disgusting. Or I warned the parents to bring them in an outfit that would not make it back in good shape. #GlobalBlogging
Hey, I’m their mom and can’t keep them clean! Thankfully! Let them PLAY! Be kids, and enjoy! #kcacols xox
I don’t understand mums like this. Kids are supposed to be a bit grubby. You do more damage to a kid insisting they have to be spotless all the time than looking a bit grubby does.
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
Glad you agree but me, it is almost a form of child abuse, the poor girl was so worried about getting her clothes messy x
My only grumble was school used to say they only used paint that was washable so fine no problem.We have washing machines , what’s a bit of mess . However this paint did indeed stain and 8 new polo shirts later did I learn this !! #globalblogging
I think if the activity is going to be extremely messy, one that could ruin clothes, then a little bit of a warning would be great. But kids are going to be kids and they get dirty especially if they are having fun. #KCACOLS
I did warn the parents if things were going to be really messy x
See! Then I don’t see a problem! 😁
I expect my kids to come back dirty. I have clothes for nursery and clothes for home/best, even then they get dirty as kids should! #TriumphantTales
Back again, from #pointshoot xo
That poor little girl, it’s so sad that she’s so anxious about getting messy that she can’t have fun. I’d understand if they were coming home covered in faeces but paint and a little mud show they’ve been having fun. My husband is a cub scout leader and you should see how some of those kids come home after trekking! #KCACOLS
My children don’t go to a childminder but my eldest goes to pre-school and I send him in old clothes (or cheap clothes I bought specifically for that purpose) that I don’t mind them getting messy. At the start of term we were warned they could get messy, and I think that’s absolutely very enough. I hate messy play myself so I’m more than happy for Thomas to be getting as messy as possible there when I don’t have to clean it up! And like you say, that’s what washing machines are for! #ItsOK
I think when your children to child minding or kinder you have to expect they will not come home perfectly clean. If they are painting, or working outdoors, or playing with glue and craft then of course they will get messy. Children need to have fun, that is how they learn, they learn through play and touch. I remember mine always came home with sandpits in their shoes lol, I knew to take their shoes off before going inside my house. I always took great pride in dressing my children in nice things, but never expected them to come home clean. Children grow out of their clothes super fast so I figured they might as well wear them! Thanks for linking up with us for #ABloggingGoodTime
You should see the state of my younger two when they get back from nursery – shaving foam, flour, mud – the list goes on & on! #ablogginggoodtime
I am not a fan of mess but the kids love it. I think that as long as it is mostly cleaned up, it shouldn’t be a problem! Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
A “dirty” child, is a happy child. Let them get all messy I say. Maybe the parent has some anxiety issues them self? Maybe they don’t like the dirt and are projecting that onto their child. Or they might just be too tired after work to want to clean up the mess that is their child 🙂 I do believe that the more they see how much fun their child is having, maybe they will relax a bit more. #itsok