Permanent marking/paint at daycare

Lately my DD has been coming home from daycare with permanent markers and staining paint on her clothing from daycare. Not just the odd mark, but DD's obviously been drawing all over the fronts of her shirts. Now I know kids get dirty and such and the clothing isn't supposed to stay totally nice because after all, it's daycare, but am I at all justified in being annoyed about this?
I just can't understand why at a daycare when they know kids are messy they give them permanent markers. I have had a lot of trouble getting some of it off her skin even.

Is there a best way to bring this up to daycare or should I just get over it and accept anything I send her to daycare in risks being ruined?

Well they have a separate side for the 2 and unders, so I just can't see it's necessary for under 2's to be having permanent markers. My annoyance is twofold. I wonder why they don't have washable markers/paints for the kids (when we've bought them for home it doesn't cost any more) and that the clothes are pretty much unsalvageable. I'm fine with the odd mark because I know kids will be messy, but over the past few weeks she's come home with some basically unusable shirts because there is so much marker on them. Naturally it's all the lighter coloured shirts with black marker as well. This was all secondhand cheap stuff, but I can't even pass it on to the the next kid for daycare, let alone have her wear it now.

I guess I should just get over it though is what you're saying.

Edited by Bky

This drives me crazy too. They supposedly use washable/non-permanent markers and paints but all DS1's clothes seem to be indelibly stained nonetheless - I can't get the stuff out for the life of me.

I have just resigned myself to the fact that all daycare clothes will get ruined and have a box of "daycare clothes" which are all the clothes I don't like very much or are stained or are just old/worn (hand me downs from relatives etc). It means he always looks scruffy at daycare, which I hate, but it's better than having all his nice stuff ruined and I just dress him up nice on the days he is at home with me.

Also I'm hoping that once he gets a bit older it won't be such a problem - surely the phase of wanting to draw on your face/clothes doesn't last forever!

Grr this is one of my pet peeves too, I send her to kindy with "old" clothes on but still, it'd be nice if they at least used washable markers or paint.

We had a jacket ruined the other week, a jacket she was wearing outside, they didn't think to take it off when she came inside to paint and now we have a purple jacket covered in green paint that hasn't come out despite soaking a couple of times, now it just looks dirty, , and it's her only warm jacket. When I said to kindy tactfully as I could- hey the paint she got all over her jacket didn't come out they just said "oh sorry it's supposed to be washable" and they're still using it.

But that's what happens at preschool/daycare/kindy. The teachers have better things to do than make sure all the kids keep clean.   Just buy cheap/secondhand/trademe clothes.

Just send her in old clothes that don't matter .

I also got told to dress them in old clothes that may get paint etc on them. I have a separate draws for "daycare/kindy" clothes and they just look absolutely scruffy when they go. I dont send them in anything I don't want ruined .... cos chances are the first time they wear something to daycare will be the day they get covered in paint! Just keep the ruined stuff for daycare days and send her back in all the marked clothes.

It does get better -- my 4 year old never gets any paint or felt pen on himself now (he does get dirt / sand / water on his clothes frequently though, but that comes out in the wash!).

yeah I don't quite get the permanent markers either, especially in an under-twos section, bx they're not only putting it on their skin, they're probably chewing on them too?

I totally get the 'daycare' clothes thing, but you can't always have one of everything for daycare and another for 'good' - eg. warm outdoor jackets that tictacjunkie mentioned.

I got caught out early on as her homecarer doesn't usually do any painting, and she had a new-ish merino top on, and that was the day they chose to go to a playgroup and guess what, they were painting. Despite soaking and washing, she now has another 'messy' top ;-) I hope her carer would be sensible enough to take her out of her 'good' warm outdoors jacket before painting though!

We have a whole wardrobe of daycare clothes, I asked other Mums for any worn/stained clothes their kids no longer fitted for DD as I didn't want to buy cheap new stuff to get ruined. It's been great as clothes are already marked/stained I don't care if they get any more.

My first visit to PC was all I needed to know my daughter loves getting messy.

Not everyone has enough space, time, or money for two sets of everything for every child. And in this weather you'd need more than just two of everything (one on, one in wash, one trying to get dry, one in bag for spare). I think it's wasteful too, I like to encourage my kids to be grateful for and look after what they've got.

I just wish kindy would at least try to get washable paints and stay away from jolly marker pens, they can't be cheap?!! Or use smocks. I'm pretty sure if they don't think to take an outdoor jacket (puffy type- it was frosty that day) off before they paint then they won't remember to put a smock on her even if I provide it. And that jolly paint soaks through everything!!

I do clearly remember having to put a smock on before I painted when I was at kindy though.

I don't mind them getting dirty, and I don't mind having to soak the odd item or two, but when it's several items every day of the week it gets a bit much, , especially when Miss 3 refuses to wear something because it's stained.

We don't have two jackets for Jacob (actually, he doesn't have any jackets, but if he did he'd just have one). I just send him in layers with a nice warm fluffy top. 'Creche' clothes are cheap as chips, because you can pick them up second hand, it doesn't really matter what state they're in. Even if your kid doesn't go to creche, doesn't everyone have play clothes and good clothes, or is that just me?

I don't think our creche lets the kids use vivids or anything. That said, I've let him have a scribble with them at home when he's seen me using one and wants to give it a go, so I would hardly complain. On the other hand, I think it wouldn't be over the top to suggest using felt tips to them, I'm very surprised they don't already.

I can understand being sad about the merino top, lisame, that's totally understandable and would be a bit sad

Edited by Hopes