Lost Clothing at Day Care

Updated on October 21, 2011
N.C. asks from Bristol, RI
11 answers

My daughter goes to a small in home daycare with about 5 to 6 kids, twice a week. In the past 3 months, she has had a bathing suit, and another outfit lost. Is this something that happens all the tim?, I try not to put her in anything too nice, but I have a second daughter that will wear her clothes, and I did spend a decent amount of money on the bathing suit. I hate to keep asking if she has found them, but she says, they might be behind her washer,and then forgets to look, I'm a little annoyed. Any thoughts

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I had things go missing occasionally at DD's daycare. I learned 2 things: 1) label! and 2) don't send things you will miss.

If you need labels for the clothes, consider getting tag mates, which you can pull off when you need to swap kids. I use them for my DD's clothes (and small toys): http://www.mabel.ca/products/classic+tag+mates

As for the swimsuit itself, I'd ask her again, and ask other parents, too. I asked several times about my DD's jacket, then I bought a new one. THEN it showed up (it had been stuffed in the teacher's coat pocket for a week). Arg.

3 moms found this helpful

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J.K.

answers from Sacramento on

Every now and then I lose things at my daycare, but they usually turn up. Most of the time I do not wash the kids clothes though. If something gets dirty or soiled I put it in a bag and put it in their cubby. It isn't because I mind washing their clothes, but some parents have a preference for the kind of laundry soap that is used, and it's just one more thing that I have to keep track of. And because of the way my house is set up, I can't easily wash the clothes and dry them by the time the kids go home.

Anyway... I would suggest two things. Write your child's name on everything and send extra clothes in a large ziplock that can be kept in your daughter's cubby or backpack. Ask your provider just to bag the things that get dirty and you'll wash them at home. That way it all goes in right away and also if there's something on the clothes that will leave a stain you can treat it.

7 moms found this helpful

K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

Tell her nicely that she doesn't need to wash any if your daughters clothes? Maybe you will be more likely to get them back if she doesn't have to fiddle/mess with them?

Just a thought?

2 moms found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Houston on

It's a good idea to start labeling the clothes. She most likely sent the bathing suit home with another child. I think I would call while I'm on my way and say, "Do you mind looking for the swimsuit so you can have it ready by the time I'm there?"

Also, if your daughter dirtied/wet clothes, she should put that article of clothing in a plastic bag and place it directly in your diaper bag instead of washing it. A lot of daycares/home day cares operate this way to prevent lost clothes.

2 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

I ended up labeling all of my kids clothes...especially in the summer...where the shorts and shirts come off for bathing suits...

I didn't leave until everything was accounted for. My boys didn't like that so they made sure everything, even wet, was in their backpack so I wouldn't go "on a mission" to find their stuff..

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes and no.

My son's daycare had the parents provide sheets for the cots. My son and another boy had sheets that were VERY similar. There were several times when they got mixed up. One day he wore a Bob the Builder cap, first time ever wearing it he was very proud. When I picked him up the cap was missing and never showed back up.

My daughter has a girl that wears about the same size and her mom and I have similar tastes, both shop Target. Its common for their shoes and clothing to get mixed up.

Mainly because the parent picking up isn't sure about what is/isn't theirs. What was/wasn't worn today.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.U.

answers from Detroit on

Maybe try asking some of the other parents if the clothing happened to accidentally go home with them. My daughter has been going to child care at her preschool, which is available after preschool in the morning, and is a different room in the same building. 2 weeks ago a jacket of hers went missing - she has a locker for her preschool class, a locker for child care (none of the lockers actually have locks on them), and there is a few lost and found bins in various locations. We checked everywhere, including other kids lockers and haven't found it yet. I am wondering if it went home with another kid by accident so I left a note by the sign-out sheet in the child care room for other parents to read, asking them if they would not mind checking their kids backpack for it, just in case it's stuffed in there. It's got our last name written on the tag too so it's not like someone can't know that it's not theirs if they happened to notice. I know how you feel, like it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but when it's something nice that you spent some money on, or it's a gift from someone or something your child is especially fond of, you want it back - it's the principle of the thing. If you don't have any luck with the other parents, then bring it up with the daycare provider again, and ask her to please take a look for it NOW if she wouldn't mind. Or leave her a note somewhere so she can "remember" better.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Texarkana on

My son also goes to a in home daycare with a few kids and the same thing happens to his clothes and bottles, But about once every 2 weeks i will get 3 r 4 shirts of his at once in his bag that have been washed , i guess she just changes him when he makes a mess and washes them but i do get annoyed when its a new outfit and he comes home in his extra clothes and its several days before i get the outfit back. Im pretty sure we have lost at least 4-6 outfits in a yr tho

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Label all her clothing, with a Sharpie Pen "laundry marker."
And, then if someone else gets her clothing by mistake, anyone can tell that it does not belong to them, and hopefully they will return it.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

This doesn't sound right. My son, who is almost 2, has been in daycare since he was 10 weeks old and I've never had them lose any pieces of clothing. He goes to a center, as opposed to a home daycare, but you would think with the fewer number of kids at the home daycare these types of things would happen even less times compared to a center. You have every right to be annoyed!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

My son is 16 in high school and we still deal with this lol. It happens. daycare providers who take kids out to swim usually strip and change them in the laundry room or bathroom. swimsuits will land on the floor til she has time to come back at nap time to take care of it. in that space of time a hubby or another kid trying to be helpful will come along and scoop it all up and toss onto the washer. (things fall behind) or they land in a pile to mildew. your best bet is to make sure everything is labeled and stuff like swimsuits and play clothes should be stuff you don't care about. you could offer to look behind the washer for her. but another problem is she may have inadvertently sent it home with another child who's parent is not admitting that it came home to their house. let it go. its not going to fit her next year and its almost november is she still swimming?

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