I agree! Most of my kids clothes are hand-me-downs. I have a 2 and a hlaf year old who is REALLY into messy play,. and is always covered in something. Therefore most of his clothes come off trademe, and I dont have to worry about getting them stained or worn out. I do have tidy clothes, and 'going out' clothes that are separate, but id much rather have a happy child out exploring in worn stained clothes most of the time :-)

When I was little, I was teased mercilessly for the ridiculous clothes my step mother made me wear. As a result, I'm a bit fussy about what my daughter wears. Don't get me wrong, I never spend lots of money! I buy most of her stuff at opshops TBH. But they still have to look nice, no stains or rips, and they can't make her look silly. It's just a hang-up of mine but hopefully it won't do her any harm

Great blog - I think worn clothes are a sign of GREAT parenting! You let them live and have fun!

What lucky children you have to have a Mother more interested in play and learning than fashion. Like you my kids had home clothes, a 'for best' outfit and something tidy in between. Aren't kids precious after their bath at the end of a busy messy day? I had a young cousin who changed her clothes more than three times a day and then her Mum washed, dryed and ironed them. We didn't know what we were doing to the environment in those days.

I completely agree, I don't even have kids yet but I don't want them (or me) to be worrying about their clothes when they should be enjoying themselves. My parents were the same with us, we lived in sretchy fabrics; didn't get our first pairs of jeans until at least 10 years old -Mum reasoned that they were expensive and we'd just grow out of them in 5 minutes anyway. I do recall feeling a bit out of place at school due to the fact that our clothes were a bit behind the times -we were still in sweatshirts when everyone else was wearing polar fleece, but in some ways I feel that taught us not to be slaves to fashion. Kid's clothes are expensive for what they are, so the more mileage you can get out of them, the better.

I am also a fan of second-hand clothes, but that is no excuse for stained clothing. There aren't many stains that don't wash out; even paint, fruit stains, and pen come out with prompt and proper treatment.

That's awesome; they get to play and get dirty and you don't get stressed about it. Definite win-win situation.

Totally cool that you are so relaxed. I am pretty much that way too, although clothes are so cheap at op shops there's no excuse for really scruffy stuff - you just have to be selective. And the more kids you have the more hand me downs you seem to get from friends - I think it's from building up a community of mothers around you. One thing though, Donnelle, don't you feel a bit depressed always mingeing around in scruffy clothes yourself?

Yep, ours got wet, dirty, cut, painted, glue, glitter, food. And when they got too much wear n tear, off to the garage sales or op shops. They did look a treat in the "nice" clothes when we got to go out. Those were the days.... now being the little darlings they are, they know what they like.

Completely agree. Mine have home clothes, and nice clothes. My 2 year old has 3 x 60 ltr storage bins of clothes awaiting him, as he is the youngest of 4 boy cousins. These clothes are still usuable, after being worn by at least two kids, no rips, not too many stains etc - but they'll all be worn at daycare, in the garden, at the beach etc. I'll spend more money on good shoes for my boys - I think its important to look after their feet! A tip for stains - particularly ones that remain after washing - put some dishwashing liquid on the stain, lather it up, then wash in the machine like normal - this has been a lifesaver for me, has worked 90% of the time (didnt get the hair dye off the shower curtain!)!