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Dirty Kids Not Fit to Be in Public?
September 2, 2009 at 12:41 PM by Cafe Cynthia - Comments (24)
Photo by verygina
There's a dirty little war going on in The CafeMom Newcomer's Club. Seriously, it's over dirt.
In one post about dressing and cleaning up kids before going to the store or other public place, a mom said children should always have a clean face and outfit: "At Kmart the other day, both of these kids were riding in the cart and they only had a diaper and shirt on ... not even shoes. On top of that, they looked like they hadn't had a bath for a week or two. Some people just don't care, I guess."
In another dirty kid post indignant of the first, the original poster said, "I let my daughter dress herself most days. She's 4! When I go to Walmart the last thing I'm really worried about is what my kid looks like. I'm a busy person. I work full time. Seriously, if you notice how clean other mom's kids are, you must have too much time on your hands!"
As always, there are plenty of middle ground opinions.
"My kids are always dressed in public, but clean?" says purplemoosemom. "They get dirty five minutes after being in the bathtub -- it's a talent. So I don't guarantee that all four of them are clean when we go out. I do insist they brush their hair and wash their faces and hands before we go though. However, my oldest daughter's hair is such that it always looks ratty, even clean."
If I had to change my daughter's sauce and fruit stained shirt every time we went out, she'd be going through more outfits a day than a game show spokesmodel. I do baby-wipe her face, but unless she's actually stinking or sopping, I just shrug. And chances are, even if she leaves the house sparkling, she'll still come home looking like a street urchin anyway.
Poll
Question: What level of cleanliness is your child when you leave to go out in public?
Total Votes: 77
Which side are you on? Is if fair to say moms of kids who let their kids be dirty in public just "don't care"?
FILED UNDER: child care, food, play, travel
Comments:
My daughter does not like to be dirty or sticky so I have to take extra outfits with us wherever we go. If she eats something and it gets on her clothes, she must change them and her shoes and socks need to match or she flips out a little (she is only 2 1/2). Plus we have to have wet wipes too in case she gets her hands and face dirty/sticky!
As far as other peoples kids I don't think it is a big deal if someones kids are dirty. First of all, you have no idea what the person's day has been like. Maybe the lady at KMart couldn't get clothes on the kids or they took them off in the car and she was choosing not to have that battle, there are so many reasons why it could happen, I just don't think we need to be judging people, especially on something so dang silly! Heck, I give people with more than one kid credit for even leaving the house! I truly have no idea how they do it! :)
I was the one that started the second post, which was relevant to the first one. I got attacked in the first one for saying that you are lazy if you cant take 5 min to brush your kids hair and wipe their face off. Now, that being said, I can see a few spots on a shirt of something like that.. but if your kid goes into a store with a shirt that is supposed to be white and is now brown... that is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS AND LAZY.
Personally, as I said in the post, I have a tote bag in the trunk of my car with extra wipes, outfits, shoes, hair brush, etc for both of my kids. I have a 9 month old and a 2 1/2 year old and never in my life would I take my kids to a store or anywhere in public looking like a hot mess. A few spots on a shirt is one thing, but being completely dirty and the kid looking like they haven't had a bath in 4 days and they've been rolling around in dirt is TOTALLY different!
oh i'd like to edit this and say there were 3 posts as far as i saw. the first and second one you talked about, and then my own with a poll. I wrote that wrong. sorry.
Keeping toddlers clean for more than 5 seconds is impossible, anyone who can't recognize that must not have a toddler.
My kiddo is SPOTLESS when we head out to school in the morning and after a 30 minute car trip I swear he looks like he's been out playing in the mud.
When my daughter leaves the house, she looks spotless. By the time we get to where we're going, her hair is mussed. You do the best you can. Don't judge.
My 3 year old likes to pick out her own clothes, so often she doesn't match. It's not a battle I choose to have. We brush her hair before we leave the house, but she has the type of hair that looks a mess again 5 min later. She hates having her hair brushed, so if I tried to brush it every time it looked a little messy we would never get anywhere. I feel lucky getting it brushed in the morning and at night. If they eat a snack in the car, I give them a wipe. They are 3 and 22 months, they are not perfect at cleaning themselves. If they are really bad, I will help, but they like to do it themselves. It's not that I am lazy. It's about choosing my battles. My kids also both like to take their shoes off while in the store. No matter how many times I put them on, they come right off. After so many attempts, they just stay off. It makes shopping easier.
I don't get the big deal. Unless the kids really look neglected, what difference does it make if there is a little dirt on them or their clothes aren't brand spanking new? Is it really any of your business? Do you know what the parent has been through that day?
My son just turned two. If we go to town I make sure he is clean. If he has been playing outside in the dirt, and we are not at our house, I baby-wipe clean his face, arms, hands and legs if I need to. I have a small neighborhood store behind my house that he has gone into with a dirty face or a diaper on, but if we were actually going into town he would be clean and dressed. If I know we are going somewhere, where I know he will get dirty, I take a change of clothes.
I have 6 chldren. 23 years down to twin 41/2 year olds. and I must say all children are different. My oldest daughter would not have dirt on her, she would demand to change her clothes if they were dirty. My youngest biological son (who is now 18) I used to call him my little dirt magnet. It didn't matter if he was fresh out of the bath, he would manage to get dirty. My only concern is the children that never get bathed that are out in public, (and you CAN tell the difference) because the germs they are spreading do affect the other people that are touching things behind them. It may seem stupid and petty to some people but one of my 41/2 year olds has Cystic Fibrosis and the spreading of germs is life threatening for him. Getting a little dirty from a day of playing is one thing, complete filth is another.
I think kids should be reasonably clean when they go out in public. It's just preparation for when they're older - I don't go to the store in dirty clothes... I have a two year old son and as long as there's no visible dirt on his clothes, I just take a baby wipe to his face and hands before we leave the house. I absolutely would not take him out of the house in just a diaper and looking all dirty. Maybe that mom was having a hell of a day or something, but it just looks bad to have your kids looking all filthy in the store.
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I'm not going to lie but whenever is us threem hubby, child and I she goes out clean, sparkly clean, but when i go visit my mom i let her get dirty and as long as her face, hands and legs are clean we go out, but she is still clean even if it means changing her a good couple of times =-/
sodapple Sep. 2, 2009 at 1:13 PM