Teach your charge to turn her clothes outside-out and she will eventually teach the mother.

I was one of five kids. If our clothes were inside out in the hamper, my mother would put them aside and not wash them until one of us went looking for our soccer jersey or favorite shirt, found it and put it right-side out.

I have the opposite problem - my nanny takes my kids' clothes off and leaves them inside out in their hamper so that when I go to do whatever is there on the weekends I have to turn it all the right way. She also often washes things inside out and therefore doesn't always catch all the stains, which drives me bonkers. I am totally OCD about laundry/clothes so I try to let it go but it's honestly one of my least favorite things about her. However, since in the grand scheme of life my children are more important than stains, I let it go. Or try to.

I think it's worth mentioning. I do the laundry in my family, and it never occurred to me to teach my children or husband to put it in the basket in such a way that it is easier to do. I am going to do it tomorrow, and I would certainly do it if my nanny asked about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a non-issue. And if the child is old enough to be out of diapers has it occurred to you that it's the CHILD undressing herself?

Your 21 month old can take off a sweatshirt by himself? He's a genius.

At 21 months my children were still in diapers. I toilet trained the month before they each turned three. Thus, I assumed if the charge was wearing underwear, they were 3. But I stand by my initial statement that this is a non-issue.

Three! OMG, no. OP here and my charge was potty trained at 22 months. No, she cannot take off more than her shoes and socks herself.

I find that parents are generally lazy when it comes to teaching their young children how to take care of things at home. Down the road these same parents will be complaining in the teen forum that their kids are trashing the rec room and the cars.

The nanny isn't going off to college to pick up after your sloppy kids. Why not teach them now how to take care of their things?

It's part of responsible parenting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal

Normal? You have done a formal study on who takes off their clothing right-side out and who takes off their clothing right-side in?

I never turn my kids clothing inside out when I take them off - neither does DH or Nanny.

I have, my husband has and my kid has. They even leave their underwear in their pants. No big deal.

As a nanny who does at least 3 loads of kid laundry per week, it’s a very big deal. As it is, it takes me 5 minutes to track down all the laundry in the myriad places it’s hidden all over the house. Then, I spend 5 minutes sorting and checking pockets, 5 minutes treating for stains. When I have to turn everything right side out and untangle underwear from pants, separate layered shirts, and untwist/unroll layered socks, I can easily double or treble that time. A weekly task that takes under an hour to start can swell to 1.5-2 hours. I don’t have that kind of time (on the clock)! (If kids learn to treat their clothes nicely, they don’t stretch out as much either.)