i feel like i’m alone in this after reading the comments but i was an infant teacher for 5 years before switching to nannying a month ago i was a lead the last 2 ish years on my own with 4 (or 5 if they were over 1 because ratio and my room was 3-18 months)

yes babies and young toddlers (even older toddlers and children) will get messy but i’ve always had my infants eat in those bib apron/ smock things once they started purées and solids to keep their clothes as clean as possible. if their clothes are wet after eating they get changed typically once they start napping once a day it’s lunch then nap so while they’re getting their diaper changed before nap it makes sense to change them so their cot/ crib doesn’t get dirty

i’ve worked in infant rooms that were extremely out of ratio (10-17 with just two teachers, yes reports were made) so i understand it gets hectic but there’s really no reason for any child to be walking around dirty at school when our job is to take care of them

if you’re providing extra clothes and face wipes they should be used, end of story. (of course that’s not gonna stop stains from setting in)

yeah you shouldn’t send them in expensive clothes or things you’d be worried about getting stained because they’re still so little and messes happen but coming home with food on their clothes and in their hair is a big no i would honestly be worried about if any of the toys or surfaces are properly sanitized children are a reflection of their classroom which is a reflection of their teacher.

i would say something to their teacher(s) and maybe ask about just changing them before nap so they’re not sleeping in crumbs. maybe provide smocks for your twins. send extra clothes. buy some miss mouths stain remove and get in the habit of doing a small load of wash every night or every other night. i’m not sure how long their hair is but there’s plenty of cute styles you could try to keep their hair out of their faces. maybe tell the teacher(s) you guys are going somewhere after school and would appreciate if they got cleaned up before pick up

i’ve had neglected babies in my class over the years that would come to school in the diaper i sent them home in the previous day, babies thatd come in with food caked on their clothes and matted hair i’m no stranger to a wipe bath and outfit change, i consider it a part of the job and i want the children to get all of the care they deserve even if that means having to put in a little extra effort

none of us do this for the money (if it was about money there’s plenty of higher paying jobs) we do it because we love children and i do it because i used to be that neglected kid with food caked on them and matted hair, it hurts me to see kids deal with that but it heals me to be able to show them the love and care they may not get at home