Would This Gross You Out? Reusing Kindergarten Graduation Caps

This would not gross me out at all. I don't see this as any different than schools that put on plays and re-use all the costumes - including hats!!

My nephew's school had a little ceremony with all the children in little white robes and hats; they were adorable.

They don't necessarily need to be disinfected; depending on how the hats were stored, they might just need to be freshened up. There's no way there's going to be any lice on them, if that's what anyone is worried about.

If this were me, I would just shake them out; if they have a musty smell, run them thru the dryer a few minutes with some dryer sheets or even spray them with some Febreeze. No big deal!!

Good luck!!

Well I'm grossed out at the idea of kindergarteners having a graduation ceremony. Kindergarten is the beginning of a child's formal education, not the end, not the goal. These silly ceremonies parents do in the name of cuteness just baffle me. But I digress.
I suppose you could spray them with lice spray, or Lysol, but be prepared for some parents to complain about their children's heads being exposed to chemicals!

Wouldn't bother me at all. I mean... kindergarten kids use the same dress up clothes and that doesn't bother people, right? So why would a fabric and cardboard cap be any different?

Wow, I can't even imagine how it would be considered gross in any way for a kid to wear a hat for 1/2 an hour that had been worn by another kid a year earlier. There is certainly no worry about lice, since lice can't live more than a day or two without a human host. Kids in kindergarten share all kinds of dress up/play clothes at school already, why should this be any different? My kids wear rented helmets when they go to the batting cages, go-carting, ice tubing, river tubing and rock climbing.

I would not have a problem.

First world problems caused by people who stress over the simplest things making them big deals and wasting resources.

Seeing as I buy lots of stuff at consignment shops, garage sales, and love hand me down clothes I would not be grossed out in the slightest.
L.

I would offer the information on where they can order/purchase and mention you also have some from last year's class. Let the parents know 'there may not be enough left over, so if you would like to use one please let me know.' Then watch them fight over them like diamonds and gold (exaggerating).

In Tball we were required to bring our own helmet because they did not want sharing due to lice outbreaks. Used helmets were available for purchase (most informed people know to keep the hat/helmet in a plastic bag for 2 weeks before using it). Lice do not live that long is there is not a host.

Would not bother me.

It wouldn't bother me in the least. I would rub the inside with one of those wipes they put in grocery stores for the shopping baskets and forget about it.

Some people have phobias about the most minor things. Does she wear a mask too because someone else has already breathed the air she is going to breathe. And heaven help her if she thought her next breath might have come from a mouse or a bird.

Good luck to you and yours.

My daughter's class made their own graduation hats. They used a paper bowl, construction paper glued to the bottom of the bowl, and then taped the elastic band to go under their chin. You could have each child color it or decorate with stickers or whatever. That would be a cute keepsake for the parents.

To answer your question, no it would not gross me out

Graduation caps for kindergarten. I've heard it all now.

My children all went to the same preschool. When they "graduated" they got to make their own caps. There was a pattern that the teachers used and the children had to stick to, so they actually did look uniform and quite nice. Plus as a bonus the children got to take the caps home as souvenirs.

EDIT: I have to say, I would have much more of an issue with my child wearing a cap that smells of Lysol than I would of it smelling like another child's shampoo. :-/ Lysol is a harsh poison with harsh fumes. I certainly wouldn't want that on my child's HEAD.

If you're stuck with fabric caps, you can probably get them dry cleaned. That would be expensive and honestly, unnecessary. I wouldn't think twice about it. If you do discover that parents have an issue with it and they want their precious snowflake to have one of the brand new caps no one has worn yet then have the children make the caps with poster board.

I, too, do not see the gross factor. I'd reuse the caps without mentioning a concern, expecting that this one mother, will think about it and not be concerned. If she or anyone else is concerned let them buy new hats for their children.

wouldn't faze me a bit. parents are so ultra-fastidious these days.
just let people have the option of no caps, or getting their own.
i think too much hoopla goes into kindergarten graduations.
khairete
S.

I would be fine - they're a year old. Do they come apart at all, where you could pull out the cardboard and wash them, then put the cardboard back in the flat part?

not even noteworthy. my child's preschool does this, and i was more curious as to why preschoolers needed a graduation ceremony at all, lol. i certainly would NOT have appreciated someone telling me i needed to shell out money for cap and gown - for four year olds. so re-use away, imo.

there will always be "those parents"...

It would creep me out a little. However, the head lice issue is kind of void b/c if it's been a year, all the lice and/or eggs are dead by now.

Yes, they all use the same dress up clothes, but that eeks me out a bit too.

I would maybe Lysol them?? I suppose if they were sprayed out and air dried I wouldn't worry too much.

My son's kindergarten class had caps and gowns. I don't remember whether they were used or new (my daughter, three years older, didn't have them - they had paper ones). But I have to say the pomp and circumstance of a kindergarten graduation, while cute, was just another thing I thought was overkill! Just like trophies for every player on a soccer team. It was cute, but so unnecessary! But I wouldn't worry about the caps. They're fine.

ETA: Not sure why everyone thinks lysol or wipes will help with anything -- they're ineffective on fabric, first of all, and second, the caps have been in storage for a year. What are you killing?

I like Sadie's response on giving people the info on where to buy them but also offering free rental caps. I bet you 99% of the parents will go with the rental. You could even be proactive and disclose the fact that they were cleaned prior to handing them out.

But no, this wold not bother me. Ugh, the things us parents do :)

Good grief. These parents don't know that lice do not live more than about 48 hours without being ON a human host. Any lice that were on those caps are long since dead. Shake 'em and brush 'em so any dead bugs that are on there are gone, and then use them.

I don't let my kid use any other kid's headband, hat, helmet etc. but that means one that's been in use recently on a friend's head. Something that was in storage for a year? No issues.

If any parents squawk, I'd smile nicely and say, "Maybe you're concerned about lice? They do not live beyond 48 hours if not on a person, so any lice that were on these are long gone, and I've inspected every cap and there is no sign of any bug dead or alive. These were a GIFT from a previous graduating class so we would prefer to use that gift." Watch them squirm.

I wouldn't be bothered, use some Lysol, and if any other parents have a problem then they can go out an buy their little one a new one.

Some people are so weird. Her kid never borrows a bike helmet, batting helmet or hat? At my girls pre-school and grade school they all shared a few helmets to ride the bikes.

She is certainly in the minority in thinking that's gross. I wonder how much time she spends making sure her kid doesn't get cooties!

PS- Lysol is gross and when I smell it all I can think of is "What are they trying to hide?"

honestly i would be fine with it, but if another mom was super grossed out and super vocal, i'm not sure i wouldn't be swayed.

no one would have any problem with this if they didn't know. ya know?

you could always print out a lice information sheet. could it be the sweat they are worried about if it outdoors adn hot?

I never heard of "recycled" graduation caps.
Head lice... ick.
And how do they even store it?

I would give the parents an option. I would prefer getting my own though. Just like when my kid played tball. They had ones that could be shared but we got our own for our daughter.

My high school did this! Our caps and gowns were rented. We had to turn in our measurements and were issued caps and gowns about a week before graduation. We were handed an empty folder at the graduation ceremony and had to turn in our cap and gown in order to receive our actual diploma. The only thing we kept was the tassel!

It would never have occurred to me to be bothered by this.

Yes, ignorance is bliss. But, ignorance (from one other parent) is what prompted the question. Germs cannot live that long in that condition (sealed bag), and lice cannot live for more than 24 or 48 hours (I forget which) without a human host. That's why it's recommended that stuffed animals and other items that cannot be washed be placed in garbage bags for a few days.

Do you have to use them? Our kids made caps out of heavy construction paper. Then they got to take them home.

I would think using the sanitary wipes, like the Purel kind would be good enough. Taking a careful view in and out to check for any creepy crawlies in the very bends where the material and cardboard come together. To those who still object, I'd give them the option of buying one for their child themselves.
N. H. former K teacher, who used to make her own hats every year!!!!

It wouldn't bother me. Maybe spray them with Lysol like other said, just in case. I would tell parents that you have these caps available, but if they prefer they can purchase their own.

You can spray them down with Lysol and they will be fine..

I asked our Pediatrician back in the day, because the softball team all shared the batting Helmets. I was worried about the lice, because our elementary had an outbreak..

Of course they also pace the batting helmet on top of the baseball caps, but it still freaked me out.

Okay, for lice, the usual protocol is to bag stuff up for 2 weeks in an airtight bag. They don't eat and die off. This is what we did at the daycare I worked at.

And the Lysol idea is also fine. Just do it a few days beforehand and let them air out. You could solicit your squeamish parent to help you and she could see that they are FINE.

Some studies suggest that the rate of childhood allergies is increasing because children aren't exposed to enough stuff (dirt, germs, different foods, etc) these days. I read the other day that the rate of allergies increases as income increases. I wonder if it has to do with parents protecting their kids too much.