Stuff going missing at nursery

[IdreamofClooney]

My DS has been going to nursery for over a year - we've had our ups and downs but overall I am happy that the staff care about the children and that is the main thing.

However, in the last week several of DS's thiangs have gone missing.

I have to provide a packed lunch and there is a notice saying that as a lot of parents are using the same containers ( I presume this refers to the avent pots that I use) that we need to label them. I bought a permanent pen and have been marking the avent pots. I also give DS a drink of milk (althought I am not sure why really as the nursery also supplies milk but I just always have) in orange tommie tippee cups. I;ve not labelled these though.

Last week three of them disappeared, so we only have one now, plus his reins and a new jumper.

I asked the nursery about this - they said that they had given the cups to my Ex when he collected DS (he denies this) and that they ahd no idea where the reins were and gave me a scabby old set they no longer needed.

I am a bit fed up as for THREE cups to go missing and a jumper that he was wearing and his reins in one week.

I feel they are trying to teach me a lesson as those items weren;t labelled but surely they must be somewhere in teh nursery as if they had been given to another parent the other parent would have returned them?

All of the children have their own basket and peg but his things are not there.

I'm just fed up as money is tight but also at he attitude when I ask where his stuff is!

I am going to order name labels and name tapes (more expense) but just wondered what everyone else though?

[InMyHumbleOpinion]

don't bet on other parents returning stuff, they don't always, and to be fair if it's not labelled you can't expect the staff to keep track of it.

[IdreamofClooney]

I think I just wasn;t expecting it to be a problem as it is such a small nursery. Very niave of me.

I've tried using the "permanent" pen on the milk cups but DS ends up with pen all over his face so def need to get the proper labels!

[mumofhelen]

I've named everything! From underwear to bags to cups. Permanent pens are OK but I found sewing name tags in the clothing to be most effective. Nothing of my dd has gone missing since I began to name everything. I also try and buy stuff from shops which can have your child's name printed/engraved onto the article. Letterbox, Blooming Marvelous and others provide this service.

[IdreamofClooney]

thanks mumofhelen

I am going to invest in some naming labels - sew on ones for clothes and stick on ones for cups etc, not cheap though - will cost well over £20 but I suppose will be cheaper than replacing all DS's stuff!

[mumofhelen]

Exactly. It's a form of investment. In may cost up to £20, but when jumpers from NEXT costs £16, it's worth it. I've had items go missing and never got them back. I've had suspicions that someone else has dd top but have no proof whatsoever. I can't just go up to child and parent, and say,"oi that's my daughter's!"

[IdreamofClooney]

Just seems weird to me that I send DS to nursery with things and they disappear and there is nothing I can do as they didn;t all have his name on.

Basically another parent must have three extra cups, a set of reins and his nice jojo jumper. If DS comes home with things that aren;t his I take them right back.

Sigh

Willl get labels and stop moaning!

[lemonaid]

Other parents don't always realise. I know if DH unpacked DS's nursery bag he wouldn't notice that some of the stuff in it wasn't actually DS's unless it was labelled. And then once it had sat around the house for a while there's a good chance I'd assume it was something MIL had bought for DS and DH had never mentioned.

Labelling everything is the way to go. That said, I don't always myself but I accept that I'm taking the risk.

[Wendyjayb]

I label all my ds stuff for nusery for the same reason. If he gets messy at nursery they put on a manky spare top from there stores (even though he has spare clothes in his bag) and i was going through a ohase of not getting his top back as they put it through there washimg machine