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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect my childminder to use DS's £400 pram for him!!!!!

161 replies

nearlythere · 07/04/2007 14:58

Well, i'm silently fuming! When one of my ds's starting with a childminder friend we bough a silver cross linear freeway for her to use so that we don't have to lug prams etc around all the time. He is her only charge as he is mildly disabled and she is fantastic with him, however, yesterday i nipped out of work to go to the bank and saw something that has wound me up!

The childminders daughter has come to visit for a few days with her 8-month old baby, so there's the start of the story!

I turned round in town and saw my SC pram (very distinctive as is a limited edition colour and i've not seen one the same) went over to say hello to DS and what did i see- the grandaughter sitting in my lovely pram, and my ds shovelled into a cheapo £15 beach type buggy- no padding, no canopy, doesn't lie back etc!

should i say something? am i being silly? Just really annoys me that the daughter is a real cheapskate- has the cheapest of cheap travel system from argos then swans off with my pram as soon as she gets the opportunity! I would understand if she had a small car and couldn't fit everything in, so asked in advance if she could borrrow it, but i know for a fact that her travel system is in the boot of her very large car!!!

OP posts:
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BandofMothers · 12/04/2007 10:49

I would've been furious too. When I had dd2 I bought a new Pram, that converts to pushchair as a special treat for me and dd2. Comfort is the issue here. But tbh I would still have been furious that she swapped cos her dd was moaning about HER dd being uncomfy and then put YOUR child in the uncomfy seat!!!! Does your child's comfort not matter.

I really enjoyed using the pram too, but had to swap to pushchair as she is the ultimate nosy parker and wouldn't lay down where she couldn't see anything
Didn't get nearly as much use out of it as I'd hoped.
Oh well

electra · 12/04/2007 10:21

I would be very angry about this. In fact I think I would have asked her at the time why her granddaughter was in my son's pram. She has an unbelievable cheek.

Original poster
nearlythere · 12/04/2007 10:06

3andnomore- i'm on to it!!! so far i've spoken to abc UK and they are the only uk distributor but there seems to be a few stockists who deal with them- however they don't tend to keep them in stock but order them specifically from abcuk!

tbh i'm not a great fan of the p&t, its a great design and looks nice but just not my thing!!

Meggle- if you like the modern look- have a squizz at the first wheels, its remarkably pretty in rl, and handles brilliantly. I tend to steer clear of 3 wheel doubles, not sure about 3 wheelers full stop but the width and wheel base scares me!!!! oh or the Jane twintwo- very nice and sensibly you dont have to have the toddler at the front (or so i belive!!!)

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Hulababy · 11/04/2007 20:35

Glad to hear you got it sorted.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 11/04/2007 20:23

Have you said anything yet? (can't find if you did, but many posts)

if nto I would take carefully- it may have been a ten minute oh dont you look pretty in that pram thing, not clever but far frome vil. I would try something like 'Oh I saw X in town the other day, she ahd her daughter in X's pram, did she like it? Oh good. I was surprised but I'm sure it was a once off, kids do liek to try each others things dont they? How did X find the stroller? Of right, coz I thought it might upset him what with not being suitable medically'

clear, but nto attackeing. IYSWIM.

misdee · 11/04/2007 20:07

i;d wait and see what results come back as. soubnds promising though doesnt it?

Megglevache · 11/04/2007 17:36

Message withdrawn

misdee · 11/04/2007 17:32

i'm off out to get dinner, will be back later tonight

misdee · 11/04/2007 17:31

is ds still having walking issues meggle?

Megglevache · 11/04/2007 17:12

Message withdrawn

3andnomore · 11/04/2007 17:08

nearlythere...the Adventure Buggy Everest (ok, I have the venturer, which is the older, slightly bulkier version and the Toddlerseat wasn't as well thought through as the new everest's one...balance, etc...) is brilliant...I mean, my older version one is brilliant (have used it now for about 3 years , as I got it a few month before ys was born, who will be 3 in august), so the everest one must be even more fabulous.
There is only 1 distributer in the UK, but it really should be more easily available here in Britain...the amount of times I have been stopped and asked about it and where I got it, etc...!
The companies owners are the same as the Phil & Ted ones, only under a different company name, and I actually asked them which one they consider the better one, and dispite the Adventure Buggy being the cheaper model, it was them that told me, that they find that teh Adventure Buggy is the better designed one....and that really made my mind up for me
You should consider to stock it

misdee · 11/04/2007 16:56

and yes, i am a buggy snob, but there are cheap good buggies out there.

misdee · 11/04/2007 16:54

OMG that centrury travel system stroller is crappola. sorry but it is. the o-baby looks nice and not too badly priced is it?

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:49

CM has a silver cross linear freeway, daughter DID have a Century stroller travel system from argos, now has the O-Baby Genio (can very much recommend this pram- fab and very well priced!)

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Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:47

sorry 3andnomore- was distracted and missed your post!!!

the world of doubles- the mind boggles!! i'm trying to decide which ones to stock- grappling between having stunningly fabulous ones that are going to be coming back every two minutes because they're broken, or slightly more boring ones which will last forever!! AHHHH!!

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misdee · 11/04/2007 16:46

so what pram does CM use? and what one did CM daughter buy lol.

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:44

that's understandable, but the cm only has ds and we pay her extra to keep it that way so the pram was provided knowing that she wouldn't have her own stuff as she only qualified to look after my ds!

tbh the pram was provided so that she didn't damage my xplory (or the rest of the massive pushchair collection!!) and i am not expecting it back when ds no longer needs it- she is welcome to keep it and use it for her next mindees!

HOWEVER!! i provided it for ds, and yes i'm a snob i've admitted it over and over again- but i'm a snob with a successful business, partly due to the fact that my customers often meet my children, and i expect that if the kids are going to visit me at work or be seen around and about, then they aren't looking like extras from 'oliver'! it is all about PR, when they're at home they can roll about in the mud to their hearts content, but when it comes to work they have to be little angels- its peoples perception!!!!!

OP posts:
3andnomore · 11/04/2007 16:31

nearlythere, glad you got it sorted out and that it obviously was a one off , wrong off the daughter to be moaning about the pram she makes her child sit in until then......and lol that in the end you made a sale!
And I agree, that comfort, practicability and all sorts do really matter before the price, imo, too...!A good Pram really amkes a diffrence....with es and ms I had a "proper" Pram with a sprung chassis until the got older and then changed over to M&P Pliko (with ms) and a lovely Hauck Jeep Jet with ms...found it really difficult to find a double one when ys came along (21m between ms and ys) ...it took a lot of searching, and money certainly just wasn't the main concern...seeking out the perfect single Pram?Buggy is easy peasy compared to searching out the perfect double, lol...!
Not that you don't know...

Rubybees · 11/04/2007 16:07

As a childminder unless for reasons like your ds I insist on using my own stuff as next the AIBU will be

My childminder has broke/got dirty/isn't looking after my £400 pushchair

Oh BTW I've got a Phil & Teds childminders by me either have these/ janes or mothercare doubles (all with buggy boards if nescessary) lol

chocolattegirl · 11/04/2007 11:26

Nearlythere - I think that you did the right thing and at least you got a sale out of it all!!

kiskidee · 11/04/2007 10:41

nearlythere: you did the right thing and was entirely in your right to be upset. those who posted to mock are the saddos. you didn't have to explain anything. (and i ain't even pushchair/pram addict)

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 09:45

well then- what a lot of bitchyness over the easterhols!!!

I have made my point already and i have admitted being a snob about my prams, but at the same time it is my business and my kids future! Yes people do expect him to be sitting in something which is obviously from my shops- what would people assume if he was sitting in an argos buggy!? that i wouldn't use my products on my own kids!!!

my ds is 23 months, but has difficulty walking due to CP, and would not be able to climb in on his own!

I have had a chat with sheena and she agrees that it was wrong but her daughter started to whinge at her about her baby being uncomfortable! So the long and short of it is that the daughter came to me yesterday to chat about a more suitable pram and walked away with a fully sprung 2in1- after ADMITTING that the travel system wasn't suitable for any child and she bought it because it was the cheapest option!

On the subject of price of prams- they vary from £15 upwards and yes each type has its place but i don't agree with people buying according to price it should be what is comfortable and suitable for the baby, fgs you can buy lovely prams for under £150! what i hate is seeing tiny babies in cheap travel systems because they are cheap for a reason- they have not been through the design and comfort processes that the more expensive ones have, they often lack any form of padding! cheap buggies- fine, but any travel system is bad enough for a baby without making it worse!!

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curlysmum · 11/04/2007 00:13

my childminder who is great and nearly 60 has been childminder for 30 years always has mums dropping off the kids in lots of very posh prams and the latest pushchairs , they are usually very complicated and she finds them hard to learn how to fold and unfold each one, I used to give her my posh M&P when dd was little with all the co-ordinating stuff and then dd would always be seen out and about in the CM old mothercare basic pushchair , but dd loved it and would insist on sitting in it and would love to pushed in it and would only sleep in it , even now and she is 5 she still trys to squeeze into the thing when she is there and its falling apart, kids can be strange but I knew she was being well loked after and was happy and that was my main concern where as before that she was with a very proper and posh CM and dd was always clean and well presented by thouroughly miserable when ever I picked her up, if your son is happy and this could just me a one off I would'nt make too much of it.

Lact8 · 10/04/2007 21:09

I miss my big shopping basket 3andnomore. DS2 no longer needs to go in the toddler seat so I got a Mutsy Spider last summer - polar opposite of the Bertini! The basket fits the raincover and a pint of milk at a push- what was I thinking?? But I do love it and it means I don't carry so much 'just in case' stuff around with me anymore

3andnomore · 10/04/2007 21:00

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