When your child brings home uniform that doesn't belong to them...

[AbbyRue]

you would expect parents to return to right owner right, especially if its named? Oh no, not this one parent at my kids school! So a few days into the new school year, DS (9) comes home without his jumper. We search everywhere including lost property at school but with no luck. I had to fork out £30 to replace - which was painful to pay as the lost jumper was a 2nd hand bargain at £5

This morning, a boy in DS class took off his jumper and put it on the desk - lo and behold its my sons, still with my sons name tag.

AIBU to want to confront the boys mum? Could it be that she hadnt noticed?

[Dawndonna]

I put name labels in very strange places. My dds have AS and are hypersensitive to such things, so the label is never, ever in the back of the collar.

[Alligatorpie]

As a primary teacher, I spend half the winter looking for jumpers. When a child is wearing someone else's, I just take it off the student and give it to the original owner. I am amazed how people can send their child to school in a jumper 2 sizes too big / small and not notice - or not care.
And it drives me crazy how many parents do not put their child's name on them.

[soorploom]

let the teacher know. my ds came home without coat saying he'd lost it. found identical one in lost property box with another boy's name. teacher intercepted him at the gate on way home next day. coats exchanged no problem. teacher said that at the end of the day she sometimes screeches reminds the dcs to make sure thay are going home with their own belongings they are 10yo!!

[Pandemoniaa]

What had struck me was that didn't the boy not realise it himself? The jumper had been missing for a couple of days so presumably he had been wearing it with DS name on it?

Ii can't imagine ds2 noticing whose jumper he was wearing! Provided it fitted, was not wildly different i.e. much newer/older he'd have just worn whatever he thought was his. Reading name labels never cluttered his head because he wouldn't have thought it was anyone else's jumper anyway.

I'm afraid I wouldn't have noticed until it went into the wash either.

[AlwaysHoldingOnToStars]

Ds2 came home with someone else's jumper on the last day of term, so I had to remember to take it in on the first day back. All his jumpers seem to have disappeared but I would never take anyone else's.

Ds5 had another PE shirt in his bag, I took it back and told the girls mum and she had ds's but hadn't noticed. His school sweaters were also given to me by another mum and have someone else's name in, I hOpe no one thinks I've nicked them!

[AbbyRue]

Thank you all. I did get the jumper back at pick up time.

DS is usually careful with his stuff but we reckon he must have put his jumper in the wrong box whilst in the changing room getting ready for Games or PE lesson.

What had struck me was that didn't the boy not realise it himself? The jumper had been missing for a couple of days so presumably he had been wearing it with DS name on it?

Anyway, I saw the other mum yesterday at a party and she said the teacher had mentioned about the jumper. She hadn't realised. So all is well now.

[Ithinkitsjustme]

My friends DD had a new coat which vanished, a couple of days later a little girl turned up wearing it to school. When asked about it, the mother claimed that she had bought it and that it belonged to her daughter. My friend asked if she could just check for name tags and you could clearly see where the tag had been cut out of the neck and the inside sleeve but the thief didn't think to check inside the sleeve, where clearly stitched was the original owners name! sticks tongue out

I had another occasion where my DD1 had a lovely new coat which mysteriously vanished on the first day she wore it, we hunted high and low through the school but it had totally vanished. It equally mysteriously reappeared at the end of the school year, in the lost property box, well worn and well washed as well as being OUTGROWN

YANBU to expect people to return property as soon as they notice, but in this situation I would have asked the teacher to ring the other mother to ask her to bring a replacement garment for the other child before the end of the day.

[meemaww]

Seeline - I have had that happen to me too!

How about this one then? Recently my son also came home without his logo'd jumper after PE. The following day, I had asked the teachers, and also asked him to look and ask around in case someone had mistakenly taken it home. He asked one boy who replied 'Yes, i took it home but you can't have it back because my sister needed a new jumper so mum is keeping it!!'

[freddiefrog]

I probably wouldn't notice until the end of the week when I'm ironing it/getting ready for the week ahead but I always return once I've noticed.

We've had problems with uniform theft at our school so I've had their names embriodered under the logos so I can see clearly what's their's. I also write in permanant marker on the actual fabric rather than the labels/use sew in labels.

I also sew in name labels in to the side seams rather than up by the neck (my DDs have a thing about labels around their necks and their teachers know where to look) and I'm often getting jumpers back that have had additional names added

[MarysBeard]

I've just bought DD1 a tracksuit for PE and have not only sewed her name in but also written it with a laundry marker inside each item.

[Seeline]

When my DD first started school I lovingly sewed name tapes in all her uniform. Sure enough fairly early on she came home without her logo'd sweatshirt. I told the teacher who very kindly searched through all the others in the class. Several times. Eventually a search located the sweatshirt on another child. The name tape was still in the collar where I had sewn it although DDs name had been crossed out and the other childs written in underneath THe teacher couldn't believe it either.

[purplehouse]

She probably didn't notice. However, there are plenty of uniform thieves around - I knew a boy whose mum told him to scoop up everything he could find when the kids were getting changed. She then removed nametags and inserted her own!!

Don't say anything to the mum. I've had similar twice where the person who took DS's uniform held onto it for 3 weeks before returning it to me. I had to replace in that time. I know one of the mums who held onto DS's item and she didn't do it on purpose.

[TheSmallPrint]

Ask the school office to add a not on their email roundup asking parents to check labels and return.

[HappyAsChips]

She probably didn't notice.

[McKayz]

DS1 has lost a jumper. He came home with another boys last week and DS1's has just completely disappeared so now we have 1 jumper to last us a week and the uniform lady only comes in now and then.

[marge2]

I always check labels when ironing, in fact, so I know which of my 2 DSs piles the article goes in. I would always notice, and always hand back, but perhaps not till ironing day.

I would have just asked for the jumper on the day and asked the teacher to let the other Mum know that her kid had someone elses. No need to mention whose.

[stealthsquiggle]

I would probably only notice as/when I slung it in the washing machine. If I know the parent concerned, I will text them to save them combing the house for lost items (DD and her friends seemed to go through a phase of getting changed into games kit and shovelling uniform randomly into the nearest bags , and they go home in their games kit).

[SoleSource]

Msybe tne chdren have tbe same jumpets and Mum did not notice. Maybe Mum did notice and asjed her child to hand ot back to teacjer and he did not follow through. Give her the benefit of tne doubt. Annoying. My DS had the same leather jacket as his friend and his Mum took my DS's jacket home. Three weeks later I got it back.

[sue52]

I wouldn't have noticed till I washed it. I certainly wouldn't have gone through the DC's uniform everyday to check the labels.

[HolyAutumnGoldBatman]

She probably didn't notice. I wouldn't go through my 9 year olds uniform each day to make sure he hadn't picked anyone elses up. He went to school in a jumper, he came home in a jumper nothing there to make her think she needs to check the name label.

[Sokmonsta]

I'd get the jumper back as soon as it was noticed that it was your child's. I wouldn't approach the parent unless I knew them well enough that a scene wouldn't be caused (had that as a child myself!), they will likely assume dc has misplaced or start asking others if they've got it by mistake. If you get asked its your choice whether to 'fess up and say you took the jumper as it was actually your child's, or genuinely say you haven't seen the jumper of the child in question. But let maybe let the teacher know so the class isn't turned upside down looking for something that isn't there.

[AbbyRue]

I wasn't going to confront all guns blazing, was just going to tell the mum that her son had DSs jumper ifyswim. Would the other boy not know though? The name tag is right there in the open?

I have emailed the teacher to remind the boy to leave the jumper aside at home time in case he gets picked up before/after I get there. I'm calm about it, well we have 2 now

[Jenny70]

I would say there is a fair chance it wasn't noticed.

My eldest 2 are pretty responsible with their stuff, and also quite neat. They get changed after school and put their uniforms away (well, hanging over a chair!) or in the wash, if dirty. If on the chair they might re-wear a jumper for many days before it needed a wash - and even after a wash I may not check the label specifically. I could see myself not realising an identical jumper was switched for days or up to a few weeks (especially if weather changed).

When I realised I would of course return with an appology for being so slack and not realising instantly.

There is a chance that she kept it knowing it wasn't hers - lots of people are caught out stealing from lost property (or worse), but you don't KNOW they did this knowingly.

Mention it to teacher, if you must. But overall the lesson is for your child to be responsible for their own stuff, putting it away, bringing it home.

Did you get the jumper back?