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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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!!'

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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!!

[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.

[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.