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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel worried about my child at school

157 replies

boobymama · 20/01/2013 21:16

am i being unreasonable to be so upset on collecting my 4 year old son from school last tuesday,to find that they had let him play out in his trainers morning and afternoon in the snow (-4) and sat all day in SOAKING trainers and socks. Why in the worst conditions we have had for ages, do they have to play outside? Why cant the teachers help the children to dress appropriately? My son developed a fever the next day and was off his food and sick! 5 more parnets have said exactly the same. The head says bring wellies!!!

OP posts:
kim147 · 20/01/2013 22:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yousankmybattleship · 20/01/2013 22:10

Wet feet would not cause fever and sickness.

GET HIM SOME WELLIES. Not poncy snow boots, just a cheap pair of wellies so his feet will be dry.

qualitytoffee · 20/01/2013 22:13

Sorry, boobymama, it is your responsibility to make sure that your LO has appropriate clothing for the conditions, so please don't blame it on the school. From my experience, 4 year olds would rather be outside anyway than couped up all day in a stuffy classroom.

bollywoodfan · 20/01/2013 22:15

Well our school are really good then. My Ds is in R and they help them with getting changed/footwear if required. Also when it snowed last mon any children who didn't have wellies with them did not play outside. Only a few children did have their boots with them that day as there had not been much snow - only a couple of cm, so most had come with their normal school shoes on.
I have sent him with his wellies everyday after that but they have not played outside since due to it being too icy/slippery.

Ineedmorepatience · 20/01/2013 22:19

If this is the most worrying part of your Ds being at school then you are very lucky!!

Aspiemum2 · 20/01/2013 22:21

Not a reverse then? No? Confused

Bonkers! get some snow boots for heavens sake. Plenty in the shops just now, take him with you and buy a pair that he can slip on and off.
Wellies can be a bit slippy in snow but better than trainers

CloudsAndTrees · 20/01/2013 22:25

Why is he wearing trainers at school anyway? School shoes and wellies are your answer.

You teach him how to put on wellies, you teach him how to take them off an put them straight into a carrier bag with his name on, then hang them on his peg. If you are there to collect him at the end of the day, his wellies won't go far, and if they do you can go in and find them.

stealthsquiggle · 20/01/2013 22:39

DD has wellies & welly socks at school, as well as over trousers, coat, gloves and hat. They all do. When they had property snow, they were all instructed to put wet hats, gloves, etc on the radiator when they came in. If everything is well named, nothing goes missing other than the odd glove.

Of course snow boots are not suitable for class Hmm

stealthsquiggle · 20/01/2013 22:40

Proper, not property.

withgreatpower · 20/01/2013 22:41

OP, I agree with you. I wouldn't be happy to play outside in this cold weather, and I wouldn't be happy to have wet clothes/shoes on. I understand it's hard for teachers to keep the children in at break time, but when the weather is cold or wet, the children shiuld be allowed to choose if they want to stay indoors.

I so agree with you.

And little children, especially the skinny ones, like my DD, get cold very quickly (DD gets bluey lips from being cold after being in the swimming pool for 20 minutes, even though she moves around).

Yfronts · 20/01/2013 22:42

I think you should have ensured you child was prepared for outdoor play while the school shouldn't have let your son sit in wet clothes all day

makemineapinot · 20/01/2013 22:49

And just add that to the complaints from parents when a head decides not to let the children out to play in the snow for 'health and safety' - teachers can't win. But yeah, totally agree with other posters - your child = your responsibility to send him with appropriate clothing/footwear. Buy him some wellies and send in spare socks, not rocket science! Let him experience the joy of playing outside in the snow with his friends.

VenusRising · 20/01/2013 22:54

Omg can't believe the bashing the OP has got on this thread.

Op I hope your DS is getting better. Of course you can exacerbate a chill, and reduce your immunity to a virus if you're freezing cold - I got pneumonia from going out with wet hair.

It's difficult to leave willies or boots for the children to change into if things are going missing - even with the best will in the world labelled uniforms and shoes DO go missing, and not everyone can afford to replace ad nauseum.
Had your DS got a cubby to at least put a dry pair of socks in.

Maybe a cheap pair of boots or even slippers might be an option, and teach your DS how to put them on and take off.

It's important also to teach your DS to speak up and tell the teacher that his feet are wet and cold. She may suggest he takes off his shoes and gets his dry socks to put on.

I feel for you actually op, and don't think you deserved the bashing.

NaturalBaby · 20/01/2013 22:59

My 4yr old needed wellies last week for a winter walk so they all went out for a snowball fight (in their wellies), other than that they stayed in at playtime when the snow was bad.

I would be having words with the teacher if my child came home in that state.

seeker · 20/01/2013 23:00

"I got pneumonia from going out with wet hair."

No you didn't.

VenusRising · 20/01/2013 23:01

Willies, Wellies, duh

VenusRising · 20/01/2013 23:02

Yes I did seeker.
Thank you for you opinion all the same, but no thanks, not biting.

manicbmc · 20/01/2013 23:03

You cannot get pneumonia from going out with wet hair.

qualitytoffee · 20/01/2013 23:03

Venus, she's not getting a bashing, of course a LO shouldn't be ill, and i sympathise completely, but bless him, it wasn't caused by going outside, it may have exasperated it, but surely the most sensible thing was to ensure for any eventualities? That means hat, scarf and wellies (thermals if necessary)
It is not the schools responsibility to police that,its up to Mum to ensure it.

Sympathies OP, but it really isn't the schools fault. Hope he gets better soon x

Salmotrutta · 20/01/2013 23:03

Children should be out playing in the snow.

And they should have the appropriate gear.

I have relatives in Norway and Canada. Their kids never stayed inside during school lunchtimes and in Norway the children are out every week doing forest school type stuff. Even in winter.

fuckadoodlepoopoo · 20/01/2013 23:03

It's difficult to leave willies or boots for the children to change into if things are going missing

He he he Grin

seeker · 20/01/2013 23:04

I'm really sorry, but you didn't.

You went out with wet hair, and at a later stage developed pneumonia, but the two were not connected. Honestly, they weren't. Whatever your granny told you.

fuckadoodlepoopoo · 20/01/2013 23:05

Things go missing in schools all the time, although often they show up in the lost property.

No excuse not to send in wellies though.

fuckadoodlepoopoo · 20/01/2013 23:05

The wet hair thing is an old wives tale.

Salmotrutta · 20/01/2013 23:06

Well, in fairness, they did show that being cold did, in fact, make you more susceptible to viruses in a research project a while back.

Haven't worked out how to do iPad links yet but it will be google able I should imagine.

But dress your child properly and it isn't an issue fgs!!