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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Okay - would it me grabby of me to ring up for the Bookstart pack?

11 replies

Uptheairymountain · 20/06/2014 07:07

DD had her 2 year check up yesterday. We're a bookish pair and she has a small bookcase in the sitting room full of stories, mainly from those sets 10 or more for 10. The health visiter took one look at it and said, quite snippily, that she didn't need the Bookstart pack because she had enough books so she had no intention of giving one.

AIBU to be annoyed about this? We're on a very low income (part time work on just above minimum wage) and we live in a fairly deprived area, so I would imagine DD should have automatically been given a pack if there were any T&Cs - after reading the information on the Bookstart website, I thought that every child got one anyway, no matter what their circumstances. Plus I'd told DD that she'd be getting storybooks and she was really excited.

One more point. If I did phone to ask for the books, I'd ideally want them to be dropped off to me because I wouldn't want to spend 4 on a day ticket to go and get them. As mentioned above, I don't have much money. I rarely use public transport because I live within roughly 30 minutes walking distance of most places we want to go to, so it wouldn't be a case of me easily being able to call past the HV office, which is about 6 miles away.

So go on - am I being entitled or should I phone up to ask for the books?

OP posts:
Mumof3xox · 20/06/2014 07:10

As far as I am aware everyone is entitled to the bookstart packs!

We have 100s of childrens books in this house from first soft and board books to proper stories (gruffallo etc) and even some ort reading books

My dd still got her book start pack the other day! However this was at the clinic not at my home but I would like to think they would still have given me one!

Just like I took a toothpaste and brush pack even though she has a toothbrush and we have toothpaste!

zandy · 20/06/2014 07:14

www.bookstart.org.uk/about-us/faqs/

lettertoherms · 20/06/2014 07:17

Ok, so I'm not even the country, but I started googling.

Did she get one in her first year? It seems the 'baby pack' is meant to go to every child, given by the health visitor. Looking at it, she may have already outgrown them. But if you didn't receive one, I think you can call and ask.

The 3-4 year old pack is also given to everyone.

The only info I can find on a two-year-old pack it seems that only certain children are eligible, with centers giving out a limited amount to those qualified. It seems to only contain two books.

I hope that's all correct?

nutellacake · 20/06/2014 07:17

You are not being grabby at all!

Bookstart is for everyone! That's the whole point. All kids, 'rich' or poor are entitled to the same set of books. Ignore the HV.

Catmint · 20/06/2014 07:18

I think you have grounds for complaint about that HV. That isn't her judgement to make.

I'm not on a low income, but we were gladly given our book start books. DD is now 7 and still remembers them and uses the book bag to go to the library.

Uptheairymountain · 20/06/2014 07:23

Toothpaste? Didn't get that either Hmm, must have run out of freebies, ha ha!

I saw that about the 3 - 4 year old pack, but the HV actually said she had one but wouldn't give it.

Thanks. I'll ring up and ask for the pack (and possibly the toothpaste!).

OP posts:
PourquoiTuGachesTaVie · 20/06/2014 07:26

I was never offered the baby pack so I asked in my local library and they gave it to me.

The 3-4 year old pack is apparently supposed to be given by the pre-school/early years setting but still no sign of it and ds starts reception in September so I think I'll go and ask in the library again.

We have hundreds of books for ds (I kept all my books from my childhood and he gets books for every birthday and Xmas and in between because they're books so don't have the same rules as toys IMO but as he's entitled to the book start packs I don't see why he shouldn't have them.

PourquoiTuGachesTaVie · 20/06/2014 07:27

And I didn't even know about the toothpaste!

tshirtsuntan · 20/06/2014 07:28

We got ours from the library, had to produce his red book as proof of age and they stamped a page to prove it had been received. Maybe try that if you have a library within walking distance.

meganorks · 20/06/2014 07:29

I asked for my bookstart pack for dd1over 2 years ago. They told me to ask someone else. Asked them and still didn't get anywhere. Assumed they had just done away with them and I wasn't going to get anywhere. So haven't even bothered asking for DD2. But is everyone else bloody getting them?! Pissed off now!

MiaowTheCat · 20/06/2014 07:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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