To think it wasn't my fault that her coat got dirty

[NatureRun]

In a busy coffee shop with 8-month-old DS and our NCT group. A woman pulled an extra chair up to join her friends at crowded table next to us. She sat down within grabbing range of DS and before I could stop him he twisted round in highchair and grabbed hold of her pale grey coatigan thing that she'd draped over chair and wiped his mouth on it He had prune puree and yogurt around his mouth as I was feeding him

Woman jumped up angrily and told me off. I apologised profusely but she was really angry. She insisted I pay for dry-cleaning. I refused (had she been nicer I may have offered) but she was making a scene and I loathed her.

If you sit within grabbing distance of a prune-covered baby surely that's not my fault? Or am I BU?

soupdragon "So, basically people think the woman was asking for it because of her choice of clothing?"

No, the YANBU consensus seems to be she was asking for it as she pushed in with no regard for her surroundings then had a strop when the baby she'd sat behind made contact with her coatigan.

If the baby hadn't had food on its face her coatigan would still have been touched, maybe dropped, and this would have proved (to me anyway) that she was sat too close.

You wouldn't say that. It's not good English. Property refers to expensive items . Clothing would be the correct term.

OH my GOD!

After reading this thread I'm imagining insurers with ££££ in their eyes!

Sounds like everyone is going to need clothing and baby insurance in the future for when the two parties "collide".

Coatigan Vs Jamie (8 months)

It would be more gripping than OJ's trial.

Property refers to expensive items

No it doesn't. It refers to possessions.

Oysterbabe I'm guessing people object as it sounds like permanent damage, like a tear etc, rather than a smear of food which most of the time will wash away easily.
If the OPs baby had torn the sleeve or made a hole in it I'm sure she'd feel much more at fault.

Do people regard their babies as 'causing propert damage' to their own clothes at every messy mealtime? No, you just accept that clothes get dirty, wash them, and oh look - a magically un-damaged top.

Why does everyone keep going on about 'damage'?! It's not damage, it's some prune purée that would most likely come out with a baby wipe.

If the baby had grabbed a steak knife off the table and set about hacking the sleeves off the coatigan may be a vast improvement that would be 'damage'

I think a few people need a grip this morning.

I like coatigans

so do I, but you'll never get me to admit it

She's bu babies mess up they are usually very quick, people get so angry it's ridiculous

You should have pointed out you were doing her a favour rescuing her from coatigan hell.

Or whipped out the wipes and started scrubbing while trilling "don't fret nothing a baby wipe can't fix"

Dry cleaning ffs

If it had been my baby, I would've apologised profusely and offered to pay for dry cleaning.

If I had been wearer of said dirty garment, I would've said, 'No! Don't worry about it'.

There seems to be a profusion of people with very short fuses and poor manners in other MNers' worlds.

yanbu

I actually have a light grey coatigan

It's not covered in prune puree though just cat hair

You were there first, she chose to sit very near, and you have to be pretty close to be in reaching distance of a small baby's arms. Anyway, I vote "accident", for which an apology should have sufficed, and that her reaction should have been a little less committed.

Some people are really fond of grey clothes. I may be one of them.

Personally, I do not ever refer to any of my items of clothing as property. I could understand possessions or belongings but property refers to more solid, expensive items. When people talk about property, normally it's to do with your home or, again, solid items in it, such as large pieces of furniture, electrical items. Or it might be something like a car or a bike.

I think the word property is being used here for emotive effect, precisely because property tends to be about prized possessions, often very expensive and difficult to replace or repair.

*Coatigan Vs Jamie (8 months)

It would be more gripping than OJ's trial.*

This would be a very good episode of Judge Rinder.

I would offer too, unless shouted at. Then I would withdraw my offer on account of her being a bitch.

I just had to google coatigan and I think this ones rather fetching

Best part - it's machine washable!!

Very interesting that the op posted this highly debatable topic then disappeared...

It wasn't damaged, it got dirty. As clothes do.

Perhaps it's Matthew Wright?

Yabu not to have offered to pay for the coatigan(?!) to be cleaned. However, I don't think you should have been shouted at. I wouldn't accept the offer of dry cleaning in this situation, but I would expect it to be offered.

For those comparing to muddy paws. If I'm out on a walk and a dog gets mud on my jeans, I will wash my jeans. In the washing machine. If a baby gets fruit mush on my - presumably wool mix - coat then I probably can't put this through the wash and therefore cleaning it will cost me money.

Mud is also not going to stain trousers (unless you're walking in some really fancy trousers). Prune mix on the other hand...

One of those things.
You apologised.
End of.
Don't let it eat you up.

I honestly can't believe that anyone thinks you should pay for dry cleaning!

Accidents happen, she sat next to a baby that was eating - it's a messy business!

How bloody precious of people! It's only a coat and the coat can be dry cleaned for about a tenner.

Very odd