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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Wwyd? Broken toy.

113 replies

SpiceLinerandHoneyLove · 18/08/2016 23:46

Keeping this very short to avoid outing.
DD had two friends to play today. In the garden and sandpit. All well and good. Her friends are sisters, about 18 months between them. All children aged under 4.
Sandpit/outside toys all outside.

Bit hectic, repeated asking other children not to throw gravel, bring toys from house outside etc. Trying, but normal.

Then mum of friends extracts from her youngest DD one of my DD's toys, a pullalong she's had since birth with buttons that make it talk. Well, not anymore. It's full of sand. Her DD had taken it from inside and buried it in the sandpit. It's beyond repair.

I'm not normally precious but it was one of the first toy we got DD and we hoped her new brother/sister would also play with it.

I've googled a replacement and it's not made anymore. Amazon is only place at £25+

WIBU to ask for a replacement?

OP posts:
DianaMitford · 18/08/2016 23:50

Yes. They were playing with toys Hmm
Special toys should be put away if you want to keep them intact.

Jizzomelette · 18/08/2016 23:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BocaDeTrucha · 18/08/2016 23:53

Sorry but YABU. Those kind of situations need anything precious to be kept inside. Any breakages just come with the territory. Even if the girls parents noticed and offered to buy a replacement I'd say no.

paxillin · 18/08/2016 23:53

YWBU. Toys break during play. Either hide super special things or supervise extremely tightly.

Original poster
SpiceLinerandHoneyLove · 18/08/2016 23:55

I thought it was safe. We were outside all the time, other than repeatedly asking them not to bring toys from inside the house in the garden.

OP posts:
SistersOfPercy · 18/08/2016 23:55

Yabu

Carefully take it apart and try and clean it. You've nothing to lose.
You do get a bit less sentimental over stuff as they go older, it is just stuff afterall. It's memories that count.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 18/08/2016 23:58

Can you absolutely prove it was the other child abs not your own dd, as that is what the other childs mother will say. I'd imagine
You can't have been watching them the whole time. That's not a slur on you. That's just life. It's impossible to watch them constantly.
If you can prove it and if it was Done deliberately then no you're not being unreasonable.
I do have to agree with Diana though. Why was it out when you didn't want the other children to play with it.

Only1scoop · 18/08/2016 23:58

Yabu

Don't ask for a replacement I'm cringing at the thought of it.

BocaDeTrucha · 18/08/2016 23:59

When I say "kept inside" I mean inside 3 boxes with a padlock hidden in the loft. Friends' kids can find anything they're not meant to play with.

BaronessBomburst · 18/08/2016 23:59

The thing is, you can ask them not to take toys outside all you like, but at that age, you still need to be supervising them.
Take it apart. There's every chance you'll be able to clean it.

MumOnTheRunCatchingUp · 19/08/2016 00:00

It's a lump of plastic!

Original poster
SpiceLinerandHoneyLove · 19/08/2016 00:01

It was definitely the other DD as her mum saw it and apologised and offered to replace it if it couldn't be fixed. Sorry perhaps I should have put that earlier but didn't want to colour opinions.

OP posts:
Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 19/08/2016 00:02

It's not about opinions though. It's about facts

ghostspirit · 19/08/2016 00:05

i would not ask for a replacement its one of them things that happen. kids play and things will get broken now and then... i agree with diana

BocaDeTrucha · 19/08/2016 00:09

How did you reply when she offered to replace it, op?

TealLove · 19/08/2016 00:15

No you can't possibly ask to replace

TheRollingCrone · 19/08/2016 00:18

It's unfortunate, but honestly YWBVVU to ask for a replacement. I hope you can it fixed.

amprev · 19/08/2016 00:19

I can only imagine that for the other mum to offer to replace the toy, that it was written all over your face that you were upset about it, so by the sounds of it, they are already aware of your displeasure. I have always been sentimental about our children's belongings, and it got to the stage that I could almost always justify to myself a reason for keeping toys and clothes - I could always find something special about anything. This can get quite exhausting and I have toughened up a lot and now get more pleasure from passing their things on and seeing them bring happiness to another child - whether it be someone I know, or someone unknown to me who will buy it from a charity shop. It is obviously upsetting for you that this toy has become damaged, but hopefully, the friendship you may have with the mother + the desire not to look unreasonable + the knowledge that there will be lots of other toys you can pass along to subsequent children will give you perspective and let this one go. As others have said, have a go at repairing it, but if you don't succeed then I would just mark it up to experience and not let special toys get into little hands in the future.

Sunshineonacloudyday · 19/08/2016 00:39

You should have put them away her dd is 3 or 4 she left them in your care. I understand how you feel but you can't blame the child they don't understand no matter how many times you tell them. You should have put it away and if you do ask her to replace it then I doubt she will her children in your care again. She sounds like a lovely lady and do you want your carelessness to get in the way of the start of a good friendship.

tararabumdeay · 19/08/2016 00:40

The poor talking toy is a casualty of being played with. The toy, like in the stories, would be much happier going that way than being stuck in the attic till his/her little voice ran out as other younger toys took over the talking.

She/he is still a piece of plastic and may be useful even without its poor sad £25 voice.

BeMorePanda · 19/08/2016 00:42

YABU. It's a plastic toy. Your DC will very soon have grown out of it. They have other toys.
It never pays to get over invested in stuff. thank the toy for a job well done and let it go.

DementedUnicorn · 19/08/2016 00:49

YABU. If they were older fair enough but you can't really blame babies and toddlers for things being broken. At this age they need supervised.

Planty18 · 19/08/2016 01:16

Brilliant post amprev, sorry op but chalk this one up to experience. Promise it'll get much easier, it's just one of those things.

FixItUpChappie · 19/08/2016 01:19

I would think a parent very tight and ungracious to ask that a broken toy be replaced. It's just a toy at the end of the day - accidents happen.

Bumbledumb · 19/08/2016 01:28

From the description, it is not broken at all. It is just full of sand. Why can't you just disassemble it and clean it?