AIBU to come to conclusion someone stole from my toddler?

[livingthegoodlife]

In supermarket today at the checkout with my toddler in buggy. She is two and was holding a very shiny £1 coin. I was watching her very carefully to check she didn't put it in her mouth.

When I came to pay I hadn't spent enough to get a refund for my car parking. I quickly went to the end aisle to grab some toothpaste to bump up the bill.

When I turned back to toddler she was holding a grotty 2 euro cent coin. A man piped up that her sister had £1 now. Other DD knew nothing about it.

I can only come to conclusion someone swapped her pretty £1 for a copper coin. Suspicions lie with the bloke.

I feel really sad that someone would take advantage of her like this. It's been bothering me all afternoon. Aibu for letting this upset me?

There is no way she got hold of the copper coin by accident or dropped the £1. I spent ages looking.

maybe you need a new hobby OP?

You should be grateful she didnt choke.

I've never been in a supermarket where the toothpaste aisle is so close to the till - they are usually right at the far end and quite a distance from the tills. Is that what you meant by 'end aisle'? It would have taken 30 seconds or more IMO and way to far to leave a toddler with a coin!

tatty maybe op was in a small shop? The one by us all the aisles are by the tills

tatty maybe op was in a small shop? The one by us all the aisles are by the tills

I am going to hazard a guess it was not a small shop if there was a minimum spend for car parking but happy to be proved wrong

couple of things -

it was a big supermarket but the toothpaste was on the end of a promotional aisle thing so almost within reaching distance of till but obviously i had to turn around for a few seconds, probably about 20-30 seconds? a guess.

i agree that the guy would have had to act fast to swap the coins which makes this far fetched. he was loitering at the end of the checkout area because his wife/partner was behind me in the queue.

perhaps the more logical suggestion is that toddler lost the coin and he picked up another coin off the floor and gave it to her to keep her quiet?

i also think its weird he seemed to know about the pound coin. i have no suggestions to make to that! That is what made me suspicious.

it was definitely a pound. it was very shiney.

yes DD is older than the toddler.

i am not in the habit of letting my children have choking hazards. I had just finished the supermarket trip from hell and was extremely frazzled. No excuse i know and I am extremely grateful she did not put it in her mouth.

I will not be letting my toddler hold a coin whilst going through the checkout again (or at all).

Would your toddler not scream like she was being stabbed if someone was taking her coin from her? I know mine would, even if it was being replaced. And she wouldn't stop taking about it, either (we had a full half hour of "Seán fell down...Seán fell down...he fell down" after her little pal tripped tge other day).