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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect my childminder to use DS's £400 pram for him!!!!!

161 replies

nearlythere · 07/04/2007 14:58

Well, i'm silently fuming! When one of my ds's starting with a childminder friend we bough a silver cross linear freeway for her to use so that we don't have to lug prams etc around all the time. He is her only charge as he is mildly disabled and she is fantastic with him, however, yesterday i nipped out of work to go to the bank and saw something that has wound me up!

The childminders daughter has come to visit for a few days with her 8-month old baby, so there's the start of the story!

I turned round in town and saw my SC pram (very distinctive as is a limited edition colour and i've not seen one the same) went over to say hello to DS and what did i see- the grandaughter sitting in my lovely pram, and my ds shovelled into a cheapo £15 beach type buggy- no padding, no canopy, doesn't lie back etc!

should i say something? am i being silly? Just really annoys me that the daughter is a real cheapskate- has the cheapest of cheap travel system from argos then swans off with my pram as soon as she gets the opportunity! I would understand if she had a small car and couldn't fit everything in, so asked in advance if she could borrrow it, but i know for a fact that her travel system is in the boot of her very large car!!!

OP posts:
purpleturtle · 10/04/2007 17:02

How old is your ds, nearlythere? Is there any chance that he threw a wobbly about getting in his pram, and wanted to go in the different pushchair?

wheresthehamster · 10/04/2007 17:39

Hahahahaha! £400+ on prams! 'Travel systems' fgs!!!! The manufacturers REALLY saw you lot coming!

Is there really such a thing as pram envy??

nallydoolally · 10/04/2007 18:01

can i just ask... what is an Xplory?

Londonmamma · 10/04/2007 18:59

Custy, are you admitting that your DC have appeared in public rather less than well presented and in an inferior quality pram?

ebenezer · 10/04/2007 20:02

i think this is totally out of order. Nothing to do with snobbery, or what the pram cost. It's YOUR pram, bought for YOUR child and it's just bloody rude to use it for another child. I think I would just be up front and ask why she did it? My guess is she'll squirm with embarrassment and never do it again!

xoxo · 10/04/2007 20:19

yes Ebenezer, that's just what you want to do to your childminder. make her squirm.

littlelapin · 10/04/2007 20:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ebenezer · 10/04/2007 20:32

Well perhaps if she has the cheek to stick another child in her mindees pram, she wouldn't squirm cos she wouldn't see anything wrong with it!

3andnomore · 10/04/2007 20:35

Litle Lapin on your question of best double Buggy:
link to Adventure Buggy Everest with Toddlerseat
Whenever I see a Phil&Ted and compare it to mine, I am soooooo glad I choose that one!
I had also looked into Jane Pwertwin, and did really like it, and a friend of mine loved hers...but still glad I bought the one I have, as it's brill even as a singleBuggy...the frame is sooosturdy, that my 4 year old can stand on the back...so, no need for Buggyboard, and no bruised shins
Can't advertise it to much, dispite NOT having any shares in the company, lol...only just a veryyyyyyy happy customer!

To OP, not sure if I really understand your issues here...I can understand you being a bit miffed, and I can understand you wanting to find out why, and of course you want to be assured that this isn't common occurrance...but as a one-off...hm....

3andnomore · 10/04/2007 20:36

oh on x-plory front...now that is an ugly Pushchair...not a Buggaboo fan neither, mind, lol!
I suppose it takes all sorts, eh

Lact8 · 10/04/2007 20:49

Please reply and say how old your DS is!

With regards to the best double pram IMO it's got to be the Bertini with toddler seat

I had one when dd was newborn and ds2 was 22 months. It was a lifesaver! So easy to push. I could get on and off buses with it and I've even managed to fit a weeks worth of shopping in the huge basket underneath it

3andnomore · 10/04/2007 21:00

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Lact8 · 10/04/2007 21:09

I miss my big shopping basket 3andnomore. DS2 no longer needs to go in the toddler seat so I got a Mutsy Spider last summer - polar opposite of the Bertini! The basket fits the raincover and a pint of milk at a push- what was I thinking?? But I do love it and it means I don't carry so much 'just in case' stuff around with me anymore

curlysmum · 11/04/2007 00:13

my childminder who is great and nearly 60 has been childminder for 30 years always has mums dropping off the kids in lots of very posh prams and the latest pushchairs , they are usually very complicated and she finds them hard to learn how to fold and unfold each one, I used to give her my posh M&P when dd was little with all the co-ordinating stuff and then dd would always be seen out and about in the CM old mothercare basic pushchair , but dd loved it and would insist on sitting in it and would love to pushed in it and would only sleep in it , even now and she is 5 she still trys to squeeze into the thing when she is there and its falling apart, kids can be strange but I knew she was being well loked after and was happy and that was my main concern where as before that she was with a very proper and posh CM and dd was always clean and well presented by thouroughly miserable when ever I picked her up, if your son is happy and this could just me a one off I would'nt make too much of it.

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 09:45

well then- what a lot of bitchyness over the easterhols!!!

I have made my point already and i have admitted being a snob about my prams, but at the same time it is my business and my kids future! Yes people do expect him to be sitting in something which is obviously from my shops- what would people assume if he was sitting in an argos buggy!? that i wouldn't use my products on my own kids!!!

my ds is 23 months, but has difficulty walking due to CP, and would not be able to climb in on his own!

I have had a chat with sheena and she agrees that it was wrong but her daughter started to whinge at her about her baby being uncomfortable! So the long and short of it is that the daughter came to me yesterday to chat about a more suitable pram and walked away with a fully sprung 2in1- after ADMITTING that the travel system wasn't suitable for any child and she bought it because it was the cheapest option!

On the subject of price of prams- they vary from £15 upwards and yes each type has its place but i don't agree with people buying according to price it should be what is comfortable and suitable for the baby, fgs you can buy lovely prams for under £150! what i hate is seeing tiny babies in cheap travel systems because they are cheap for a reason- they have not been through the design and comfort processes that the more expensive ones have, they often lack any form of padding! cheap buggies- fine, but any travel system is bad enough for a baby without making it worse!!

OP posts:
kiskidee · 11/04/2007 10:41

nearlythere: you did the right thing and was entirely in your right to be upset. those who posted to mock are the saddos. you didn't have to explain anything. (and i ain't even pushchair/pram addict)

chocolattegirl · 11/04/2007 11:26

Nearlythere - I think that you did the right thing and at least you got a sale out of it all!!

Rubybees · 11/04/2007 16:07

As a childminder unless for reasons like your ds I insist on using my own stuff as next the AIBU will be

My childminder has broke/got dirty/isn't looking after my £400 pushchair

Oh BTW I've got a Phil & Teds childminders by me either have these/ janes or mothercare doubles (all with buggy boards if nescessary) lol

3andnomore · 11/04/2007 16:31

nearlythere, glad you got it sorted out and that it obviously was a one off , wrong off the daughter to be moaning about the pram she makes her child sit in until then......and lol that in the end you made a sale!
And I agree, that comfort, practicability and all sorts do really matter before the price, imo, too...!A good Pram really amkes a diffrence....with es and ms I had a "proper" Pram with a sprung chassis until the got older and then changed over to M&P Pliko (with ms) and a lovely Hauck Jeep Jet with ms...found it really difficult to find a double one when ys came along (21m between ms and ys) ...it took a lot of searching, and money certainly just wasn't the main concern...seeking out the perfect single Pram?Buggy is easy peasy compared to searching out the perfect double, lol...!
Not that you don't know...

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:44

that's understandable, but the cm only has ds and we pay her extra to keep it that way so the pram was provided knowing that she wouldn't have her own stuff as she only qualified to look after my ds!

tbh the pram was provided so that she didn't damage my xplory (or the rest of the massive pushchair collection!!) and i am not expecting it back when ds no longer needs it- she is welcome to keep it and use it for her next mindees!

HOWEVER!! i provided it for ds, and yes i'm a snob i've admitted it over and over again- but i'm a snob with a successful business, partly due to the fact that my customers often meet my children, and i expect that if the kids are going to visit me at work or be seen around and about, then they aren't looking like extras from 'oliver'! it is all about PR, when they're at home they can roll about in the mud to their hearts content, but when it comes to work they have to be little angels- its peoples perception!!!!!

OP posts:
misdee · 11/04/2007 16:46

so what pram does CM use? and what one did CM daughter buy lol.

Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:47

sorry 3andnomore- was distracted and missed your post!!!

the world of doubles- the mind boggles!! i'm trying to decide which ones to stock- grappling between having stunningly fabulous ones that are going to be coming back every two minutes because they're broken, or slightly more boring ones which will last forever!! AHHHH!!

OP posts:
Original poster
nearlythere · 11/04/2007 16:49

CM has a silver cross linear freeway, daughter DID have a Century stroller travel system from argos, now has the O-Baby Genio (can very much recommend this pram- fab and very well priced!)

OP posts:
misdee · 11/04/2007 16:54

OMG that centrury travel system stroller is crappola. sorry but it is. the o-baby looks nice and not too badly priced is it?

misdee · 11/04/2007 16:56

and yes, i am a buggy snob, but there are cheap good buggies out there.

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