to padlock DS' PE bag to his school bag?

[cakedup]

Genuine question.

I've had it up to HERE with lost PE kit. Sometimes it's the odd item but this is the second time he has lost an ENTIRE PE kit worth over £70 including brand new trainers that he wore twice.

After a couple of weeks of it not turning up, I told him that his only option was to FIND IT TODAY. He just rang up to say he's been to all 3 lost property areas and every single classroom he's ever been in.

As a side aibu, the PE tops have the school logo on and cost 17 fucking quid each. AIBU to just to replace them with cheap plain ones from now on and tell the school I am not forking out for anymore.

The only solution I can think of, is to buy a padlock that only I will know the combination number of, and attach it to his school bag, which he never seems to lose. This won't stop one off PE items being lost, granted, but at least he'll come back with something.

I know it's not an ideal solution and he needs to be more responsible etc but I cannot afford to keep paying out for lost kit. Also, he'll probably hate it as it won't look very cool or whatever (I've tried attaching it before in a temporary way but he just unattached it) but that's life, right?

I used to write my kids' names in laundry marker inside their clothes in VERY BIG LETTERS, and sometimes on the outside too. It's less easy to get rid off than sewn in name tapes, which can be snipped out, should anyone be so minded. Also in their shoes, towels for swimming, knickers, handkerchiefs...all right, maybe not their hankies. But it's hard for someone else to deny that they are wearing your child's PE kit when it has their name in ENORMOUS BLACK LETTERS all over it.

I thought about putting my mobile number and whether it would be safe but it's easy to block anyone annoying!
All of the things I thought my son had lost at school, it turned out they had been lost elsewhere, so they never turned up in lost property, so the mobile number was more effective then.

Definitely padlock. My son used to do this (he has ASC). I used to just go into school periodically and take unnamed items out of lost property. Loads of parents used to do it. Presumably someone else has your son's so it's just "swapping" as far as I'm concerned.

Is it related to his SEN? because the staff might be able to prompt him to pick it up, take it with him,etc, if he has SEN that affect his organisational skills.

You really should have mentioned this in the OP, if he can't help it it's completely different to him being careless

Re his SEN, DS is dyslexic. I do realise this could have an impact on his organisational skills, but to be honest, I don't think he is any less organised than most boys his age. He keeps his bedroom immaculate (never once had to ask him to tidy it up!) and at school other kids who have forgotten to bring pens always go to him - because he will store several in his blazer pocket for easy access! And actually it's the only thing he loses. He is allowed to bring his phone to school - and that would never go missing because he places far too much importance on it.

Also, I know he doesn't mean to do it and I don't punish him for it. I just don't want it to keep happening!

His PE uniform is black - which makes it impossible to mark with a laundry pen on the outside. And how do you label trainers?

Re his trainers - he is not into designer stuff at all so I do just get him basic cheap trainers. Can't imagine anyone actually desiring them. I then replace the laces with ones he doesn't have to tie up as he can't. Then he loses them.

Mummyh2016 yes he does have a locker but they're too far away from the PE changing rooms!

I don't really like the idea of paying him £1 everytime he doesn't lose his pe kit MrsKnightley as I feel normal expectations shouldn't be rewarded? He doesn't always eat his lunch either, and today he told me "I've got some good news for you. I ate my lunch." I was like "good news? Get off with you, that's not news. That's eating to stay alive."

Get a silver Sharpie to write names on black kit. It'll fade a bit with washing but you can go over it at intervals.

afromom the bag sounds GREAT! Please could you link again? The link you posted doesn't seem to work.

Butterymuffin oooh good idea, I'll do that too!

I have a son the same age OP, I feel your pain. Things have improved on last year, we are only a pair of pe shorts down (it’s still early days.......). I just don’t know what happens to the blimmin stuff. It’s worse when it’s pe stuff coz the playing fields / changing rooms are a bus ride away, so it’s not like they can pop back and have a look around. One evening last year I ended up driving back to school coz he’d left the whole pe bag in the classroom where he’d had his last lesson. At least we got it back. I second the cable tie idea!

Here it is again https://m.nike.com/gb/engb/pd/cheyenne-3-solid-backpack/pid-11078210/pgid-12174974?cp=eunsskwpla!uk!goo!pla!m!!!209399908060&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgZTRBRDmARIsAJvVWAssrgivc-VEkLmG6SAgc87Om73HbHnmQZyS7oiPnawkr9jffztHTEaAsflEALwwcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F]

Hope it works, if not google NIKE CHEYENNE 3.0 SOLID
It says £42 on the website, but we got DS in the Nike outlet for £19.99!
Here's a picture in case the link doesn't work!

So far Dd (12) has lost one kit. I was debating using a sharpie to write her name in big letters across her back, football shirt style.
Both Ds's old school had logo PE shirts and shorts that had a space to write initials and last name in sharpie. Any kid who came in un labeled the PE teacher wrote on the shirts and shorts for them. Never lost anything, eventually they faded enough from washing and Ds2 used the same set.

My dad did something similar (don't think it was a lock but can't remember what).

He also sewed my bus pass to my school bag so that I didn't lose it. Very embarrassing having to show it on my bag every day but stopped the costs of a replacement.

Thanks afromom are you sure that's the one? Doesn't show the bottom compartment feature on the pics or in the description. I'll have a look around to see if I can get it cheaper!

I've done it as D's kept leaving his on the bus. Worked beautifully! We've now got him a bigger bag so it fits in there with his books etc, but the padlock idea worked and AFAIK nobody laughed at him.

I wonder if it was this bag store.nike.com/gb/en_gb/pd/cr7-cheyenne-football-backpack/pid-11807248/pgid-12263306 I am invested in a bag with a shoe compartment too, so i need to know.

Yes that's it jasminedes but ds's is black. It's couple of years old so the may have discontinued the exact one, but it's like the one jasminedes has linked to, thanks

I genuinely considered getting the letters that you put on football strips for ds stuff. I swear we went through a jumper a week and it seemed more humane than sewing them to his underpants (often threatened too).
Now I just march into school as the lines come out and do a sweep. Obviously this is primary though, hoping to break the habit.

we have logoed t shirt , logoed skort, logoed sweatshirt, logoed trousers and special socks. throw in an ordinary pair of trainers and a pair of white socks and the pe bag...£100