To speak to school about mascot toy

[wheresthel1ght]

Dd has brought the class mascot home for the weekend. I have then had to wash and disinfect it as it was filthy which I expect when it's handed round 30+ kids and dragged to every place over their weekend. However, it absolutely stinks of fag smoke.

Dd is asthmatic, having it so close to her (she has carried it everywhere) has left her coughing and wheezing a lot. I have now out everything including the bag and the Teddy in the washing machine.

Would I be "that parent" if I had a word with the teacher about it?

Febreeze and those plug in air freshener things and the like are all disgusting. I won't have them in the house. I'm convinced one day they'll realise that breathing in such artificial crap has had an terrible toll on people's health.

Oh and then we also had to invent something exciting we'd done with it lol

Rachie1973 Did you actually do the diary bit? DS wasn't bothered but I made him pose for a few pics and explained that sometimes we didn't want to do things but it was "the system" and it was easier to do it than argue!

Looked in the diary to see what the people before us had done and couldn't believe how many blank pages there were.

Every time the travelling bear came home I just washed it (immediately!) in a net bag and didn’t comment on its stinky state.

I'd be tempted to write a PA note at the front of ds's page in the book, maybe as the bear to say that he was really upset that he had changed homes and had gone straight from a smokey home to one where even the smoke he'd brought with him without realising had made his new carer very poorly because it was enough to trigger her asthma. But now that you have had a good session in the special bear immersive jacuzzi (aka the washing machine) and inside the rolling log heat challenge (aka the tumble drier) he is now able to have a hug from his carer without making her ill, so they're both happy again.

excellent bunbunny!!
for fear of lice there would be no class bear coming into my home...some little ones suck on those stuffy toys...gross just gross.

The class bear being brought home wasn't a thing when my children were of Primary School age. I have, on occasion, washed and dried various clothing that my dc brought home by accident (they were similar to dc's clothing) because they stank to high Heaven. Either they stank of cigarette smoke or just that plain old unwashed, sweaty, dirty house, nostril turning stink!

None of the parents ever thanked me so I guess they hadn't realised the coats/jumpers/shirts had been washed. That was never a problem. I'm just glad those children had one item of freshly laundered clothing. Its not only smokers children who stink. And I say that as a non smoker, who has never smoked and never will smoke.

We were given the bear for 2 weeks over Xmas. He went straight in the machine.

You assumed the school was having it cleaned? By whom? You mean the teacher should have washed it? I think they’ve got enough to do.

Just wash the bear immediately yourself next time. That’s as easy a solution as any.

How does Febreeze remove the irritants in cigarette smoke? I thought it just masked smells.

Twice a week home with a new child is a lot. That surprised me. Our bears are 1 per class and go home once a week, most weeks of the sch yr.

bunbunny that again is shaming the child for the ‘sins’ of the parent. Everyone would know who the previous family were who had had the cuddly toy, and you would be essentially labelling them filthy. That’s not only passive aggressive, it’s downright nasty.

Also I’m asthmatic and allergic to febreeze and most washing powders and fabric softeners.

This is one of the situations where as a teacher if someone complained about this rather than just washing the bloody thing I would retire fluffy and think ‘no more class bear, it’s not worth the hassle.’

Adds washing class bear to massive to do list...he is grim mind.

Ugh. Those class bear things.
How to make sure Flu, norovirus and other stuff gets shared around.

Our class bear fell apart because every parent washed it. In the end they asked everyone not to.
All that will happen is that theyll stop sending the thing home. . you cant discriminate against 5 year olds because their parents smoke

Hmm... Class 'bears' always came to ours for a bath.
The event became the first photo taken on any weekend with my DC. He/she went in the tumbledryer sauna too. Very well pampered I'd say.
DCs always played along.

Our class bear fell apart because every parent washed it. In the end they asked everyone not to.

I would politely request that the bear wasn't sent home in that case.
Also... how expensive would it be to replace the bear? Really?!

mumpoints
Rachie1973 Did you actually do the diary bit?

yes lol, erm.... er....

'On Saturday we went to visit LittleRachies' Granny.

'On Sunday we went to the park'.

At no point did we mention that MrBear was left imprisoned in his carrier bag.

I can't believe that any school would ever only have one of the bears. What happens if it gets lost or chewed by someone's dog? If they have any sense they will have a spare.

When our class bear last came home for a weekend with DS he went on a proper bender on the Saturday night-we have photographic evidence, naughty monkey. This was of course after he had a bath on the Friday night which DS found hilarious to watch him on the spin...

Are you sure your son hasn't just got a cough/cold at the moment?? The class mascot has been around for so long. Most of us parents wash it and build a bridge... Tell the teacher by all means. But don't think you're the first to discover this!!