To be precious with my stroller

[emerald30]

My mil is coming to mind my baby and ds7 for a night so we can attend a wedding.
Whilst we appreciate mil helping us so we can attend I'm wondering if I would be unreasonable to buy a small stroller for her to use whilst we're away. I have a good stroller which was expensive (bugaboo) and it's only a year old but she allows my older dc who's 7 sit in it and stand on the wheels of it. I've told ds he is too old for the stroller and he is not to stand on the wheels of it but he told me mil told him he had to the last time they were out. I don't want my stroller damaged as I have a few years left with it and also I don't think it's safe ds standing on the wheels whilst mil pushes. Ds is a good walker will walk beside her as he does with me. She also allowed him sit in my babies car seat a few months ago as he was playing. I told her I didn't want him sitting in a car seat designed for a babies weight and I didn't want the seat not to be safe in the event of a car accident. She wasn't happy about me saying this to her hence why I'm reluctant to go into the whole thing again with the buggy. Should I just buy a cheap stroller for her use? DH thinks it's a waste of money, he understands why I don't want my stroller damaged but when it comes to talking to his mum he forgets. AIBU to be precious about this (I love my stroller but I know if it was damaged we don't have the money to replace) or should I let it go.

Cheap stroller which can get battered and is light and easy for MIL to use. Job done.

I also vote buy a cheap buggy

A buggy board?

And lock the expensive one in the boot.

Thanks everyone for your advice I'm going to buy a cheap one and as mentioned will probably come in handy at the end of the year when we are away. I don't want ds to be confused either about what mammy says and what nana says as that's not fair on him.

Can't her son have a word with his mum. My ils were a bit like this.

It doesn’t sound like you’ve actually told your MIL that your son is not to do that with the buggy. If so, YABU.
Maybe say something like “I’ve told ds he’s not to stand/sit/whatever on the buggy, would you mind making sure he doesn’t”

So, she needs to be told, tell her! You didn’t tell her prior to the buggy or the car seat incident. She now knows with the car seat, tell her re: buggy.

After being in a horrendous crash (skidded on black ice - head on collision). I'd play hell with either my seven year old for sitting in the baby seat or mil for letting him. Our joie igemm saved my six month old from injury.

Have you asked MIL if she told DS to go in/on the pram?

This exact situation wouldn't bother me, but why not get a cheap second hand one off Facebook marketplace. I got one for £25 when I was going on holiday and didn't want my good one to get lost or stolen somehow, or broken as I was checking it in for the flight.

I planned to either toss it or give it away free afterwards but it actually turned out to be a great buy and I still have it.

If you don't care what type it is I've seen some even cheaper or free.

You're making the right choice, my mil looked after dd1 when I went back to work and couldn't remember how to fold our pushchair so took the seat off and had to frame wedged it into the back of her small car with the back seats folded down... tried showing her again but, no... it's never been the same

I'm here mostly because I don't understand a) how he can stand on the wheels and the buggy still move
b) why she wants him to in the first place - he's 7 - he's not going to do a runner and probably walks nearly as fast as her?! And surely the buggy must weigh a ton with a 7yo standing on it. Who pushes a 7yo rather than have them walking?!

So yes, I'd buy a cheap umbrella fold, and I'd tell your mother directly it's because you can't trust her to follow your wishes and not have your oldest standing on the buggy.

I'd get a cheap second hand one from Facebook.

Honestly the part that would annoy me most of all would be anyone encouraging my child to misuse an item. To have no respect for it.
I don't allow my children to jump on beds or climb around settees and it drives me potty when people tell my kids the opposite. MIL used to tell my kids use baby wipes and flush them down the toilet we really fell out when my kids were had to disobey her she would tell them off.
You really should say something to MIL. Back your DS up by telling her he knows he's not allowed to do whatever she's encouraging him to do and to please just stop.

I don’t get why your 7 year old is climbing in and over prams and car seats to begin with. Surely he’s old enough to know not too, and if someone said to do it, to say ‘I’m too big, it will cause damage’, and not do it!

What is it with mils and buggies?
When my Mil to dd to the shop if dh and I left her babysitting she would put her in the umbrella buggy I had left at the inlaws house from when dd was small. Dd was 6 and lazy enough to crack on with it.
Despite repeatedly asking her not to do it we actually caught her one Friday night wheeling her down to the shop. It just seemed bloody rude tbh, she knew our wishes but did as she wanted anyway.

The following day we were going down to visit. Dh didn't see me put the scissors in my bag. I walked straight to the cupboard where the buggy was kept and cut the fabric straight down the middle. Problem solved and mil's face was priceless.

he allows my older dc who's 7 sit in it and stand on the wheels of it.

I can't get past why a 7 year old would want to sit in a buggy or stand on the wheels of a buggy. Just tell him it's not a bloody toy. He's old enough to understand that.

This is not a MIL prob;em btw, this is a 7 year old who should know better 🙄

The 7yo does know better though, but the adult in charge aka his DGM is telling him that he HAS to do it. Are people really expecting a 7yo to overrule her? How can the DGM be in charge at all unless the 7yo accepts her as such as complies when she says he has to do something?

Its definitely a MIL problem.

At 7 he’s old enough to be told and understand not to climb on the buggy!

The OP told him, he told his DGM he wasn't allowed, but she told him he had to do it, though. What was he supposed to do then? That's a genuine question, I'm not being arsey, just highly unclear on how a 7yo was supposed to handle the fact that the adults in his life have told him totally contradictory things about the rules.

How do the wheels move on the buggy with someone standing on them?

Can't a 7-year old walk on his own???

Good idea. Will save you an argument that could cause bad feeling between you.

Is your 7 year old telling the truth? Maybe HE convinced MIL that you allowed him to stand on the wheels because he couldn’t be bothered to walk?

Is your 7 year old telling the truth? Maybe HE convinced MIL that you allowed him to stand on the wheels because he couldn’t be bothered to walk?

That’s what I’m wondering. Maybe DS was moaning about walking and tried it on with MIL and she gave in. I just can’t get my head around anyone forcing a 7 year old to get on the pram tbh. It must be so heavy to push for a start.