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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to take pram inside children’s centre?

116 replies

Marigo · 20/08/2019 18:32

My 7w old twins have been gaining weight slowly and I have to take them to be weighed at the children’s centre every week. I also have a 2y3m toddler with me. There’s no car park and no street parking so I walk with pushchair and DD on buggy board because she can’t walk for 25 minutes. There are signs up asking parents to leave pushchairs in sheds outside but I cannot manage to carry both babies and my bag and hold toddler’s hand so I have been bringing buggy in and parking it next to some cabinets in the corridor outside the weigh room.

Today a member of staff told me I couldn’t bring the pushchair in because it’s a fire hazard in the corridor. It’s about 6 inches wider than the cabinets it’s next to in a very wide corridor (children’s centre is an ex-primary school). She then went on to tell me that the fire service could carry out a check and they could shut the children’s centre down if there was a pram in the corridor. She said I should leave buggy in shed (unsecured) and make two trips inside. Not keen to do this - buggy cost more than a month’s SMP plus who do I take inside first etc.

I don’t know what to do! I don’t think the fire service are in the business of closing down children’s centres - would I BU to ignore member of staff and keep bringing pram?

OP posts:
BumblebeeBum · 20/08/2019 18:35

Ask if you can go in and a staff member go with you to the shed and help you bring everyone inside. Invest in a buggy lock.

NoBaggyPants · 20/08/2019 18:36

This is pretty standard, and if they allow you then they can't object to others doing the same. Speak to the staff and try to find a practical plan. Don't just ignore the rules, that are there for good reason.

Notquitemyselfanymore · 20/08/2019 18:38

Would it be worth investing in a sling so you could pop one baby in it, hold the other and have a hand free for toddler? I understand that your circumstances mean that you think you should be exempt from the rule, but the staff member must see the pram as a risk to ask you to leave it outside. It’s tricky without knowing for sure the set up and whether she has a point or if she’s being a jobsworth. But I think you’re being unreasonable to continue to bring in the pram after you’ve explicitly been told to leave it outside.

PotteringAlong · 20/08/2019 18:40

Get a buggy lock and a twingo sling?

Haworthia · 20/08/2019 18:44

Don’t waste your time buying slings or whatever - just stick your head in the door and ask a member of staff to help you ferry everyone in.

Minai · 20/08/2019 18:49

It’s really annoying. I had this problem too except I didn’t have twins, just a newborn and an 18 month old (who had not long started walking at that point) and it was impossible to manage both of them without the pram. My solution was to stop going to be honest but luckily my baby was gaining weight steadily so I didn’t feel like I had to go. I can see their point about not letting prams in but in your case they should definitely be offering you some help getting the babies in. I’d email the centre and see what solutions they could come up with.

CasperGutman · 20/08/2019 18:50

A children's centre cannot and will not expect you to "invest in a sling and a buggy lock" FFS, they're supposed to be all about inclusion. Explain the problem to a member of staff concisely, and wait (as in, leave silence for them to fill) for them to suggest a solution!

Notquiteagandt · 20/08/2019 18:52

Ours has a door bell in bike/buggy shed so if you need someone to pop out to help or extra hands. Worth a sugestion to them maybe

SophyStantonLacy · 20/08/2019 18:53

Just ask a member of staff to help you.

HeadintheiClouds · 20/08/2019 18:55

They very likely will suggest a buggy lock if op is uncomfortable leaving the buggy outside, why the hell wouldn’t they?!
If the buggy is a fire / trip hazard it can’t be accommodated, no arguments Confused

brightfutureahead · 20/08/2019 18:56

I think a member of staff should be helping you?

Did she offer to help or offer to get someone to help going forward, or did she just tell you off?

Surely as a children’s centre they should be willing to help parents in your situation.

brightfutureahead · 20/08/2019 18:57

I think a member of staff should be helping you

Sorry, that wasn’t meant to be a question.

x2boys · 20/08/2019 18:58

I think there s has always been the case ?.Ds2 is 9 and when i used to get him weighed at the children's centre I used to have leave the pram in one of those pram shelters,I think I could take ds1_pram when i took him to be weighed but it was a health centre.

SquintEastwood · 20/08/2019 19:02

Get a bike lock to wrap around the pram to secure it whilst you're away and ask a member of staff to help you in.

Expressedways · 20/08/2019 19:02

I’d go in with the buggy and ask a member of staff to go out to the shed with you to help you carry everything in. Or offer to fold your buggy and ask if there’s a side room or somewhere inside that isn’t the corridor where you can put it. They should hopefully be willing to help as it’s not easy when you have more children than hands!! I don’t think you can object to the buggy shed just because it’s unsecured though- surely everyone else uses it without their stuff getting stolen?!

SaltedCaramelEverything · 20/08/2019 19:03

Ah OP I sympathise. I think rules like this are a load of crap and the centres should be designed in the first place to accommodate a peak when you are bringing in 3 children!!

I ignored it the other day for DS 2 year check. I had rung to say the appt is in the middle of his nap time and so could I re schedule. They said not to worry just take him in asleep in buggy if no concerns. That was the main clinic office. When I got to my local clinic, bloody signs on the door saying no buggies. I ignored them! I also remember a mum with twins was always allowed to flout the rule (which I thought rightly so and was never bothered that I left mine outside) when going to weighing clinic.

When he was little I used a lock as buggy was expensive... but I only had 1! Unless a member of staff will help u so that no child is left unsupervised to go in AND out then yes I’d ignore their rule as that’s more a health and safety risk in my eyes!

Unicornhamster · 20/08/2019 19:03

I would ask them to help you. I am on mat leave at the minute but work at a children’s centre we always help out parents who have their hands full; especially those with twins.
As it happens I have four month old twins and have asked for help from people in loads of situations lately (DS broke both his arms) everyone is always more than happy to carry one or the other.

Topsecretidentity · 20/08/2019 19:04

They should help you it's completely unreasonable to expect a lone parent to manage baby twins and a toddler without help. That staff member should be ashamed of herself for scolding you without offering an appropriate alternative solution. Next time if they tell you to leave pram outside, ask for help.

Last time I was at my doctors surgery with baby sleeping in pram and my toddler, the kind receptionist offered to keep my baby in pram with her in the office (rather than me having to remove a sleeping baby and juggle baby and toddler without a pram to attend my toddler's appointment). I wish consideration and kindness like hers was common but unfortunately it isn't.

Blossom28 · 20/08/2019 19:06

Buy some baby scales 👌

minisoksmakehardwork · 20/08/2019 19:06

For the first few months the HV came out to weigh as they appreciated getting newborn twins, a 2yo and a 4yo to the centre was problematic. Would they do that?

When I did venture up, I buzzed the door and asked for someone to come and help. No way was I leaving one child in the pushchair unsupervised while I took the other in.

Although I was also lucky enough to have a twin group I could attend for a while. They were much more accommodating for double pushchairs, let us bring them in, off load babies and then fold the pushchairs and leave in the corner of them room. The children's centre had a set of scales the HV team left with them and would let us weigh babies ourselves.

Ultimately if the HV Team want them weighing weekly, I'd say the onus is on them to help you if you are otherwise happy with how they are.

Figgygal · 20/08/2019 19:06

Ring for someone to help because you can't get in without it
Though a sling would also help

Lipz · 20/08/2019 19:07

What ??!! They want you to do 2 journeys ? Like leave at least one unattended outside and inside. That's crazy !! Most of these places have these signs so as there is not a million prams in there at once. Surely they can make an allowance for you ? It's not like you are being lazy. If they can't help you then if it were me and I was happy with my children's weight I wouldn't bother going again.

Violet1988 · 20/08/2019 19:09

That's awful that she just said that and then didn't offer to help you. I find it hard enough to get my three year old an baby in to be weighed, (three year old has a bolting habit) can't imagine trying it with two babies an a toddler. I would do as other posters have said, get a lock for the buggy an pop your head in and ask a member of staff to help you bring one of the twins in, then I would have toddler on reins an remaining twin in a sling. I'd get a sling anyway not just for this, it would just make your life much easier an give you more options when it comes to getting around.

RedCowboyBoots · 20/08/2019 19:10

Sling and toddler reigns? Then you can put the reigns around your wrist and use both hands for the non-sling twin?

Lucked · 20/08/2019 19:11

Email them and tell them a staff member wants you to leave a child in a shed and ask them to do a risk assessment!

I do think you should shout and ask for help next week, probably won’t be long until someone tells you to just bring the buggy in.