Not to share inflatables by the pool

[Sally20099]

We’re on our summer holiday in Europe. During our Easter holiday two children started playing with DD float (a giant mermaid) and it got a puncture during their rough play. This was on day 3 and DD was rightly upset. This holiday I said she didn’t have to let anyone borrow her new inflatable if she didn’t want to but if she made friends or wanted to make friends she should IF they ask. So far three children have just randomly grabbed and started playing with her stuff (twice it was by the pool but once it was by our sunbeds!). We have always been happy to share if people ask if they can play, borrow or join in, but right in front of their parents they are just grabbing our stuff and playing with it. I understand children will do this but I expect the parents to say something like “this isn’t yours, put it back” or “have you asked if you can play with it because it isn’t yours”. I think this behaviour is unbelievably entitled from children and parents so now I keep it by my sunbed the entire time it’s not in use. People just taking stuff that doesn’t belong to them with out asking is a tigger for me so I’m trying to under if my reaction is fair or am I just an uptight killjoy?

That does sound annoying. You'd think the resort would rent them out or even give out one per family as part of the deal.
But the kids are gonna be playing with both their own group and other random kids as par for the course. It's more that the inflatables should be better quality.

Yeah but it’s always your money replacing them. Not the fuckers that don’t contribute and break yours.

I'm not surprised at kids doing it as young kids don't necessarily realise. But the adults supporting it rather than making them take it back straight away is not on at all.

On the one hand, when we were on holiday, literally none of the children were paying with their own toys. They all swapped and shared and all the little kids (I'm talking under 2s) were happy 99% of the time.

On the other hand, we lost 3-4 of our son's toys, and it wasn't the end of the day (so could have been left behind), it was in the middle of the day.

For me, it comes down to supervision - if your kids are playing with other toys, keep an eye on them and don't let them do anything risky with other's stuff.

🙄

Really?
My local pool has always had an abundance of pool noodles, floats, arm bands etc for people to use if they've forgot their own.
And also every time I've been to a hotel with a pool they always have things lying around for kids to use. Usually things that have been left by guests who couldn't take them home.

€34?! You were totally ripped off! They're £4.99 in Home Bargains and B&M!

It really is 99% of hotels in Europe do this! The only ones that don't are the ones that don't allow inflatables to be in the pool.

Excellent. DM me your address and I’ll be round to help myself to your stuff.

100% agree!! If my kids were to do this I would say ‘no that’s not yours’ or ‘did you ask them if it was ok for you to have a shot?’

People and their kids can be insufferable on holidays !!!

stealing the inflatables is not OK and the lax / CF parents who enable it are the problem !
get off your phones parents and look out for your kids !
AND stop letting your not toilet trained kids in the adult pool -
Code Brown in your own lane !!!!
hate it when the dozy fuckers put the babies in the pool for 16+ and then look bemused when their kids shit shuts it for all of us !!!

We’re on holiday right now too and I can’t believe how young some of the young children are who are just left unsupervised.

One child tried to knock my son off a swing yesterday and then had the nerve to demand that I push him on the swing next to my son. I told him I might’ve done if he hadn’t been so unkind to my son.

We have given stuff away before leaving but actively given it rather than just left by the pool. If someone was just helping themselves I think my kids would soon tell them off!

Because they need to be taught/to learn to ask?

Agreed. Particularly when it comes to avoiding having to entertain/discipline/guide own children. Sometimes I wonder why people bother having kids, frankly.

Excellent 😄

Every time they are not in use, deflate slightly and put UNDER your sunbed out of view. They are less obvious and even if spotted, less enticing because of the deflation. Then just top up when in use and supervise your DD in the pool so that she's not making sharing decisions on her own if she doesn't feel confident to do so (plus presumably you supervise her in the water anyway).

Bit of a helpful aside - Aldi have big pizza slices and watermelon lolly inflatables in the aisle of wonders at the moment for much less than you'll pay for them at the resort. Just bought a couple ready for when we go away.

I wouldn’t be happy if people just helped themselves to our things, without asking. But I also think you take responsibility for your things and make sure that it’s obvious that they belong to you. Keep them by your sunbed when they are not being used. If you are leaving the bed for any reason, then make sure they are weighed down with something. It doesn’t take much for one to blow away, or get kicked, leaving it in “no man’s land”.

But they're not cheap to keep replacing!

This, I started doing this after a similar experience when DC were little, and also if you're in a place with lots of British people every kid will have the same sun hat / sliders from Next etc so worth labelling your stuff!

🙄 talk about first world problems jesus!

I don’t think the way the OPs child is behaving is the problem here.

My first thought as to why you shouldn't share inflatables is that you can pass on water warts (molluscum contagiousum) through water toys in a pool, which are an absolute bugger to get rid of, and highly contagious!

Are you the thread police ? Or just slightly insufferable