Heres a big daycare faux pas... DON'T steal other kids clothing!!!

I've had several of my daughters items and one special blanket of my sons go missing from daycare. And everytime they do I think "THIS is a one of a kind item.. how the heck can another parent take it home mistaking it for their own childs belonging?"

I've finally realized that they DON'T realize it doesn't belong to their child.

Two weeks ago my daughters sunhat went missing. Items that my children wear often become special to me. They build memories. It took me months to stop being furious when my sons blanket disappeared (being one of his sleep lovies, that was hand made by my husbands aunt and being NECESSARY to to put my son to sleep.)

Well today I'm walking out with my class of children (I work at the daycare) and I see a girl in my sons class wearing my daughters hat. Her cubby is right next to my sons so it becomes clear to me what happened. It got put in her cubby by mistake and they 'claimed' it as their own hat. I had already talked to the teachers and described the hat. So when the child wore it in to daycare today they thought it must be hers because it came in with her. So it's been at her house for TWO WEEKS. GRRR. I stop and talk to grandmother pointing out that she's wearing my daughters hat that I've been looking for. Grandma disagrees with me and says "No that's her's, she's had it for a few days."
"No," I disagree "That's Cara's, I've spoken to all the teachers about it, it went missing two weeks ago and my sons cubby is right next to your grand daughters. It's one of a kind."
Grand ma replies "No this is her hat I'm sure."
"Uhh, no. I'm afraid it's not, it's my daughters. It's one of a kind. Made on Salt Spring Island, my daughters had that hat since she was 1.5 and it's very likely that theres not another one that looks like it in Canada. It was a gift from her grandparents and she's been wearing it for 3 years now."
Grandma says "Oh well I'll ask her mom." Jumps in the truck and drives away WITH MY DAUGHTERS HAT!!!

It's so infuriating. If my kids pop up with a belonging I don't recognize, I question. I wonder "hmm, where did this come from? I didn't buy it. Their dad didn't buy it, perhaps I should look in to this further." But NO. I've found here that people just claim items as their own. Have they no shame???

I've talked to my sons teacher and she assures me that mom will return the hat, she's not the type to keep it. Never the less was it necessary for grandma to speed away with it on a Friday night. I'll be upset if I don't get it back now. The blanket was the last straw for me. I try now to be very carefull with their belongings. I'm sure that this hat at one time even had a mabels label on it. I better get it back on monday morning. Or I'm pulling out the photo album with images of my 1.5 year old daughter wearing this hat.

I have to admit, I've had parents deliberately keep weirder items. It makes me so mad.

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https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=stealing

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That is so terrible I'd be livid if my children's items went missing like that. My son is currently missing a sweater at school and I'm annoyed about that but a blanket! Oh no! Awful.
I'm across the pond from Saltspring Island by Butcharts...nice to see other "locals" here.

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No, they really dont notice/care. I've sent home extra clothing that had another child's or the daycare's name on it, and saw the kid wear it for the next months.

They just consider it free additions to the child's wardrobe.

I understand your frustration though

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well my parents here notice and they do return things that get sent home by mistake. Not everyone is like this!

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Doesn't putting your child's name on everything solve the problem?

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You would think wouldn't you? I've had several things with mabels labels all over them disappear and never come back.
This go missing, they just do. I just don't understand the hoarder instinct to keep things that are obviously not something you bought for your child.
Random items of clothing don't come in to my house without me knowing who bought it. So how do children come home with new stuff and parents don't think to look in to it.

I have seen children wearing stuff I've donated to the daycare as if it's their own. It's always parents who 1. arent's poor. 2. under dress their child daily. Never bring in spares.. then just claim the daycare clothing.

WHY???? UHHH. If you can afford coach purses, and a brand new pair of Pumas ever week, then spend a few bucks and stop stealing my kids hats. The same thing happend with my daughters very clearly marked winter hat.

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I would not send anything too precious to that daycare. Especially something that is one of a kind, necessary for the sleep of your child, expensive or sentimental. KWIM?

I think I missed something......If the girl was wearing your daughters hat and it had a label in it...... Why didn't you just take the hat off the girl's head and show grandma the label.

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She was buckled in her car seat... grandma was just shutting the door as I was passing with 8 children on a walking rope... besides people don't like it when daycare providers tackle their grandchild to snatch off a hat. I still have to be professional and polite.

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If the hat isn't returned, you could politely let the parents or Grandma know that your daughter is missing a hat that looks just like that one, could they please check inside and see if it has a label with your daughter's name on it. If the label is missing, there really isn't much you could do. I understand how and unfamiliar item of clothing goes unnoticed. Parents might think Grandma bought this hat for her, Grandma thinks parents bought it...

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Do you have any photos of your DD wearing the hat? If so, take it to the director so she can shpw the family who has the hat that it clearly belongs to you.

Oh, and as far as the Coach purse comment, maybe they can afford it because they get the kids' clothing and other items at a five finger discount.....

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I would take in the pictures as well. When my oldest DD was in a center, I took the junkiest clothes we had in, along with the oldest most worn out blanket. I was too afraid that her items would get lost, or stolen by other parents. It's really just sad what people will do.

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I did miss the part about it having a label in it, so sorry for not seeing that, but I think you could have very nicely asked grandma to please check to see if your childs name label was inside the hat. You could have done that very professionally and very politely. Actually, as an employee of the daycare I wouldn't have even gotten emotional about it and wouldn't even have brought up the fact that it was YOUR daughter's - would have just mentioned that the hat looks like one described as lost in the daycare and could you please check to see if it had a label in it.

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Tackle?
Snatch?

I don't think I said that.

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LOL I was making a joke. Point is that the child was already buckled in her car seat.

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